Comments on: One quick question…

By: absorbing

absorbing — Thu, 29 May 2008 07:25:19 +0000

absorbing says : I absolutely agree with this !

By: tomguise

tomguise — Fri, 16 May 2008 08:38:06 +0000

I’ve never argued that people shouldn’t vote for Cameron or Boris because they’re from Eton. It is however ammunition in a much stronger and sophisticated attack on the Tories being out of touch.

I went to private school until I was 16 and I asked to be taken out of it. I’m ashamed my parents put me through such a horrid system, although I’m grateful because it opened my eyes to inequality and led to my joining the Labour Party. Why on earth should I, you Luke, Boris, or Cameron deserve a better education? There is quite simply, no justification, for our shared privilege.

By: Claire

Claire — Fri, 09 May 2008 23:39:15 +0000

Having seen one of the articles Luke mentioned, it was a piece in G2 last Friday arguing why Boris should not win, I’ve got to say that I remember thinking at the time that it was a very poor piece of reporting and wasn’t in keeping with what I’ve usually come to expect from the Guardian after having 2 years of free subscription (many thanks, Brij) the byline/ subheading was something like we can’t let this “blah blah dithering bufoon etonian win” it struck me as a bit risque and unecessary dragging the whole public school issue into the debate when they had already, legitimately some would say, described him as “dithering bufoon”.

It seemed a cheap shot mentioning his education in this way, the last desperate attempt of a paper to influence Londoners when they could see their man of choice, Ken was falling behind in the polls.

By: brigidjones

brigidjones — Fri, 09 May 2008 23:03:49 +0000

It’s not my fault no one keeps to the cleaning rota…

By: Luke_D

Luke_D — Fri, 09 May 2008 17:36:46 +0000

Of course I’m not saying that, it seems that was a deliberte misrepresentation of my words. What I am saying is that I cannot see why it should be a problem, or indeed why it matters.
I picked up on the matter a week or so ago after Boris had won. At the time the ridiculous amount of left wing press we had scattered through our house used the argument that appeared to run along the lines of “Boris went to Eton. Eton’s for wealthy people. Eton is therefore bad. Boris is therefore bad.”
What I’m saying is that is flawed logic, and I consequently cannot understand why people who went to private schools should be made to feel bad about it. Apparently my radical suggestion was too radical.

By: The 3rd Student

The 3rd Student — Fri, 09 May 2008 17:18:05 +0000

interesting…

So your saying that the small percentage of privatly people are better then the rest of sociaty?

I thought you where anti disrimination?

34% of the labour cabinite where private school educated, the shadow cabinate is twice as much, non of the labour cabinate went to eton compared to 8% of the shadow cabinate.

Also looking it up, it turns out that the labour mps’ have been instructed to avoided the subject anyway, so if their not metioning it, I’m just woundering whats got you in such a pickel over it?

By: Luke_D

Luke_D — Fri, 09 May 2008 16:55:43 +0000

I’m sorry what? Pseudonym? Seriously? I would like to see the straws you are clutching at…
I also didn’t deny it exists, I think all I did was question the idea that dismisses out of hand the candidates based on their educational background. My initial question, which was actually answered a long time ago, has been lost amongst the insistance upon a debate over the merits, or otherwise, of private education and indeed the qualities of one subject over another.
Also, I’m not saying it is justified, or that because one does, it is ok for the other to. I’m just pointing out that to those who use the educational background as a negative thing, the tories aren’t the only ones with such problems. It’s easy for one side, in this case the Labour party, to pretend to be so much better, or as in this case, not so based upon any old boys network, but let’s not pretend that it is just one side with the problem.
Whilst it may be more endemic in the tory party (can you provide the similar figures for the Labour party?), I also still maintain that the notion which you won’t drop of “it happened in the past so it must still be happening now” is ultimately a flawed one, and whilst there may still be a higher percentage of privately educated members at the top of the tory party, perhaps, and here’s the radical idea, perhaps that is because they are genuinely the best people for the roles?

I’m glad you’re content to watch the reruns. Some of us wish to avoid the reruns because we know what happened the first time…

By: The 3rd Student

The 3rd Student — Fri, 09 May 2008 16:28:41 +0000

I don’t think you got the jist of my original comment luke underscore d, (interesting pseudonym), I was saying that infact it doesn’t matter which school you where educated as long as you are right for the job, the old boy network undermines this. You do not beleive it exsits in the face of blinding evidence, see previous comment.

Physics is vauluble because it produced the chair you are sitting on, the computer you are looking at, the glasses you are looking though, the communication network you are using.

The goverment and companies through money at it so that physics can produce the products that will drive the economie and profits, making the contry richer then diminutive size should allow.

‘problem’ ?

People don’t want to do it because it’s hard, both to get on and to do… it is not a subject you can crusie through. The people who do it (undergrad-students) do not get the money directly… it gets spent on getting in people (lectures) to teach it… and of course, off setting other things.

Oh and I think there are too many oxford people in the labour party, but it is not as bad as the tories. You seemed to be in your comments addressing my comments using the problems labour has as an excuse for the tories having the same problems, that have similar problems is no excuse for either to have such problems.

I think theres alot to history, but as it keeps repeating I’ll just watch the reruns.

By: brigidjones

brigidjones — Fri, 09 May 2008 16:08:22 +0000

Why do you choose to remain anonymous yourself, “Luke_D”? Get a good honest blogging name like mine!

By: Luke_D

Luke_D — Fri, 09 May 2008 15:32:37 +0000

I don’t think I’ve called you a Labourite at any point have I? I would check that again if I were you.
My initial point was that it shouldn’t be a problem where they have been educated, regardless of where they have been educated. I stand by that. I don’t think I have the right to feel better than you because I was privately educated, and I’m pretty sure that applies to the tory party as well.
You’ve not really dealt with my point about Oxford yet have you? I see this as meaning one of two things. Either you think that it doesn’t matter, in which case for you to be consistant, private education shouldn’t matter either. Or you accept that Labour are perhaps not as ‘of the people’ as they would like to pretend, in which case banging on about Eton is terribly hypocritical. Either way, to me, there’s something amiss.
And physics may be more valuable, but that’s because nobody wants to do it. To convince people to do it, the response is just to throw money at the problem. It really does seem like a long term solution. Science is so valuable to the government that they choose to ignore it and make stuff up anyway.
And if you think that’s all there is to history, I really do feel sorry for you sat wallowing as you must be in your own ignorant stupor.