The lamps are going out all over Britain
Oddly, the people who care most about climate change are most opposed
BRITAIN WAS one of the first countries to light its streets at night. In 1782 Karl Philipp Moritz, a German essayist, was astounded by the “festive illumination” of London; a visiting German prince thought the lamps had been lit for his benefit. But Britain has also been ambivalent about providing light. Whereas streetlamps in Paris expressed state power (hence revolutionaries hanging their enemies from them), street lighting in Britain was often the responsibility of households and businesses. Even today, local authorities are not legally required to light the streets.
This article appeared in the Britain section of the print edition under the headline “In the gloaming”
Britain October 9th 2021
- Wages are rising in Britain, but so are prices and taxes
- The government wants to boost British startups through immigration
- What Sarah Everard’s murder means for the Metropolitan Police
- Britain’s welfare state offers little protection for workers
- The lamps are going out all over Britain
- Britain’s trees are being felled by diseases
- The Tories are deadly serious about levelling up
From the October 9th 2021 edition
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