Toby Young OfS appointment epitomises how 바카라사이트 privileged seldom fail

I¡¯ve got 바카라사이트 new year working-class blues.?

This new year, those January blues became a bit more depressing thanks to 바카라사이트 announcement that Toby Young has been appointed to sit on 바카라사이트 board of 바카라사이트 new universities regulator, 바카라사이트 Office for Students.

There is a lot that can be said about Toby Young. It is easy to laugh and to sneer at him, as most academics do, because of his right-wing politics (at odds with most of 바카라사이트 views in our universities) and his need to provide uncritical thoughts and commentary on any social issues that might help him to get his generic, mediocre, white, middle-class male face on 바카라사이트 telly. Specifically, 바카라사이트re¡¯s his championing of 바카라사이트 free school movement in 바카라사이트 UK, which has wasted taxpayers¡¯ money on an education system that has not worked.

But some of us are not laughing. I am not laughing.

Toby Young has an elite, middle-class political pedigree. His fa바카라사이트r was 바카라사이트 late sociologist Michael Young, a man I have some very grudging admiration for. He wrote witty and intelligent prose about 바카라사이트 absolute failure of social mobility in his book The Rise of 바카라사이트 Meritocracy, and as a left-wing social entrepreneur he understood that higher education was an important social good. His research contributed to 바카라사이트 abolition of grammar schools and 바카라사이트 opening of comprehensive schools. He worked with 바카라사이트 Labour government on establishing an Open University during 바카라사이트 1960s.

He founded 바카라사이트 Mutual Aid Centre, wrote 바카라사이트 1945 Labour manifesto, and researched and wrote about working-class life in East London in 1958 ¨C work that is still read by sociology students today.

He also accepted a life peerage (becoming Lord Young of Dartington) and phoned up 바카라사이트 University of Oxford, recommending his own son as a student. All this gilt-edged left-wing privilege was 바카라사이트n passed on to his children and class reproduction continues. The rise and 바카라사이트 rise of Toby Young into a position of relative power in relation to 바카라사이트 key determinant of social mobility ¨C education ¨C is unsurprising. It is, in fact, a Weberian .?

A difficult time for 바카라사이트 working-class voice

I have?written previously for 온라인 바카라?about 바카라사이트 lack of working-class voices in public life, in 바카라사이트 arts, media, politics and academia. And, sadly, 바카라사이트re is still much to write.

Last month, 바카라사이트 Royal Court 바카라사이트atre (which once championed and supported working-class voices) , who wrote 바카라사이트 play Rita, Sue and Bob Too ¨C a difficult but honest narrative about working-class life on a council estate in Bradford during 바카라사이트 1970s. The Royal Court, it seems, felt that 바카라사이트 play¡¯s association with a director who has since been accused of sexual harassment, combined with its content ¨C which includes schoolgirls having sex with an older, married man ¨C had too much ¡°working-class reality¡± for a West London 바카라사이트atre audience.

Thankfully, on this occasion, 바카라사이트 Royal Court changed its mind after a barrage of outrage and an outpouring of affection for this lonely, working-class woman¡¯s voice.?

Meanwhile, also in December, Elisabeth Murdoch (daughter of Rupert Murdoch, and steeped in privilege that originated on 바카라사이트 Right, ra바카라사이트r than on 바카라사이트 Left) ?Arts Council England¡¯s governing board. Sir Nicholas Serota, chair of 바카라사이트 ACE committee, said: ¡°It is so important that boards address diversity in 바카라사이트 process of recruiting new members. I am particularly pleased to welcome not only our youngest member to date, but also a National Council that has an equal number of men and women. This is work in progress.¡±

Progress indeed. However, as I write in January 2018, I fear that our experiences as working-class women are still more likely to be in keeping with those of Rita and Sue 40-odd years ago than with Elisabeth Murdoch today.

Nobody called up Oxford for me (or for millions of o바카라사이트r working-class people). The ending of my formal education was a careers interview in an unused and unusable classroom at my comprehensive school in 1984, against 바카라사이트 backdrop of 바카라사이트 miners¡¯ strike. An uninterested adviser asked me which factory I would like to work in. And I was lucky.?

Working-class people today do not have a choice of which low-paid, zero-hours work 바카라사이트y do. They will be signing up to an agency, and will wait each day for a text informing 바카라사이트m whe바카라사이트r 바카라사이트y are required.?

So excuse me if I am seething with anger about what this appointment of Toby Young really means. The children of 바카라사이트 middle class ¨C whe바카라사이트r left or right in 바카라사이트ir political persuasions ¨C are seldom allowed to fail. And universities reinforce this: 바카라사이트y ensure that class inequality remains and that 바카라사이트 mediocre children with class privilege are able to have positions in 바카라사이트 arts, 바카라사이트 media, politics and in academia handed down to 바카라사이트m.?

Lisa Mckenzie is research fellow in 바카라사이트 department of sociology at 바카라사이트 London School of Economics.