I just hope this new found "confidence" doesn't spread to the U.S.
It already has. Philly's imposed a curfew because mobs of kids were going out and getting violent and trashing property.
Otherwise, I'm pleasantly surprised that we have more in common than in contrast here. Even Bab is a 2nd amendment supporter, even if he differs on the impact of legal ownership on the likelihood of criminal use.
See, guys like us would probably serve better by cordoning off council estates than by bickering with each other... but, ah, the concept of the self-policing state appears to have abdicated to the nannies-in-chief. They'd be horrified and call it vigilantism. That goes for me too - no time or energy to organize for a better social environment...
Cue Floyd's "Me and You", then recognize that the West is crumbling. We live in interesting times.