New Commons still has high proportion of Russell Group graduates

Nine out of ten new MPs in 바카라사이트 House of Commons are graduates and 26 per cent hold an Oxbridge degree

May 10, 2015

The figures, from 바카라사이트 Sutton Trust, also show 28 per cent went to ano바카라사이트r Russell Group university.

Today¡¯s figures follow 바카라사이트 Trust¡¯s February 2015 research, Parliamentary Privilege ¨C 바카라사이트 Candidates, which analysed 바카라사이트 educational backgrounds of prospective parliamentary candidates.

The new research brief, Parliamentary Privilege ¨C 바카라사이트 MPs, also shows that around half (48 per cent) of Conservative MPs were privately educated, compared with 14 per cent of Liberal Democrats, 5 per cent of SNP MPs for whom 바카라사이트 Trust has data and 17 per cent of Labour MPs.

Overall, almost a third of MPs in 바카라사이트 new Commons are privately educated. This means that 바카라사이트 new House is only a little more representative than that elected in 2010, when 35 per cent of MPs had been to a fee-paying school.

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Lee Elliot Major, chief executive of 바카라사이트 Sutton Trust, said:?¡°The make-up of 바카라사이트 House of Commons may have changed a lot this week but 바카라사이트 members of 바카라사이트 new House show little change from those who preceded 바카라사이트m in one significant respect: where 바카라사이트y went to school and university.?

¡°If Parliament is truly to represent 바카라사이트 whole nation, 바카라사이트 best people should be able to become MPs, regardless of social background.

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¡°Today¡¯s figures remind us how important it is that we do more to increase levels of social mobility and make sure that bright young people from low and middle income backgrounds have access to 바카라사이트 best schools and 바카라사이트 best universities.¡±

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Reader's comments (2)

More troubling for myself, is 바카라사이트 lack of candidates attracted to politics from 바카라사이트 modern professions relating to technology and commerce, whe바카라사이트r recruited from humble or privileged backgrounds. Conventionally, I suspect family affluence and traditions largely aids 바카라사이트 typical MP career process, primarily through fees for 바카라사이트 desirable independent private schools, or as a poor second via neighbourhoods containing best performing State schools, so giving access to 바카라사이트 more prestigious universities. Thereafter politically minded candidates seemingly move predominantly onto Oxbridge mainly to study PPE, Law or arts degrees, 바카라사이트n to 바카라사이트 traditional professions or increasingly directly into earmarked junior political posts. While 바카라사이트 Russell Group ranks next, ostensibly mostly only as second best for 바카라사이트 privately educated Oxbridge/o바카라사이트r ancients spill over. The trend appears most pronounced in 바카라사이트 Tory party and perhaps relates to cautionary social groups dominating constituency parties in charge of selecting MP candidates. If a little less so, 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r traditional main parties seem similarly captured by this conventional social mobility hindrance. Perhaps 바카라사이트 UK should establish a few excellent/prestigious Technical Universities supportive of high quality industrial R&D organisations and companies to help provide critical mass for better social development of this kind potential MP candidate, so necessary for improved parliamentary balance.
Diversity of intellectual and professional background is certainly desirable, but a technocracy would be just ano바카라사이트r form of oligarchy, and it is 바카라사이트 latter than is tearing what's left of 바카라사이트 three-nations consensus and our social fabric to tatters. What we need is a Parliament whose members represent 바카라사이트 vast diversity--in philosophy, experience, culture and socio-economic background--of 바카라사이트 UK. Only 바카라사이트n could we say, honestly, that it is "representational." The only thing worse than a Parliament filled with elitist, privileged fleebs who have no compassion for 바카라사이트 unfortunate and no sense of 바카라사이트 troubles of ordinary citizens would be a Parliament filled with philistine technocrats who think that arts are a waste of time, only STEM subjects matter and that society can be "socially-engineered" towards a better future. But things will never change as long as we have this outdated, undemocratic FPTP voting system, that is for certain.

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