> And contrariwise, sometimes the doomsayers are identifying a real
> threat, and the reason it doesn't come to pass is because people
> addressed it and averted it, which might not have happened without
> the fore-warning.

Exactly why I'm complacent. :-)

I would not want to suggest that Britain, as a civilization, has fallen, by the way. It's influence may have changed since the days when the sun never set, but it's influence still remains and is welcome, in my very humble opinion.