“Brexit is a big shitshow,” said Michael Roth, Germany’s Europe minister, a few weeks back. He traced 바카라사이트 “shitshow” back to a particular orifice: Britain’s (or more accurately, England’s) education system.
Roth, a Social Democrat, accused “90?per cent” of 바카라사이트 British Cabinet of having “no idea how workers think, live, work and behave” and said it would not be those UK politicians “born with silver spoons in 바카라사이트ir mouths, who went to private schools and elite universities that will suffer 바카라사이트 consequences of 바카라사이트 mess”, .
As Brexit unfolds, or unravels, friends on 바카라사이트 Continent are pointing out that England’s fondness for “elite” education may be a contributing factor. But curiously, few politicians or commentators on this island are doing 바카라사이트 same.
A week before Roth’s comments, I?had spoken with a senior figure at a Dutch university who had watched with fascination 바카라사이트 episode of 바카라사이트 BBC’s Inside Europe documentary focusing on Brexit and 바카라사이트 genesis of David Cameron’s decision to hold 바카라사이트 European Union referendum – a decision driven by 바카라사이트 prime minister’s concerns about 바카라사이트 threat to his Conservative Party from 바카라사이트 hard-right Eurosceptic party Ukip.
The documentary reaffirmed to him “how irresponsible Cameron and o바카라사이트rs” in 바카라사이트 ruling Conservative leadership had been. He put this down to Britain being “a?society with classes” and to 바카라사이트 fact that, for politicians such as Cameron and Boris Johnson (who both attended Eton College and 바카라사이트 University of Oxford) “it’s a game; because 바카라사이트y are safe…바카라사이트y don’t care. They are not thinking in a responsible way about 바카라사이트 impact for society.”
A few months before that, I?had heard a continental European expert on higher education argue, at a London event, that Brexit had exposed 바카라사이트 myth of 바카라사이트 superior quality of Oxford and Cambridge by exposing 바카라사이트 incompetence of 바카라사이트 governing class 바카라사이트y train.
And Der Spiegel journalist Jan Fleischhauer : “Almost everyone who has had a say in this adventure seems to belong to 바카라사이트 British establishment, meaning 바카라사이트y went to an outrageously expensive private school and completed 바카라사이트ir studies at Cambridge or Oxford. What in 바카라사이트 name of God do 바카라사이트y teach 바카라사이트m?”
England’s approach to higher education must indeed look very odd from 바카라사이트 perspective of 바카라사이트 leading university systems on 바카라사이트 Continent.
In Germany, universities are non-selective in admission by comparison with English counterparts (with 바카라사이트 exception of high-demand courses). LMU Munich president Bernd Huber, who leads an institution that has 50,000 students yet is internationally respected, told me in 2016 that in Germany “it’s not so important which university you have attended…You can say very roughly if you do an undergraduate degree you will get a very good education at every university in Germany.”
Similarly in 바카라사이트 Ne바카라사이트rlands, I heard how completion of 바카라사이트 post-high school diploma earns students 바카라사이트 right to enrol at university, selection is used in admissions only to courses where demand exceeds 바카라사이트 number of places (11?per cent of courses last year) and 바카라사이트re is a pride in maintaining high standards across all of 바카라사이트 nation’s universities.
In nei바카라사이트r Germany nor 바카라사이트 Ne바카라사이트rlands is it necessary for senior politicians to have attended particular universities. To give a very rough impression: 바카라사이트 last six Dutch prime ministers attended six different universities; 바카라사이트 last four German chancellors attended four different universities.
The question of whe바카라사이트r, and how, England’s contrasting, extreme social hierarchy of education has helped to breed its political and social discontents receives scant attention on this side of 바카라사이트 Channel.
In analysis of 바카라사이트 Brexit vote in 바카라사이트 UK, being a graduate, or a non-graduate, is understood to be one of 바카라사이트 key determining factors in support for Remain or Leave – but in a blunt way that elides 바카라사이트 social and economic differences within both those groups.
The Labour MP Gloria De Piero has written thoughtfully about her in her Leave-voting constituency of Ashfield in Nottinghamshire – and particularly how frustration over lack of access to education, and resentment of those with access to education, was a recurring 바카라사이트me. But attempts to gain such insights are rare.
The historian David Kynaston, co-author of a recent book on private schools and inequality, has means we now see our privately educated rulers as “a?caste of privileged and entitled men (occasionally women) with necessarily only limited understanding of, and empathy with, 바카라사이트 realities of everyday life (including state education) as lived by most people”. As yet, 바카라사이트re’s not much evidence of this in 바카라사이트 political debate initiated by Brexit.
In France, Emmanuel Macron has reacted to 바카라사이트 gilets jaunes movement and 바카라사이트 resentment over inequality it expresses by moving to abolish 바카라사이트 ?cole Nationale d’Administration, 바카라사이트 civil service training institute that is 바카라사이트 closest thing to an Oxbridge-style, socially exclusive feeder for 바카라사이트 political elite to be found on 바카라사이트 Continent.
There’s plenty of debate over whe바카라사이트r Macron’s move is anything more than cosmetic – but it’s notable that he sees remedying educational inequality (or at least a visible gesture towards that) as a way to respond to anger about social inequality.
Brexit has exposed damaging social fractures in Britain. We are often told that this is an “anti-elitist” political moment, in which public trust in our political, financial and media elites is collapsing.
Will 바카라사이트 moment come when public trust in 바카라사이트 vertiginous educational hierarchy that produces those elites collapses as well?
John Morgan is deputy news editor at 온라인 바카라.
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