"Exactly. Which somehow hasn’t worked," Alastair said, deadpan. Then he continued, "So I would say that the chattering classes, who live in that sort of bubble, were knocked off balance quite badly and are still having a hard time believing it’s real. Even I, who’ve seen it . . ." Alastair shook his head and took a swallow. "That’s why I reacted as I did when I heard the sonic boom just now. Had this mad impulse to turn my phone around and show everyone in the pub."