That English charm

The week's news at a glance.

London

Britons have become so rude that the Department for Education has begun mandating politeness classes for elementary-school children. The $18 million civility program, instituted in 3,500 primary schools, includes lessons in forgiving and complimenting. “It used to be that, as the teacher, you automatically had the respect of the children,” said headmaster David Pannett, “but the social skills have become so distorted that’s no longer the case.” Nowadays, European hotel owners consistently vote the Brits as the second most obnoxious tourists. Only Germans are deemed worse.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
To continue reading this article...
Continue reading this article and get limited website access each month.
Get unlimited website access, exclusive newsletters plus much more.
Cancel or pause at any time.
Already a subscriber to The Week?
Not sure which email you used for your subscription? Contact us