>shoplifting is currently rife and, when the value is low, not addressed, but this is a temporary state of affairs.

Remember though, how often in the history of states, the temporary cannily usurps permanence. It's hard to tell what's a brief deviation from the mean, rather than an early glimpse into the new normal.

I have no idea what I'm talking about, either in terms of understanding society nor the UK specifically, but your phrasing tickled my paranoia about that phrase a sort of famous last words for civilizations, lol.