Steve:

Beware, the medium IS the message, these days, or damn near. So if you've got a quarrel with the article, at least throw us a bone.

I often take the Churchillian adage as a model as follows: "Democracy is a terrible political system, except for all the others."
"Capitalism is a terrible political system, except for all the others."

What the Spectator article referenced in the OP might rightfully refer to is:
"The English were a terrible colonial power, except for all the others."

Which I think is a tolerable argument. I remember having an Indian roommate in college who said as much.

And I used to suspect that the Chinese would disagree, but in fact I'm not so sure. They did get Hong Kong back on schedule and I suspect a majority of the residents are wishing they hadn't.