In which the Meridian gives voice to the envy of less-happier lands

Some stories so resist additional commentary that they feel as though they've been dragged out of the depths of some heterotopic space and all we can do is just sort of watch them flop around here on the dock that is Everyday Experience and wonder what the heck they signify. This is one of those stories.

That realm, that England. I wonder what exactly it is that we on this side of the pond lack (or have?) that makes episodes like this seem so damned English that they could happen only there--or, at least, not here.

Um, that's something of an implicit invitation for comments and recriminations.

(Hat-tip: Crooked Timber)