why are english people all so polite?

Here's my theory, it has to do with the que. Here in England nothing is as respected and honored as the order one stands in a line. Everyone has to stand in a line everyday for at least ten minutes a day. If someone jumps the que he/she is insulting all the people patiently waiting and could be the difference between those people getting on a bus and being on time for an appointment or being late. It is understood that if people wait their turn eventually they will be taken care of; if not, a que jumper will be the target of everyone else's disdain. Waiting in line for the bus, or the cashier may be a chronic test of my patience, but English people have been bred from infancy to be calm and wait.

This theory is the result of an afternoon spent in crowded hustling stores, and of days waiting in all sorts of weather for the bus. It is a work in progress and will require further analysis.