A Social History of England. Vol. V: 1966-1978

By 1966 English society was at its zenith. The country's sense of well-being and euphoria was beautifully captured by Roger Miller in his hit single England Swings:
Engleland swings like a pendulum-do
Bobbies on bicyles two by two
Westminster Abbey, the tower of Big Ben
The rosy red cheeks of the little children

But in the space of 12 years the bobbies had been replaced by "the filth", and the rosy red cheeks of the little children by ashen-faced waifs of stunted growth. The prevailing mood was summed up by Gerry Rafferty in Ma Baker Street (1978):
Windin' your way down on Baker Street
Light in your head and dead on your feet
Well another crazy day
You'll drink the night away
And forget about everything
This city desert makes you feel so cold.
It's got so many people but it's got no soul