To be certain, Britain has a fair few problems. That said, they pale in comparison to those faced by other countries, many within the EU. Accordingly, having initial, intermediate and final say over the remedies to those problems is EXACTLY why sovereignty is, or should be, so important to Britons.
Like you, I see a fairly painful global reckoning coming, as the "Ponzi schemes" of which you speak cannot last forever. However, we may see a different path to that final outcome. From afar, I see a country that is becoming increasingly reliant on the social pact, rather than personal responsibility. As others have mentioned, it is obvious there are haves and have nots in Britain, both regionally and personally, but that excuse is just that...an excuse. There are today, as there have always been, imperatives to "getting ahead." Some prefer to ignore them and simply blame society for their lot in life, while others dust themselves off and do what is necessary to make the best fist of it. In Britain I see to many of the former and not enough of the latter.
Yes, many of the heavy industry jobs (coal, steel and manufacturing) in Britain have been widely supplanted by services and other light industry. That tide waits for no man, so one either educates and trains or one falters and falls behind. It is a personal choice. THAT is somewhat that is seemingly missing from large swaths of Britiash society in 2016. There seems to be a mentality that "things are bad, someone needs to ... for me" rather than "things are bad, I need to ... for myself."
There is certainly a case to be made that I could have been that guy if I had stayed in th Manchester area, but I doubt it. After all, there was a time when I had $5 to my name in the U.S., and my parents had to file bankruptcy because of a dodgy accountant fucking them over on their taxes and Internal Revenue not caring a bit, but I survived and thrived.
Sad to say, I think the British disease, (which is rampant, especially amongst the lower working classes and unemployed (unemployable???)) is magnified by the "I will do whatever it takes to get ahead" mentality I find myself immersed in here in the U.S. Entitlement (believing you deserve/have something because of who you are), whether it is the silver spoons on the one end or the wooden spoons on the other, is a disease that needs eliminating.
