Red And Blue Divide,

[gulliver1]

Only 1% of the current crop of Tory Party MPs came from working class jobs or familys , showing a growing represention Gap in Parliament Which shows it's a party for the rich and they intend keeping it that way, so the rich can stay rich or get richer.
So much for Boris's lies about levelling up ... its him who needs Levelling

[Hazi-Hammenuhoth]

Link?

[bobbinwales]

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2022/jul/24/just-one-in-100-tory-mps-came-from-a-working-class-job-new-study-shows
Heres a version without random capital letters in.

Its a problem for us in Labour too... from the same article
"Institute for Public Policy Research study also shows proportion of working-class Labour MPs has halved since 1980s"

[naomi24]

That’s why Labour struggle so much then, Gulliver. They should have tried harder at school.

[bobbinwales]

//While 13% of Labour MPs joined parliament from a working-class occupation, the proportion has halved since the 1980s.//
Does that also mean Labour is also a party for the rich? Hopefully not but the vast majority of labour are also rich by your 'logic' gulliver

[maggiebee]

Maybe they did try hard Naomi but perhaps their parents just didn't have the wherewithal to send them to private schools. Maybe they had to leave school early to bring money into the home. Not all privileged.

[naomi24]

Grammar schools worked, well, maggiebee, but Labour levels down rather than up. Never fear, they’ll keep the poor in their place.

[bobbinwales]

Its clearly the case that only a tiny proportion of MPs from all partys are working class and this is probably not a good thing as there less likely to understand the issues of the working class (whatever that means, even doctors and teachers and nurses are working people). It would be good if gulliver can clarify what working class means and suggest a solution to this... maybe impose a means test and max income for elections candidates

[ToraToraTora]

Labour hate anyone doing well that's why they abolished grammar schools. So poor kids with some intelligence would have to go to the ASBO academies.

[bobbinwales]

to be fair to gulliver he must of misread the findings because the report says "Only about 1% of the current crop of Tory MPs entered parliament from a working-class job" which is not the same thing as " from working class jobs OR FAMILYS"

[ToraToraTora]

Gulliver's not interested in details bob, he just likes to fabricate a "stick" to beat the Tories with.

[youngmafbog]

These days, what exactly is working class?

Apart from the 'toffs' the class system seems pretty much gone to me or at least the lines a very blurred.

[Old_Geezer]

Probably a realisation that no party is really looking after their interests. And curtailing union power under Thatcher means that option is not overly effective any more either. Protests are probably all they have now, and working up enthusiasm for those ain't so easy.

[bobbinwales]

In gullivers world it seems theres only the working class and the rich.
As only 7% of all MPS from all parties including Labour came from working class jobs then the other 93% are all rich, and our Labour party is a party of the rich too as 83% of there MPs are rich...

[naomi24]

//In gullivers world it seems theres only the working class and the rich//

I wonder where he draws the line?

[maggiebee]

Have read all the threads, but as a Scot have absolutely no idea what a "grammar school" is. We don't have this system up here. Having said that I have always understood that the plural of party is parties, not partys unless it's possessive then it needs an apostrophe.

[Gromit]

MPs earn a minimum of £84K. Then they can claim generous expenses. If they have a Government job, they can earn considerably more. The Speaker get £142K.
And there is no minimum hours they have to work, so many have second and third jobs.

The UK Living wage is £20K.

[bobbinwales]

//Having said that I have always understood that the plural of party is parties, not partys unless it's possessive then it needs an apostrophe.//
Thanks maggiebee. Maybe in the interests of balance you should also point out to gulliver that you understand the plural of family is families

[FatticusInch]

naomi24
//That’s why Labour struggle so much then, Gulliver. They should have tried harder at school.//

……or had mummy and daddy pay them through Winchester, where they no longer had to suffer ‘working class’ friends, eh Rishi?

Almost as pathetic as when a certain ABer tried to tell us recently that Johnson was from a working class background. PMSL.

[naomi24]

maggiebee. //Having said that I have always understood that the plural of party is parties, not partys unless it's possessive then it needs an apostrophe.//

I'm sure you got bobbin's meaning.

[Gromit]

The mistake is usually the other way around. People will write parties when they mean party’s.