Champagne socialists and private schools?

Question

I'm not against sending children to private school, if I'm rich later on I might.

I just hate how socialists are against grammar schools when they offer the best chances to clever children - its like they are saying we can have the best for our children but you middle class people have to use whatever you can get.

Answer 1

There you have it!The very people who are supposed to be standing up for the Working Classes,Pensioners and One Parent Families!The Labour Party are sending their children to private schools!For example Tony Benn sent his children to Westminster School!Hypocrites!Expenses manipulators,'liars and cheats!That is how you can describe most of them!They are only in The 'Crooked House' The House of Commons for one thing!'Fleece' the taxpayer and finish up with a honour from the Queen!

Answer 2

Just remind him of ''bus stop'' in Calif They [liberals] thought busing was just great down south and in Boston came to the liberal state of Calif ''can't have this lets start an organisation and call it bus stop and put a stop to this madness''

Bus stop was run mainly by Jewish liberals who felt their kids would not be bused only those WASP's kids Many went into city and state politics after they succeeded in putting a stop to what they were once in favour of

Answer 3

You cannot be a socialist and have your children privately educated. But politicos have always  had it one way for them and another way for the rest of us. Incidentally are there any socialist in the New Labour party?

Answer 4

As for as I am concerned "Champagne Socialists" are not Socialists.

Socialism is about the working class liberating itself and creating a new kind of society.

In my experience Champagne Socialists revert to type and their class when the going gets tough.

In the 'Seventies a lot of middle class radicals tried to become part of the working class movement. By the middle of the 'Eighties they had disappeared and, in many cases, reinvented themselves as Thatcherites.

The kind of hypocrisy of sending children to a private school while espousing egalitarian ideals is merely a symptom of the general level of hypocrisy of the class they come from or aspire to.

Answer 5

All politics is hypocritical, especially if you take it literally.

I personally do not think that politicians should use their children to make tokenistic political points though.

It is one thing to want a good education for all...it is quite another to be willing to sacrifice your own children's best chances in order to make a point!

Answer 6

Okay. I'm not familiar with British terminology...

But suppose the public/government school has abusive teachers and stonewalling administrators? It's irresponsible to send anyone's kids into such an environment. It's better to organize an alternative.

Answer 7

Yeah totally, I passed the entrance exam to a local private school a few years back and although I had 20% off school fees and we could afford it, my mum didn't want me to grow up snobbish and sent me to a public school and I think she made the right choice.

Most MPs say it's unfair for some people to have an advantage in education just as long as they and their kids can go to private schools. I agree with you that MPs can be total hypocrits.

Answer 8

I am totally with you on this one. One simply cannot "honestly" support any ideology in principal and then choose to oppose it personally.The fact that most "socialist" MPs do this, simply highlights their total hypocrisy. Of course the well educated ones are against grammar schools, if they gave all the kids the same benefit in education, who would do the McJobs, who would they get to do the "dirty" jobs or work for the minimum wage? Politics is nothing if not clever! The whole capitalist system depends on having a less well educated pool of workers, it would fail otherwise. When did you ever hear of "former Labour MP now actually working for a living"? My guess is never, because they make sure they amass enough whilst in office or take "non jobs" that pay them a fortune after.When did you ever hear "Labour MPs child goes to local bog standard comp"? Never........  Socialists? Only in public, behind closed doors they are all "champagne charlies".

Answer 9

Whilst I agree with you in theory.  I do not believe we live in a socialist paradise and reality means that I would want the best for my kids.  Right now that means a private school education.

I would bring them up to have the right Morales and ability to think for themselves but with the best education on offer.

I do not thing they are mutually exclusive in the state we live in.

Answer 10

As a life-long Socialist, I entirely agree with you.  If posh middle class Socialists put their kids into ordinary schools in working class districts, also all other middle class kids etc.  Then this vociferous group of middle class Socialist movers and shakers would sure as h**l do something to improve the schools for all of us and not just the ones they choose for their own kids.

I'm going to be extremley harsh and suggest that any one in the Labour Party who does send their kids to posh schools (fee paying) should be asked to consider the consequences of what they're doing.

By doing everything collectively, things get improved - it worked in the past very much like this.

I expect you know what an evacuee is?  A kid who was evacuated from the city to the country during the war.

A very strange thing happened when all these hundreds of thousands of inner city kids were suddenly thrust out into the country to live with middle class families.

For the first time ever in our history, the middle classes actually saw for themselves, common working class kids close up - yes, these same Cockney kids who had no underware because their parents could not afford under pants and vests etc.

The result of all of this was massive and it ultimately lead to the massive landslide victory for Labour after the war.

Just mix together and then the problems will be sorted, even the knife crime and all the rest.

Working Class Pensioner and Old Soldier

POWER TO THE PEOPLE

Answer 11

Most state schooling is basic, (agreed that there are exceptions) depending on the area you live.

I think for average 'pesron' the New Labour experiment has been a complete failure. The lack of social cohesion, increased taxes, increased cost of living & total dependance of this governments disregard for tax payers money is ludicrous!

Answer 12

You are quite right they are a bunch of hypocrites but I would of thought that being a hypocrite is essential in becoming an MP and the bigger the hypocrite the higher he,ll fly.