THE revelations about last year’s month-long Christmas festival in Downing Street have prompted a cluster accusations on a familiar theme. It’s just “one law for them; another law for the rest of us”. Usually, it’s the Tories we have in our sights when this apercu is deployed.
Tricia Marwick the much-respected former Holyrood Presiding Officer captured this in a tweet last week. “The UK politicians, media and the civil service are all pals together. Same schools, same universities, same circles. It is a bubble which prevents proper scrutiny and accountability.”
Ms Marwick is probably right. The Sutton Trust routinely publishes research about social mobility in Britain. Its headline numbers rarely alter significantly. If you attended an elite, private educational establishment and attended Oxford or Cambridge your chances of landing a job at the top of British society were greatly enhanced.
Access to a family fortune gave you the key to a golden school education, which in turn enhanced your chances of being received into Oxbridge. This subsequently put you in pole position for a rewarding career at Westminster; in journalism or in the higher echelons of the UK civil service.
Similar advantages accrue to an elite grouping at the centre of Scottish politics.
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