Britain Still Constrained by Class – Olympic Notes No 8

Two articles appeared in the British media last week that confirm, yet again, the rigid class structures that still hold Britain in a vice like grip. In the Saturday Guardian under the heading; The New Boys network: Etonians flood into Whos Who, we see in hard figures just how little class mobility there really is in this country. These figures are particularly depressing given that we have just experienced 13 years of a Labour Government.

Elaborating on the latest statistics, James Ball writes:

“The return of the Conservative party to government has been accompanied by a resurgence in the number of Old Etonian entrants to Whos Who, long regarded as the definitive guide to the British Establishment. The findings also show the resurgence of the UKs elite universities and members clubs, revealing a glacially slow pace of change. In total, more 2,300 people in Whos Who attended the top five public schools – Eton, Charterhouse, Harrow, Rugby and Marlborough. Oxford and Cambridge graduates also continue to dominate the establishment.”

Its amazing just how stubborn class privilege is. No matter how much rhetoric is spewed out by our politicians the old elitist networks seem more than capable of perpetuating themselves. From fee paying private schools (ludicrously misnamed as public schools) on to elite universities and then automatically on to influential posts in government, civil service, finance and the judiciary, the ruling class are able to maintain their privileged position in society. And of course they look after their own. A handful of class outsiders slip through the net but in such insignificant numbers that the status quo is not disturbed.

Even in sport, with the notable exception of football, the ruling elite have the means and the opportunity to dominate the playing fields right up to and including the Olympic Games. Anna Davis, writing in The Evening Standard was lucky enough to get a subversive little piece through the editorial censors. Under the heading; Quarter of private girls schools have pupils training for 2012. we get further reaffirmation of how the British class network is a closed shop. Davis explains;

“Pupils in more than a quarter of private girls schools are training to compete in the Olympics. A survey of institutions that belong to the Girls School Association found 27 per cent have students who are competing internationally in sport.”

Quoting Dr Helen Wright the president of the GSA we learn,

Its a bit of a cliche for independent girls schools to say they produce all-rounders but its generally true. Im tremendously proud so many from UK girls schools are set to be Olympians.”

Rather than being proud she, along with the rest of the complacent ruling British elite, ought to be absolutely ashamed, not of the achievements of their students, but of the failure to make sport and all other occupations more accessible to the general populous. Of course a disproportionate number of students from private schools will excel in sport as in all endeavours given the privileged education that they receive. A monkey would eventually excel if enough resources were thrown at it. Its the ten thousand hours of quality training that Matthew Syed was at pains to stress in his ground-breaking text, Bounce that is the secret of private school sporting success.

Rather than boasting of the achievements of her gals, Dr Wright would be better off opening up these private schools to all the girls in the surrounding community. Now that would be something to be really proud of.

The reliance on a relatively small pool of talent will have long lasting detrimental effects on Britains competitiveness in both sport and in society generally. Just as Britain is steadily slipping down the world economic ladder, so she will steadily decline in the world of sport as the hungrier, less class structured societies draw on a much larger pool of talent and enthusiasm.

In 2012 Britain will do everything possible to massage the medals count by throwing massive resources at sports that very few countries bother about; rowing, fencing, shooting and equestrian events. This strategy will only serve to mask the underlying uncompetitiveness of British sporting society. China and the other emerging nations will quickly rumble the charade and by 2016 Britain will be facing stiff competition in every Olympic sport. Just as in the world of manufacturing, innovations and exports, Britain finds itself sliding out of the Premier League so too in sport will Britain soon be relegated to the lower divisions. The solution of course is glaringly simple; utilise all the talent available rather than a tiny, cosseted elite. But then again, turkeys dont vote for Christmas.

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