YOUR VIEWS

Re: Class

ANYBODY who thinks that class no longer exists in the UK, or if it does it no longer matters, is a fool.
It is a painful fact that the UK continues in serious decline and whilst still trying to punch above it's weight is becoming a laughing stock around the world. A golden opportunity to put things right was lost by New Labour during the past decade. As Thatcher was the mid-wife of New Labour so, it looks likely, NL will give birth to the Bullingdon Boys. And so the decline will continue.

Graham Phillips omitted other important issues facing the UK – State education (perhaps he would privatise the lot!), homelessness, the prison population – proportionally the highest in Europe, teenage pregnancies ditto, and the rising rate of broken marriages and the gap between rich and poor – the biggest in Europe. He quite rightly expresses concern of “the on going death toll of British personnel in Afghanistan.” However, these people had a choice unlike the thousands of innocent dead and maimed Afghans and Iraqis – many babies, young, old and women amongst them. The hinterland of such devastation will be there for decades creating hatred, that feeds terrorism.

I agree with Graham Phillip's observation “It is an old trick to make personal attacks to try to draw a red herring …….” He well illustrates the point in his last paragraph by a personal attack upon an eleven plus failure who left school at fifteen without a qualification and was elected Deputy Prime Minister for 10 years, and is now the government's spokesman on the imminent dangers of Climate Change.

To attack the UK class system is not personal any more than it is to attack the institution of the monarchy. I respect both the Queen and Prince Charles but I am a republican because an inherited Head of State is an anachronism in a modern democracy. It does not require much imagination to realise that the monarchy sustains, and is the pinnacle of, a class-conscious society.

It is sad that so much latent talent is wasted in the UK, and so much dross rises to the top. I wonder if the fact that the ‘Head Hunting Brigade,' riddled with titles and old school ties, has anything to do with it.

Happy New Year.
Yours sincerely

Tony Stanmore