Soon the new English Premiership season will be under way. The vast majority of players will have come from abroad to play for mainly foreign owned clubs. The national team has looked abroad not only for its manager but also for most of his assistants. Sometimes it seems that the major English contribution to the whole circus is to pay through the nose at the turnstiles.

Even the England cricket team now has a South African skipper. Michael Vaughan may have made a lachrymose departure but the last time England had a South African skipper it also ended in tears when Tony Greig fell for Kerry Packer’s wealth and took half the test side with him to World Cricket. Kevin Pieterson has made no secret of his determination to dip his bread in the IPL 20/20 riches, so perhaps history will repeat itself.

And so to the Judiciary. The appropriately named Sir Igor Judge will become Lord Chief Justice when Lord Phillips stands down in October. Sir Igor was born in Malta. Truly Britain is a land of opportunity.