They have liberty, justice and a talking beaver....

......That's why I want to live in Narnia.

I've just finished reading The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe (yeah, I know, shut up). There were two passages in that book that made me think about our hideous nannying country. C.S. Lewis, who wrote the Chronicles of Narnia was born in 1898. Read the following passage taken from the book (between the lines) and imagine what C.S. Lewis would think of our country now, compared to his time.

The group have just finished a meal with the talking beavers and are about to hear the story of Narnia:

"And now" said Mr Beaver, pushing away his empty beer mug and pulling his cup of tea towards him. "If you'll just wait till I've got my pipe lit up and going nicely - why, now we can get to business". "It's snowing again", he added, cocking his eye at the window.

51 words, 3 sentences. Alcohol, tobacco, smoking in front of children, passive smoking and global warming denial. The only thing missing is obesity, but that was covered separately in the previous passage:

There was a jug of creamy milk for the children (Mr Beaver stuck to beer) and a great big lump of deep yellow butter in the middle of the table from which everyone took as much as he wanted to go with his potatoes [...] and when they had finished the fish Mrs Beaver brought [...] a great and gloriously sticky marmalade roll.

How on earth can they get away with such irresponsible indulgence without dropping stone dead? That is explained at the end of the book. Battles have been fought and won, and now the children become kings and queens........as you do.

These two kings and two queens governed Narnia well, and long and happy was their reign. [...] and they made good laws and kept the peace [..] and generally stopped busybodies and interferer's and encouraged ordinary people who wanted to live and let live.

Hmmm..  Only in Narnia, as they say.