Letter from Simon Kelner: You need a bit of distance to appreciate the change

According to i reader Patrick Waddington, John Cleese "lost all relevance the day the last episode of Fawlty Towers aired".

A harsh judgement, maybe, but the man who created the Torquay hotelier retains the ability to provoke, amuse and infuriate. Certainly, his recent comment that he feels like a foreigner in London these days has prompted quite a reaction. By Facebook and Twitter, our readers have made their feelings known,and opinions are pretty well split down the middle, from this Facebook posting - "Cleese [pictured] only has a point if you define being ‘English' in relation to skin colour. His quote is now firmly ensconced in pride of place on the EDL website" - to this tweet - "I'd agree with Cleese. There are very few places in England that feel English any more." So far, so predictable. But it was a posting from Kevin Symonds that caught my attention. "If anything," he wrote, "you should listen to someone who has been away for a long time." (Although this sounds like Cleese has been serving a prison sentence, he has actually been living in California for the past two decades.) "You don't notice things that have changed when you see them all the time," continued Mr Symonds. "Like how much better the London Underground has got over the years." This got me thinking. I am not a regular Tube user, but I am struck by how much better, cleaner and more efficient it is than it once was. Beyond this narrow observation, however, I think Mr Symonds uncovers something important: we rarely hear about things in our everyday lives that have improved over the past 20 years. Of course, technology has changed our lives beyond recognition. And I know it's not exactly the Large Hadron Collider, but the device that never fails to impress me is my Sky Plus box. Live pause, series link, Anytime: this was a thing we dreamed of 20 years ago, and now I don't know what I'd do without it. Equally, the M6 Toll Road is a modern wonder, making life so much easier for those who travel between England's two most important cities (that's London and Manchester, silly). And what about dog mess? You hardly ever see it on the streets any more. The same is largely true of litter. And do you remember the horrors of eating out 20 years ago? Berni Inn anyone? Now, London is a gastronomic centre and nowhere in Britain are you very far from a well-sourced, expertly cooked meal out. And I haven't mentioned free museums, the regeneration of our provincial cities or, even, the advent of i…