collapse of the old society

The sick man of Europe.

This isn't a recent thing. Arguably the 90s and early 2000s were just a blip in the UK's long-term post-imperial decline.

The real shame is that the UK is still in denial about that decline, rather than accepting the truth of it, and ensuring a soft landing.

Bit like how the Palace of Westminster is urgently in need of renovation, but because it'll cost too much, and because Britain is still too attached to symbols of a glory age that's long gone, MPs keep kicking the can down the road rather than doing what's necessary to prevent a catastrophic failure.