Pulse Point

1. Pulse Point Eton, elitism and equality

2. Eton, elitism and equality The ‘British obsession’ with class has become a key element to many political stories from the budget to immigration. Most often however the issue of class is tied into the subject of education. In many instances whether an MP went to private or state school is used to define their class. Only 7% of the country has received a private education, but 34% of MPs elected in 2010 have and this is often used to discredit them and prove that they are ‘out of touch’ with the electorate.

3. Eton, elitism and equality In broad terms the Labour party is traditionally seen as the party of the working class and the Conservatives of the more privileged. However in recent years these lines have been increasingly blurred. Education Secretary Michael Gove recently gave an interview where he branded the number of old Etonians in David Cameron’s government as ‘ridiculous’. As well as a stern reprimand from his leader, Gove’s comments also made him the focus of Labour leader Ed Miliband’s comments following the budget statement. On the same day Conservative Chairman Grant Shapps brought class back on the agenda with a misjudged tweet celebrating tax cuts to beer and bingo with the slogan ‘To help hardworking people do more of the things they enjoy.’

4. Eton, elitism and equality Conversely Labour MP Mary Creagh recently said in an interview that she is often subjected to inverse snobbery in the Labour party owing to her ‘posh’ southern accent, despite a modest upbringing in Coventry. The Conservatives have faced more accusations of elitism since David Cameron (Eton, Oxford), George Osborne (St Pauls, Oxford) and Boris Johnson (Eton, Oxford) have become its leading stars. All three were members of the infamous Bullingdon Club while at Oxford and a club picture featuring Cameron and Johnson dressed in the club’s tailcoat uniform (£3,500) has come to represent the alleged elitism of the Conservative party.

5. Pulse points • How might the background of MPs effect how they govern? • How relevant is class to how people vote? • Is it important a parliament reflects the society it governs? • How has the class debate changed in recent times? • Is the changing role of politics making ‘professional politicians’ who’ve never had any other career, inevitable?

6. Eton and Westminster • Is the modern Conservative party really becoming more elitist and privileged? • Despite the fact that the last three Conservative Prime Ministers have all had working class origins, this was not reflected in their cabinets which had far more privately-educated and even aristocratic members than Cameron’s current cabinet. • Sir John Major recently complained about social mobility saying, ‘In every single sphere of British influence, the upper echelons of power in 2013 are held overwhelmingly by the privately educated or the affluent middle class. To me from my background I find that truly shocking.’ However when he was in Downing Street two-thirds of his cabinet were privately educated, including three aristocrats.

7. Eton and Westminster. • 34% of all MPs elected in 2010 went to fee-paying schools. • 54% of the Conservatives • 41% of the Liberal Democrats • 12% of the Labour Party. • There are 20 MPs who are Old Etonians (1 Lib Dem and 19 Cons). • Of the 8 wealthiest MPs, 4 are Conservatives and 3 are Labour. • 10 members of the cabinet and 6 members of the shadow cabinetwere privately educated.

8. Professional politicians • It is often a complaint made against modern MPs that they haven’t had a ‘proper job’ before entering politics. This is seen as a disadvantage because it supposedly makes them less able to relate to the problems of the electorate and unconnected to the ‘real’ world. • The idea of the ‘professional politician’ has grown to the point recent reports suggest that currently 90 MPs in Westminster have never had a significant job before they entered politics. • This is particularly the case of the Labour party who have twice the number of so-called ‘professional politicians’ than the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats. • Of those MPs who have experience in an industry, few come from working class jobs, only 25 in the current parliament, a 76% drop from 30 years ago.

9. Professional politicians Pay MP’s pay can be a determining factor in who can and does become a politician. • Since 1911 MPs have received a wage to enable everyone to afford to stand for parliament thereby preventing domination by the independently wealthy who do not need to work. • Currently the basic salary is £66,396, although there are also substantial allowances, expenses and benefits. • One argument for raising MPs pay is that it would encourage people with ‘real jobs’ to move into politics without suffering financially.

10. Professional politicians Qualifications. • As the nature of politics has evolved and the size and number of administrative bodies have grown, it has become an industry, and those who reach the top have done so through a life dedicated to politics. • It is much less common to have a successful career and then progress in politics, competing against candidates who have worked within the system for many years. • By doing internships and serving as special advisors before standing for parliament, some MPs are more versed in the ways and means of parliament and the skills needed to succeed. This could explain why ‘professional politicians’ raise through the ranks quickly, achieve higher office and are therefore more visible than other members of parliament.

11. Professional politicians Cronyism, Chumocracy or just networking? Ed Miliband was an intern for Tony Benn MP; David Cameron was an advisor to Norman Lamont and Michael Howard. In many instances MPs have worked for their party before securing a candidacy to stand for parliament. To some this seems like nepotism, a charge David Cameron has faced regularly while in office by those who suggest he surrounds himself with old school friends. The word ‘chumocracy’ was coined to describe Downing Street’s hiring policy.

12. Party dealignment

13. Party dealignment Traditionally Labour were the party of the Working class and the middle/upper classes voted Conservative. A more educated electorate, Thatcherist policies, the changing size of social classes and social mobility has seen a turn away from voting by class since the 1970s. Known as class dealignment, there is still evidence that high earners continue to support Conservatives and the working class generally still vote Labour.

14. “Our inequality materializes our upper class, vulgarizes our middle class, brutalises our lower class.” Matthew Arnold, English essayist (1822-1888)