For Britain to grow faster it needs better managers

Imagine the typical plot of a British period drama. The setting is a stately home. His Lordship is amply endowed with English virtues: reserve, fair play and a sizeable chunk of Northumberland. But he lacks commercial nous and his education (Homer, Virgil, Catullus for fun) does not help. Chronic mismanagement has driven the family estate to the brink of insolvency. The hunt is on for a dashing—and, more importantly, rich—American to marry the heir and shore up the balance-sheet.