Why is subject knowledge “elitist”?

The way that the last Labour government failed the youth of this country by dumbing down education and the standard of exams was a disgrace and Tony 'education, education & education' Blair should be ashamed of himself; however he's probbaly too busy counting his money. I was interested to read in The Telegraph the reactions of at least one teaching union:

'They insisted that a renewed focus on detailed subject knowledge was “elitist” and would alienate thousands of children, particularly those from the poorest backgrounds.'

Why is focussing on detailed subject knowledge 'elitist' in a bad way? 'Elitist' in that the better pupils will do better at school, yes, but that is a good thing. 'Elitist' in that only the rich will do well at school, no. Intelligence and hard work is not a class or wealth issue, it is partly genetic, partly environmental and largely application based. The 'all must have prizes' attitude of the left-wing teachers unions, educational establishment and last Labour government has reduced standards in our schools and left many businesses reeling at the lack of knowledge and skills possessed by school leavers. Dumbing down educational standards in an attempt to make the less able feel better about themselves at the expense of the better able is a crime and the current educational system, which prioritises politically correct teaching methods over the accumulation of hard knowledge, is leaving British pupils lagging behind those in other countries and thus damaging this country's prospects.