So we're told by an academic, must be true 'coz it's science, right? Britain is doomed to decline and fall because, well, actually, because us moderns just aren't up to much:

Britain is experiencing the same decline as Rome in 100BC, with the collapse of civilisation inevitable, a scientist has warned.

Dr Jim Penman, of the RMIT University in Melbourne, believes Britons no longer have the genetic temperament to advance because of decades of peace and a high standard of living.

He claims that the huge success of the Victorian era will not be repeated because people in the UK have lost the biological drive for innovation.

Instead, Britain is existing in a period similar to the decades before the fall of the Roman Republic where social tensions were rife, the gap between the rich and poor was increasing and extremism was growing.

Hmm, well.

We do think that in order to be able to do history well you need to actually know history. At which point a little putting of that huge success of the Victorian order in context is possibly needed. Per capita GDP, from 1700 to 1870, is usually estimated as having at 0.5% or so a year. Our experience of the 20th century was very much better than that. And here we are now, with GDP per capita over the past four years growing by 1.1%, 0.9%, 0.0% and 1.1%. This in the middle of what we all agree is the worst recession of modern times. We generally think that trend growth is 1.5 to 2% for this number.

Or about 3x that 19th century number, just if we keep generally rolling along without too much strain or effort. If this is failure compared to the Victorian success then bring it on we say.