The real class war
by Richard Reeves
Apparently William Hague is to be the Tories' secret weapon against Labour's 'class war', which will highlight the privilege and wealth of the Conservative front bench. His Yorkshire twang and comprehensive education will act as a defensive cloak for the Old Etonian millionaires sitting alongside him. The idea of different sections of the elite arguing over their prolier-than-thou credentials is deeply depressing, when the real class divide in British society is so deep and damaging.
In a recent edition of Thinking Allowed, I debated the issues of class with a diverse panel and Laurie Taylor. What interests me is not the divide between the 'working class', 'middle class' and 'upper class'. It is between the vast majority of the population who do work, and those who in long-term receipt of benefits: ie. the 'not working class'. The lives of whole communities of people, concentrated on council estates, and dramatised in programmes like Shameless or films like Fishtank, are disconnected from the formal labour market. Conservative commentators used to label this group an 'underclass'; those on the left prefer less judgmental terms like 'vulnerable' or 'disadvantaged'. What matters is that these are groups for whom poor educational provision is almost guaranteed; pathways to independence are few and narrow; and for whom death comes early. While the politicians play their games about class, at the other end of the social ladder the non-working class are seeing their life chances crushed by the weight of multiple disadvantage and social pathologies. Here, class kills.
Benjamin Moody
The idea of William Hague as an example of diversity in the Tory party is a little off the mark to say the least.
Hague comes from the village of Wentworth itself - home to England's biggest stately house and formerly the seat of Britain's richest aristocrats (see the fantastic book Black Diamond http://www.penguin.co.uk/nf/Book/BookDisplay/0,,9780141019239,00.html). Average house prices, incomes and employment in Wentworth are amongst the highest in the county. Wentworth is more Pride and Prejudice than Kes.
Hague did go to Wath Comprehensive, but only shortly after it had been changed from a selective grammar. The sixth form remained selective with an intake of only around 150 pupils at that time. After leaving at 18 he was at Oxford and McKinsey and did an MBA; not exactly a shocking Tory background.
The lack of diversity in the shadow cabinet sends the wrong message to young people from diverse backgrounds.
David Vinter
Simple experience tells me the worst thing a young lad can do is to either marry too young, or do the modern equivalent and take a partner. A bit of maturity makes for a more happy time, both for the parents and the children.
David Vinter
Richard, I take some of your points,but you must ask ,was my farm labourer grandfather full of life chances when he leftvillage school age aged 10 in 1886? He was the youngest of 6 brothers, an illiterate father, in desparate poverty, and not a book in the house.
Yet he was keen for extra education. Staying on at the Methodists free teaching hour after Sunday service. Was he crushed by circumstances? No way he just never smoked nor drank, raised 5 children between 04 and 1924, 3 to our local grammar school. [which, started in 1552, is still going strong].
My own father, just missing WW1 by 20 days, a workaholic by nature, became self employed at 19, lived at home with his parents till 1934, earning his living mostly by mending early tractors on local farms which he visited on an ex WW1 motorcycle and sidecar.
As a small boy I regularily watched him have a car cylinder head on the kitchen table after Sunday tea, and revalve it.'There he would say, now I'm well on the way to next weeks living' Working six and a half days a week he supported us as a family, he was an avid reader as were all of us using our local FREE country town library.
As for myself, I don't reckon on being schooled at our local council primary school through WW2 was very upper class!
However, even in those difficult days, the teacher collected weekly savings from even the poorest families, 6d a week, but you learn the habit.
If you really want to understand what rural school life was like through WW2 and beyond, let me have your own Email address and I will download you my memoires up to age 16.
Regards David Vinter, vinterdav@aol.com