Class war!

I did something I haven't done in a long while on Saturday. I bought a newspaper. Mostly I just don't have time to read such things so I don't bother. I was just looking for some inspiration for a blog and thought I would find something in a newspaper. I was sadly disappointed. In general I find the Saturday editions of the "broadsheets" to be too bulky and full of articles on lifestyle and travel that generally infuriate me a little. One such edition, many years ago, had a lead article in the travel pages decrying the explosion of low cost carriers as being a bad thing. Reason number one was that it destroyed the exclusivity of travel but was mostly bad for the environment. Turn the page and the next article was a about how the depths Peruvian jungle is now the must see place for all five star travellers due to bunch of forest being levelled and a new hotel going up. 

Where was I? Ah yes my newspaper. Yeah didn't get anything from that. Although later, whilst I hid in my bedroom (my daughter was having a sleep over and had confiscated the lounge) and wrestled with the wifi signal, I managed to watch Melvyn Brag on the class system in this country. Always a topic to get my blood pressure up. Why was Janet Street Porter interviewed and why did anyone think we needed any input from the old gas bag? Pamela Stephenson used to do a very wicked impersonation of her back in the day.

I have a very big chip on my shoulder about class and privilege. I am, to my shame, very middle class. For some reason I considered my self working class as a child but - really? Large house in the suburbs, Father a lecturer and Mum a laboratory technician, can't be much more middle class than that. 

What irritates me about privilege and class is how pervasive those with both seem to be in my life. A lot of the people I enjoy watching on the box are highly educated (no problem there ) and a lot from Oxford and Cambridge (Known collectively as Oxbridge). I don't have problem as such but there does seems to be a dearth of entertainers from more modest backgrounds. Stand up comics seem to me to be the only part of entertainment that is more representative of the country as a whole. They seem to come in all shapes and sizes. Mostly men mind you. 

There was also an article in the newspaper about a popular entertainer and I was quite shocked how many names I recognised who were his contemporaries at Cambridge. We seem to be selecting our acting talent from quite a small pool of talent. I guess I should really do some proper research and discover just how many people in the "Ents" business have an Oxbridge education before giving vent to my own prejudice's. 

In my own field of employ a university education is essential but I am not sure how Oxbridge makes you a better actor/performer. A better writer i guess - steeped in all that literature, I'll give you that one but grudgingly!

Don't get me started on politicians. We are presently governed by a bunch of old Etonians. Come the revolution etc etc. Once upon a time even the Labour party had a smattering of ex union shop stewards but now they are all career politicians. I now have to hope the old school tie boys of the civil service can curb the worst of these youngsters worst excesses. It would be nice if I could believe that any political doctrine was produced from life experience and not cooked up by late nights in the SU bar

I didn't go to University I have to add. Largely because I didn't work hard enough at school.but that is not why I gripe about out old Etonians and Oxbridge, well not completely anyway.