The BBC's obsession with Eton (update)

As the BBC have now updated guide to 'Cameron's cabinet I thought that I should update my piece from yesterday. This time let's look at how, if at all, the BBC describe the senior school education of each cabinet member:

David Cameron - 'Old Etonian'
Nick Clegg - no mention - went to the exclusive and expensive Westminster school
William Hague - no mention - went to a Yorkshire comprehensive school
George Osborne - no mention - went to the educational hot-house that is St Paul's school
Theresa May - no mention - went to a local grammar school
Liam Fox - no mention - educated at a state school
Ken Clarke - no mention - educated at a direct grant grammar school
Andrew Lansley - no mention - educated at a direct grant grammar school
Michael Gove - no mention - educated at a mixture of state and private schools
Vince Cable - no mention - educated at grammar school
Ian Duncan Smith - no mention - educated at a naval school (I believe)
Chris Huhne - educated at 'the exclusive Westminster school' (oddly here the BBC mention that this was 'the same school' as Nick Clegg
David Laws - no mention - educated at an independent school
Danny Alexander - no mention - educated at a comprehensive school
Patrick McLoughlin - no mention - educated at a Roman Catholic school (not sure of sector at the time)
Eric Pickles - no mention - went to grammar school
Dominic Grieve - no mention - went to Westminster school (odd no mention this time)
Jeremy Hunt - no mention - went to Charterhouse school (public school)
Baroness Sayeeda Warsi - no mention - went to Birkdale High School (a comprehensive school I believe)
Caroline Spelman - no mention - went to Hertfordshire and Essex High School (a comprehensive school)
Andrew Mitchell - no mention - attended Rugby school (public school)
Philip Hammond - no mention - attended Shenfield High School (now a comprehensive, not sure of its status when he attended it)
Owen Paterson - no mention - attended Radley College (public school)
Cheryl Gillan - no mention - attended Cheltenham Ladies College (public school)
Lord (Tom) Strathclyde - no mention - attended Wellington College (public school)
Sir George Young - 'old Etonian'
Francis Maude - no mention - attended Abingdon school (public school)
Oliver Letwin - 'old Etonian'
David Willetts - no mention - attended King Edward's School, Birmingham (a direct grant grammar school when he was there)


So only two schools warrant a mention in the BBC's descriptions: Eton mentioned every time and always with the phrase 'old Etonian' and Westminster school albeit not in Nick Clegg's pen portrait.

Why are the BBC obsessed with 'old Etonians'? Have they not heard other public schools, such as Radley, Rugby and Wellington college? Does the BBC see itself as fighting a class war? Does the BBC's concentrate on identifying 'old Etonians' because that allows them to ignore the educational past of Labour ministers ex-ministers who went to other public schools?

The BBC's obsession with Eton

The BBC's obsession with David Cameron having been to ETON continues this morning. So far the cabinet appointments feature has details of eight appointees, only one has any mention of schooling and that is David Cameron 'The Old Etonian'. Nick Clegg's attendance of the private and expensive Westminster School does not warrant a mention, but then neither did Tony Blair's attendance at the elite Fettes College.

I did a quick cost comparison this morning and day fees at Eton are £9,617 per term, Westminster - £9,448 a term and Fettes between £6,004 and £8,288 a term. All are therefore equivalently expensive, except to scholarship pupils such as Boris Johnson, but I believe entry to each requires passing an entrance exam.

So why the BBC obsession with Eton and Old Etonians? Zac Goldsmith is another who cannot escape the tag.

I for one would rather have an educated gentleman such as David Cameron as Prime Minister rather than Gordon Brown. And would also rather have Nick Clegg as Deputy PM than an ill-educated and often incoherent oaf such as John Prescott.

Is having gone to Eton such a bad thing?

It's odd how old-Etonian is thrown around as an insult. Gordon Brown, Ed Balls and mush of the Labour party seem to think that just by pointing out that David Cameron, Boris Johnson and Zac Goldsmith went to Eton that they have destroyed their credibility and voter appeal.

However, does anyone disagree that that Eton provides a seriously good standard of education, maybe some of the finest education that money can buy? If an Eton education is so good then is the argument being put forward not really that old-Etonians are too well educated to be Prime Minister? Would the UK rather be governed by well educated politicians or those who admit that they are not very good at mathematics?

Education and Eton

The Eton clique at the head of the Conservative party is a slur often cast at David Cameron and his team, so I did a little Wikipeia'ing and came up with the following list of the shadow cabinet and their schools:

David Cameron -Eton College
William Hague - Wath-upon-Dearne Comprehensive
George Osborne - St Paul's School (Independent)
David Davis - Bec Grammar School, Tooting
Liam Fox - St. Bride's High School, State sector
Michael Gove - state and independent sectors in Aberdeen, latterly at Robert Gordon's College
David Willets - King Edward's School, Birmingham (Independent secondary)
Andrew Lansley - Not listed
Theresa Villiers - Not listed
Nick Herbert - Haileybury (Public school)
Chris Grayling - Royal Grammar School, High Wycombe
Peter Ainsworth - Ludgrove School in Wokingham and Bradfield College
Eric Pickles - Greenhead Grammar School
Sayeeda Warsi, Baroness Warsi - Birkdale High School and Dewsbury College
Pauline Neville-Jones, Baroness Neville-Jones - Leeds Girls' High School
Jeremy Hunt - Charterhouse School (Public school)
Francis Maude - Abingdon School (Independent)
Theresa May - Not listed
Alan Duncan - Merchant Taylors' School (Independent)
Owen Paterson - Radley College (Public school)
Cheryl Gillan - Cheltenham Ladies' College (Public school)


So that's just one from Eton College and a fair mix of other public schools, independent schools, grammar schools and comprehensives.


Let's take a look at that great bastion of classlessness, the Labour cabinet:

Gordon Brown - Kirkcaldy High School
Jack Straw - boarded at the fee-charging Brentwood School
Harriet Harman - St Paul's Girls' School (Independent) - NB: (niece of an Earl)
Alistair Darling - private Loretto School, Musselburgh, East Lothian
David Miliband - schools in London, Benton Park School in Leeds and Boston, Massachusetts before being educated at Haverstock Comprehensive School in North London
Jacqui Smith - Dyson Perrins High School in Malvern
Catherine Ashton, Baroness Ashton of Upholland - Unknown
John Hutton - Westcliff High School for Boys (selective non-boarding grammar school)
Ed Balls - independent Nottingham High School
Hazel Blears - Wardley Grammar School
Andy Burnham - St Aelred's Roman Catholic High School
Des Browne - Catholic St Michael's Academy in Kilwinning
Hilary Benn - Holland Park School (the "socialist Eton")
Alan Johnson - passed the 11 plus exam and attended Sloane Grammar School in Chelsea
John Denham - Woodroffe Comprehensive School
Douglas Alexander - Park Mains High School in Erskine
Shaun Woodward - independent Bristol Grammar School
Ruth Kelly - privately educated at Sutton High School
James Purnell - most of his education in France, returning to study his A Levels at the Royal Grammar School
Paul Murphy - St Francis Roman Catholic School in Abersychan, West Monmouth School in Pontypool
Ed Miliband - Haverstock Comprehensive School
Yvette Cooper - Comprehensive Eggar's School on London Road in Holybourne near Alton and Alton College
Geoff Hoon - independent Nottingham High School


Again a fair smattering of grammar schools, independent schools and comprehensive schools as well as the "socialist Eton"


Insulting a person because of where they were educated seems to make as much sense as insulting someone because of the colour of their hair or skin. Most children go to the school their parents send them to, full stop end of story. Maybe the class warriors in the Labour party should bear that in mind, but I doubt it - instead they will bang on about Eton toffs all the way into the dustbin of history.

Grow up Billy

Billy Bragg is quoted in Mick Fealty's Telegraph blog as being bemused by David Cameron's love of The Smiths' music:
"The ground has shifted severely, from a situation where the leader of the Conservative party more or less formed my whole political outlook, to having a leader of the Conservative party who could have been in the audience at one of the gigs I did in the 1980s," he said. "That really freaks me out."


Why is Billy Bragg shocked that another 40 something might enjoy the great music of the Smiths and others. Just as with the BBC's obsession with ex-Etonians so Billy Bragg has to realise that Eton doesn't breed an evil master-race, or even just chinless wonders. Eton is a school that is exceptionally difficult for most to gain entry to and has the excellent teachers and facilities that assist pupils who generally want to learn, to learn.

Eton-educated

Do the BBC mention the school of every person featured in a news report or just those who went to Eton? What is this obsession with Eton at the BBC, do they have a chip on their shoulder about the class war?

The latest appearance is in this report on Nicholas Soames' upcoming Magistrates Court appearance. Odd how this is felt worthy of a place on the BBC Politics home page whereas the Electoral Commission confirmation that an investigation was to be held into the funding of Ken Livingstone's re-election bid is felt not to be worthy of coverage. I am sure some BBC defender will say this is because Nicholas Soames is a national politician, being an MP, whereas Ken Livingstone is just a local Mayor. However, I would point out that the BBC currently have "Livingstone opens re-election bid", "Campaigner Ken - James Landale reports on London mayor's re-election launch" and "Mayor gets boost from Greens" as "Top Stories" or in their "FEATURES, VIEWS, ANALYSIS" section.


The BBC proud to support the Labour party and to indulge in a spot of class warfare when they can.