Dismal news from the mother country today:

State spending now accounts for more than half of Britain’s economy, for the first time since OECD records began. Money from Whitehall and town halls made up 52 per cent of Gross Domestic Product last year, and the proportion is certain to rise.

That’s a growth of 12 percent in just 13 years:

When Labour came to power in 1997, government spending accounted for 40 per cent of GDP. That was a respectable figure, comparable to that of the United States.

“Comparable” is a bit of a stretch: The U.S. figure for 1997 was 33.77 percent.

What is it today? 44.48 percent and climbing.

Anyone feel like talking about exceptionalism today?