Native English speaker, though haven’t lived in the UK (nor any other country with English as the primary/dominant language) since I was a chid.

I’ve heard the phrase a million times said out loud.

First time I’ve seen it in written language, however.

Arachnids in the uk was 7 years ago

Oh ffs I wasn’t ready for that gut punch.

I think it’s more a case of “you know times are bad when even Reagan looks good compared to this…” rather than praise.

it unironically sounds like a good approach for some roles, though?