And another thing…

I like Genesis!

Does that make ‘me’ the exception to your rule, Tom?

;o)

But I have to agree with you – the whole Eton Toff thing is pointless.
If Labour are going to attack Cameron – then do it on his policies (when they get round to making some LOL) not on his background.

As others have pointed out – Bliar went to Fettes College, which is the Eton of the North and a large chunk of the Labour front bench hail from private education and Oxbridge.

Amazing isn’t it …. all those Labour Ministers and MPs who cheered Gordon when he came out with his jibe about Cameron and the playing fields of Eton are now desperately distancing themselves from the Class War he wants to hold.

Must have something to do with the following:

Tony Blair – Educated at Fettes private fee paying school (The Eton of the North)
Alistair Darling – Educated at private fee paying Loretto School, Musselburgh, East Lothian
Harriet Harman – Educated at private fee paying St Paul’s Girl’s School, Hammersmith, London
Ed Balls – Educated at private fee paying Nottingham High School
Tessa Jowell – Educated at private fee paying St Margaret’s School for Girls, Aberdeen
Hilary Benn – Educated at private fee paying Norland Place School in Holland Park, private fee paying preparatory Westminister Under School before attending Holland Park School, comprehensive school known as the “Socialist Eton”.
Shaun Woodward – Educated at private fee paying Brisitol Grammar School
Peter Hain – Educated private fee paying Emanuel School, Battersea, London

and the rest of them. Perhaps they can foresee accusations of hypocrisy. I wonder if anyone has had the courage to tell Gordon Brown that his precious dividing line is counter-productive.

Isn’t the whole thing the same of political engagement used by racists and fascists? Trying to invoke a negative emotional response in your target audience by focusing on background characteristics of particular groups and using them negatively? yes I believe it is.

Ah well, glad to see the politics of hate alive, well and at the front of election strategy.

I just don’t understand the whole class war thing either.

It seems to be an almost dominant topic of conversation amongst the far left, who in their determination to ensure anyone can rise to the highest office in the land, seek to ban some people from that same opportunity.

Which always seems a bit contradictory.

Eton Trifles? Clever wordplay, never had you down as a fan of The Jam, Tom!

I, like you, couldn’t give a toss where people went to school – it’s actually inverted snobbery for Brown to even raise the point.

As for ‘When Boris met Dave’ – hmmm, whilst you were sleeping it was broadcast on 7th October and 14th November; didn’t cause an awful lot of comment, as I remember. But can’t see it in Ch4 listings for this Wednesday – are you having a Rip van Winkle moment, Tom?

Ch 4 listings for this Wed: http://bit.ly/8SOm1n

So Cameron’s rattled by Brown’s jibes at his Eton background, eh? Tough. Back in the ’80’s and early ’90’s, Neil Kinnock had to put up with far worse from the Tories. Some of the attacks on his Welsh roots were borderline racism. This was John Major in 1992: “Its no use saying in five years’ time ‘we got it wrong, boyo!’”. If Cameron cannot take insults, he should not be so quick to dish them out.

Pam Nash – the post, as I said above, is exactly the same as it appeared on 3 October. I decided not to update it, but instead publish the caveat above.

Thanks for the reply, Tom. The reason for my confusion is that the date under ‘Eton Trifles’ is today’s date and, as I came straight via the RSS feed to this post, I didn’t see the caveat. All the replies are also showing today’s date.

I’ll get me coat……….. ;o)

Vote Labour because… because… because… all the Tories went to Eton.

It’s where Captain Insensible goes when he’s finished scraping the bottom of the barrel.

Still he will be gone by 4th June.

Boudicca, you missed Ed Balls. Balls is an interesting case; he attended Nottingham High School as a fee-paying student. Geoff Hoon attended as a fee paying student. Ken Clarke went there also. Yes, I know, Ken Clarke is a Tory, but the difference between him and the two Labour old boys is that Clarke won a scholarship, when the school was funded by direct grant, largely because he was deemed to have come from a poor backgound. So the Tory boy, poor, but bright, got there because of an opportunity afforded to him that is now no longer available.

If you want to know who has widened the gap between rich and poor, you need look no further than Tony Blair, who, in his first year as PM abolished such help to the independent sector.

So guilty do people like Balls or Harman or Blair feel about their good luck and privileged birth, that they seek to make sure that nobody who is born in a council house has such opportunities.

Great isn’t it?

Neil Kinnock had to put up with far worse from the Tories. Some of the attacks on his Welsh roots were borderline racism.
****************************************

Shocking…yes…but the rest of the attacks were right on the button.

Well alriiiiiiiiggggghhhhhhhhhht.

Sorry to self-promote (I always feel a touch uncomfortable doing this) but… – well, if it’s of any interest I have blogged a few thoughts on this same issue at;

http://michaeltmerrick.wordpress.com/2009/12/05/the-dangers-of-class-warfare/

I expect that it will relate to the facts that he has preferred his mates from the Bullingdon Club – Osborne and Johnson – and Eton shortly after he was elected Tory Leader, to an extent which might merely seem ludicrous if those gents were doing their jobs well, but as it is. . .

Genesis eh? And Showaddywaddy when the girls have gone home and you don’t have to look hard any more . . ?

It’s really sloppy thinking to ascribe adult behaviour entirely to one’s level of education.

Going to a comprehensive school in a poor area does not necessarily make one inefficient at one’s job.

And going to a public school does not necessarily make one efficient at one’s job.

It’s just that, given the fortunate choice of a good education or a bad, I’d go for good.

Who wouldn’t?

A characteristically Brave and honest post from you, Tom; your honesty and candour is one of the reasons I read your blog. How anyone can mistakenly believe that the desperation politics of class war will be viewed as anything other than counterproductive hypocrisy by the public beats me.