An important part of British self-image is to see the United Kingdom as ancient, organic and sensibly managed, compared to other European countries. Yet, Julian Hoppit shows that the United Kingdom has in fact been in a constant, often very tense argument with itself about how it should be run, and who should pay for what. With drastically different levels of prosperity, population, industry, agriculture and accessibility between the United Kingdom's different nations, what is a fair basis for paying for the state?