I agree with you that Oasis are better than many of the alternatives. They write their own songs. They are working-class-lads-made-good, and I think that's a big part of their appeal to the people I grew up with. That's why I kind of get the mania of people trying to get tickets, even though they never really did it for me.

I hope you're right that the worst is over, but my cynicism persuades me the general trajectory is down. Not just in the UK, but everywhere in the west. It feels like we stopped believing in ourselves, and lost the energy and unifying belief that a culture needs to stave off decline.

But I may be wrong about that, and hope I am. Certainly I agree that we've become a doom-obsessed society, but I think after a certain point, that becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Still, you'll NEVER convince me Oasis make good music!