Only 5% of British office workers take a full hour for their lunch break. 68% eat their lunch at their desks. 32% have the same lunch every day. (Philadelphia/The Times)

They also increasingly work long hours, enjoy reduced benefits, and have to wrestle with money- purchase (instead of the old final salary) pensions. As a final insult they are hired on short-term contracts, some as short as a year. Epicurus would probably say that such an “economic” system that benefits about 1% of the population cannot long survive. Unfortunately, there are few wise leaders among the CEOs and politicians committed to a civilised deal for workers, whether they are taking hurried lunches at their desks in Britain or in the United States. The unions have been bullied into oblivion, and the good jobs have been exported. Stupid? Well, yes!