Something struck me about the following comment relating to Eric Pickles (reported on PoliticsHome) and his view on the recent politics ‘class war’:
“Mr Pickles said that Labour were going “back to the future” on class by making it an issue and added that he believed that Britons are no longer interested in it.”
I think it is wholly irresponsible to say that people are not concerned with class. What i am not going to do is start a class attack on the Tories. Each party has class problems within their parties. Look at our own leader, Nick Clegg, and his privileged education, for example. Instead, i think that class is an issue that should concern each political party, as the structure and culture of politics suits the middle class more than the working class. Thus, whilst Labour’s current attack on the Tories may help attract Labour’s core voters, class is something that each party should be concerned about, as there frankly is not enough equal representation within Parliament.
This links to the issue of local democracy and the way in which candidates are selected, which i have touched upon before in relation to gender. Those from working class backgrounds are less likely to have the qualifications, experience and money to be able to enter a career of politics. They can have equal passion, ideas and desire to change things for the better, but their relative position in society hampers them from succeeding. This is why I find comments like Pickles’, as irresponsible, as it fails to consider the inequalities within the political system. Whilst Brown’s Eton jibe was funny, there is a serious issue in relation to individuals with privileged educational backgrounds getting into EACH parties top positions.
Thus, class does matter, but not just for the Tories, it is an issue endemic within all political parties and the political structure that we call democracy.
