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?”
Guido Fawkes
Not forgetting Yvette went to Rodean and Cheltenham if I recall correctly.
Anon E Mouse
Diane Abbott said: “Private schools prop up the class system in society. It is inconsistent, to put it mildly, for someone who believes in a fairer and more egalitarian society to send their child to a fee-paying school.”
When Prime Minister Tony Blair sent his eldest son, Euan, to the London Oratory, a selective school, she criticised him, saying people voted Labour because they believed in equality.
When the countesses niece, Harriet Harman sent her son to a selective grammar school in Orpington, Kent, she said: “She made the Labour Party look as if we do one thing and say another.”
And “You can’t defend the indefensible – anything you say sounds self-serving and hypocritical.”
Diane Abbott sent her son to a £10 000 / year private school…hypocrite.
Anthony Charles Linton Blair, Labour, privately educated beat John Major, Conservative, educated at the local comprehensive.
Says everything really about this bunch of creeps – they are not “Labour”… now Estelle Morris – she’s Labour…
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David Jones
Billy Blofeld,
Your ‘model’ has already been tried – on Buses and Post Offices – look how that ended up.
How are you going to assign ‘NHS Dollars’ to people before you know if they’re ill and what they need?
What happens to people who live a great distance from any hospital that chooses to treat their particular illness – this would happen to far more people under your model than it currently does.
Liz
Billy – when it comes to health I don’t really think you can apply simplistic market forces of supply & demand. I agree that there is always room for improvement vis a vis The NHS – less high level management, bring back matrons, no outsourcing of ancillary services (which has been a major culprit in the rise in infections such as MRSA and general lapse in basic hygiene etc).