unable to control

The British (read: Protestant) obsession with action contrasts with the Portuguese (read: Catholic) obsession with words. The reason for these obsessions is that Protestants are much more action-restricted than Catholics whereas Catholics are much more words-restricted than Protestants. Put differently, Protestants thrive on word-liberalism whereas Catholics thrive on action-liberalism. (1)

Thus, Protestants, when they act, they are often laughable at it. Catholics, by contrast, are laughable when they talk. The greatest danger in a Catholic society is unrestricted freedom of expression; conversely, the greatest danger in a Protestant society is unrestrict freedom of action.

This is how the British first split from the Catholic Church and how they are now destroying their own Anglican Church. Would you imagine in Portugal a church being created and then being destroyed because of sexual action - first, a king marrying his lover, then two priests getting married? I don't. If we ever in Portugal were to create a new church, splitting from Catholicism, that would be because of words - a tremendous discussion about doctrinal matters that would set people apart. Actually, it would likely be a discussion which, in the end, nobody knew anymore what the Portuguese were talking about.

The rise and fall of the Anglican Church suggests that the British are specially obsessed with action of a sexual nature. More recently, it was also a sexual affair that threatened their monarchy. The British seem as unable to control the destructive social effects of their freedom of action, as the Portuguese seem unable to control the destrutive social effects of their freedom of expression.

(1) see, for example, this: a man going to court and found guilty simply because he put four adults (including himself) and nine kids in a Volvo caravan. In Portugal this man would be o rei da gaiatada.