Commentators are claiming that Labour is embarking on a strategy of "class war". But the Conservative are making selective use of MPs' school background.
Leading commentator, Benedict Brogan, today claims that Labour is embarking on a strategy of “class war” but are the Conservative also playing this game?
The ‘Meet the Shadow Cabinet’ section of conservatives.com contains a variable approach to MPs’ school background. David Cameron’s entry makes no mention of Eton while the entry for his chief lieutenant, George Osborne, makes only the anodyne statement that he was “born and educated in London”. Indeed he was, at the exclusive St Paul’s School. Cheryl Gillian’s entry merely reads “Born in Llandaff, Cardiff and educated at local schools until the age of ten,” while omitting to mention that she was later schooled at the prestigious Cheltenham Ladies College. Her own website mentions the Ladies College.
Meanwhile other MPs’ biographies, including Greg Clarke, William Hague, and Philip Hammond, contain details of their state school educational background. This trend is played out again and again on the biographies of the Tory PPCs.
Andrew Lansley used the “class war and politics of envy” defence to explain Gordon Brown’s PMQ attack on Eton on the Daily Politics yesterday. Responding to a specific question about the education listings, Lansley said he had “no idea” why they were left off and referred to his own schooling at private Brentwood School, which does appear on the Tory website. John Hutton said, “they know it’s a problem; they leave it out.”
Perhaps the truth is that the true schooling doesn’t sit so well with their new-found ‘commitment’ to tackling the problems of poverty and inequality.
A longer version of this article appears on http://slingerblog.blogspot.com
22 Responses to “Are the Tories playing class warfare?”
R A
Either that or they perhaps think that the school they went to or their parents sent them to is less important than university, work, career, views, policy and track record in politics. You know, adult life… We are voting for adults not in a “your school was more priviledged than mine” playground contest
Bill Kristol-Balls
@ Working Class Tory, where does JS say going to public school makes them ‘unfit’?
@ R A, if the shcool thing is unimportant why is it that the privately educated ones don’t mention it but the state educated ones do?
Billy Blofeld
Kill the political parties and make more of the countries decisions directly democratically actionable by the people.
That would end the crass class war between the political parties – class warfare between the parties is one of the reasons they are a millstone around the countries neck.
People are interested and able to take decisions which directly impact them and their communities. It ain’t hard. Kill Labour. Kill the Tories.
Let me vote on more issues and let me direct my national insurance contribution at the services which will best serve me best.
I don’t need some point scoring arsehole in Westminster to tell me what is best.
OxfordSpring
Dont you think its a matter of personal choice for the MPs to talk about their backgrounds?
Shame the Labour Party website doesnt have any biographies – nice side-stepping of the issue there. Although if we follow the logic of this article, it is because they are entirely ashamed of everything they have ever done!
Liz
Billy Bloefield – I don’t really think your pay as you go tax idea would work or is the best way forward in terms of delivering a civilised society – (even though Maggie T was and probably still is in denial that society exists). Taxes are a necessary some might say evil. We just need someone with vision to put forward a good, positive argument why we should pay taxes and not shy away from this.