Perhaps we're all living to the wrong ideal - I grew up reading Victor comic believing that Brits all asipred to be square-jawed heroic types standing up for what they believed in, but history is littered with men who learned to say 'yes' the higher up the ladder they went because when they looked down they realilsed how far they had to fall. Government doesn't like to be seen to be wrong and so those beneath it tend to agree with what our leaders want or fall by the wayside since there will always be plenty of other ambitious types who are prepared to say 'yes' to order.
However, the dichotomy is that the fast-acting and far-reaching communications media that means that those in authority feel under increasing pressure to be seen to sing the company song lest they are found out also means that the Victor/Warlord readership have more visibility of the decision-making process. Hence here we are airing our opinions when we probably should be doing the washing-up. What's the solution? The champagne receptions and garden parties offer membership to an exlusive club that few would want to give up once they are in and if the price of membership is singing the company song, it becomes hard to stand up for what you believe in if it is at odds with the party line. The idealists still believe that they can change things from within - Jackson certainly gave the impression of being the gravelly soldier's soldier, but obviously even he bowed to the pressure - so what happens? Vote for people who don't say what they think will get them elected? All leave the Armed Forces/NHS/Civil Service in a fit of pique?
I don't know the answer, but I prefer to look after the people who work for/with me and accept that the barbeques I go to are much more relaxed than garden parties where you have to mind your p's and q's.
Anyway, I'm off to find my old Warlords and Victors - Lord Peter Flint - now he was a British hero in the classic mould and Alf Tupper knew how to keep going too...