The caller’s complaint – how deluded we can be
James Cleverly was on LBC this week when a caller, Joshua, dialled in during a discussion about serving your country.
Calmly, he told Cleverly that he would struggle to justify service for Britain, because he feels the nation has given him nothing. To Joshua, public services are “crippled”, the streets are filthy, potholes are everywhere and the country is, in his words, worse than it was 10 or 15 years ago.
Cleverly pushed back, pointing out that in global terms, Joshua’s lot is hardly unbearable.
And he was right to.
A nation to be proud of
I’ve always been proud of this country. There have been moments in my life where I considered signing up, and if I were called upon tomorrow, I would not hesitate. Britain has its problems, but it has also given me opportunities, freedoms, and a safe environment to thrive. Our challenges are real, but they are nothing compared to what many others face.
Joshua and those who share his mindset need to understand a basic truth: if a thug like Putin ever decided to take us on and win, the freedoms he takes for granted would vanish overnight. The right to complain, to protest, even to live without fear – all gone. Rubber bullets would turn to real ones.
Perspective from abroad
This year, I’ve had the privilege to work across Africa. Those travels hammered home one lesson: no matter how much we grumble here, Britain is blessed.
I used to complain about potholes. Never again – not after weeks bouncing down dirt tracks that barely qualify as roads in capital cities. I used to moan about the NHS. Not after witnessing a baby delivered in a converted apartment under a government office – no stainless steel, no sterile equipment, just a tiled floor spattered with blood, a door open to the dusty street outside.
I’ve seen people living under plastic sheeting, burning rubbish to stay warm. In places like that, begging in the UK would be a middle-class salary. Let that sink in.
Stop moaning, start serving
So when someone like Joshua says Britain has given him nothing, I can’t help but feel he is blind to the truth. Yes, our public services need reform. Yes, the streets need cleaning up. But even at its worst, Britain is better than most of the world at its best.
Serving your country isn’t about waiting until it’s perfect. It’s about defending the imperfect freedoms we have, because without them, we’d quickly learn what true hardship really is.
