Virtually all human action is liable to opposing interpretations, depending mainly upon distance: to take the familiar case of the banana peel, the fall is painful to the slipper, hilarious to the spectator across the street.

It is a strange fact, but it is unquestionably true that almost any English intellectual would feel more ashamed of standing to attention during “God save the King” than of stealing from a poor box.

damning evidence was clear for all to see

A Texan study earlier this year linked phone use and emotional instability, claiming that “incessant” checking acts as a pacifier, a distraction from the rubbishness of modern life.