Labour has made much of David Cameron's schooling. At every opportunity Eton is mentioned but little, so far, has been said about Nick Clegg's early education. He attended Westminster school, one which some of my English friends say offers a superior education to Eton.
I can't make the comparison because I have no knowledge of either school.
Because both Eton and Westminster have always been seen to be part of the cream of English private schooling, labour feel they can label Gordon Brown the 'common' man. Of course we know that's not true because he also had a very privileged upbringing.
Back in the 50s and 60s few Scots considered private education for their children. The state system provided as good an education as any private school. There was no class divide within the system. Even today in Scotland there are far less children in private education than in England.
Don't be misled. All three of the unionist party leaders were privileged posh boys and continue to be privileged posh men.
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Westminster is a kosher public school, one of the original nine, rather than a mere private school.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_Schools_Act_1868
But, regarding privileged beginnings and lives, didn't Alex Salmond go to posh St Andrew's? And weren't his parents civil servants? And wasn't he an oil economist for RBS? Hardly sounds like a rags-to-riches story, either...
Cleggy sounds like a good trusty working class name..unlike snooty sounding Cameron.
Idle Pen Pusher
You're well-named. I think AS went to Linlithgow Academy (not a fee-paying school please note). On merit he went to St Andrews Uni., just as GB went to Edinburgh Uni.,
I presume he also got a job with RBS on merit too, rather on which school/uni he went to. What was your point again?
William Brown
"You're well-named."
Thank you!
"I think AS went to Linlithgow Academy (not a fee-paying school please note)."
So, nothing to distinguish him from Brown then so far...
"On merit he went to St Andrews Uni., just as GB went to Edinburgh Uni.,"
Whereas Clegg and Cameron got into Oxbridge on stupidity? It's worth noting there's also an entrance exam to both Eton and Westminster.
"I presume he also got a job with RBS on merit too, rather on which school/uni he went to."
And the others were hired because they went to Edinburgh/Oxford/Cambridge?
"What was your point again?"
It's pretty clear. Go reread SR's post if you're still struggling.
We're not discussing Alex Salmond here IPP, we're discussing the 3 London men.
Any university is posh in Scotland, at least they were considered to be so until every good technical college was given the title too.
As I said in the post class in education isn't an important issue in Scotland.
Oh Niko, then you'd prefer Smith in that case.
The system here is different William but it's hard for some English folk to understand that we don't have the snobbery about schools here that they have in England.
IPP, I posted just last week Brown was a son of the manse. A CoS minister was regarded as the head of a community and lived a privileged life.
You say Alex Salmond's parents were civil servants and that puts him in a privileged group. I don't think so. In the 40s and 50s civil servants were as working class as anyone else.
Oh IPP, there was entrance exams to Scottish academies back in those days. It was called 'the qualy' (short for qualification exam.
SR - it was this sentence which prompted my comment:
"All three of the unionist party leaders were privileged posh boys and continue to be privileged posh men."
It makes it appear as though it's peculiar to the three unionist leaders. It's not. Alex Salmond's parents were civil servants and he went to St Andrew's.
"In the 40s and 50s civil servants were as working class as anyone else."
Really? Civil servants in the 40s/50s were working class? My understanding was that white collar work used to be thought middle class and certainly above those whose jobs entailed a blue collar.
IPP When you're in a hole, stop digging.
"Civil servants" cover a wide range of salaries---in AS's day from lowly Clerical Assistants to Permanent Secretaries.
YOU have decided however that AS was privileged because of his parents without any proof of their grade(or indeed that they WERE civil servants).
Nor have you explained why going to St Andrews then was a sign of privilege---all you had to do was get a certain number of Highers and apply.Hundreds/thousands of Scottish state school pupils went to St Andrews.
You must have a big chip on your shoulder if you think they were ALL privileged. Remember there was a grant system.
William Brown
Surely it's not what goes into a man's brain that condemns him, but what comes out.
It's the latter that takes politics to the level of the gutter. Whether or not these utter's are annunciated by privileged or brutalised tongues it's still the thought and the conscience behind them that counts.
I find politicians in general fail in this test.
Mostly state school pupils went to universities in my lifetime William, but in England I know the likes of Oxford and Cambridge universities keep a specific amount of places for those from the fee-paying schools. It's common knowledge.
They do these days RA, but perhaps they've always done so. Perhaps it's the modern 24 hour a day news which exposes the weaknesses.
Thank goodness for it I say.
True Rosa - but it also gives you an overkill of idiocy that sets the mind
into concrete cynicism - and can the mediocre quality of the news be trusted?
Auch RA, what a question when we both know the answer. :)
Touch'e Rosa - it's a slow brain day.
Jings RA, how did you know? Is it so obvious from your end? ;)
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