If you are a citizen of the United Kingdom, I ask that you keep a stiff upper lip whilst reading this from an American across the pond this Fourth of July.

Britain increasingly displays a pattern in which its institutions fail, inquiries identify the causes, reports are written, recommendations are issued, apologies are made, and reforms are promised. Then, almost on cue, another scandal arrives, reminding everyone that remarkably little has changed. Accountability is spread like too little jam on toast, and those responsible rarely seem to suffer consequences commensurate with the damage done.