The new Archbishop of Canterbury went to Eton...

[JustGiveMeFiveMinutes]

...so did the PM, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, the Mayor of London and Prince William, our future King.

I'm not sure this is a particularly healthy state of affairs...

Didn't stop his first child bring killed in a car crash....so...really. No different to the rest of us

Clouds
It is legitimate to be concerned that a significant number of the establishment come from a relatively narrow background yet purport to represent all of us. I say that as a parent whose children are currently in a prep school any may go to one of the schools that have been named in earlier posts.

If my sons were considering politics as a career then I would tell them to get out into the real world and work for a while not just go from public school, Uni then party politics.

People often say that most of us are only one pay packet from disaster etc. well quite a few of these politicians are not and quite possibly never have been so they just don't have that experience or understanding of how uncertain life really is for some people. Even if they really do care, their knowledge is only ever theoretical so its easy to say "you can cut back on x" or "work some overtime" etc because they have never had to do it themselves.

If my sons were considering politics as a career then I would tell them to get out into the real world and work for a while not just go from public school, Uni then party politics.

This is actually the real issue.

Everyone who runs for Parliament should have to have worked in another industry for a minimum of 5 years IMO. Too many of the current political classes have gone from university straight to central office at one party or another, and then on to be parachuted into a seat at a moment deemed appropriate.

Alibabaandthe40nappies, agreed and that's why the House of Lords is so much more interesting in its debates. The problem is that its members tend to be oldish and therefore, in some ways, unrepresentative.

I'm not sure that politicians need to have more life experience, I think it's more important that they have the ability to listen, and that they are open minded.

It is possible to understand and sympathise with situations that you have no direct experience of.

I agree that it would be better if we were represented by people from a wider range of backgrounds, but I don't think it's essential. As someone else on another thread said, the people we have in politics are the only ones who are willing to do it. There's no point complaining about who we have in power when very few of us would be willing to do the job instead.

Who cares which school they went it is irrelevant to Government policy/ their duties and frankly only used as a cheap shot against them

I think it's great. The majority of Etonians I know are well-educated, broad-minded, civilised and interesting people.

If we are going to choose peo

I think it's great. The majority of Etonians I know are well-educated, broad-minded, civilised and interesting people. They also seem to have a well-developed sense of (public) duty and are educated to serve their country.

If we are going to choose people by stereotype and cliche to fill critical roles, I'd rather an OE than some chippy, one-track unsophisticated tedious class warrior.

Apologies if I've missed your point; I wasn't entirely sure if you thought it a good thing or not.

I've looked on the website, I'd send DS there in a heartbeat..

silver It's an interesting point you make.

Off the subject... So did Damian Lewis, Tom Hiddleston, Harry Lloyd and Eddie Redmayne. Yum!

Eddie Redmayne. I am no longer capable of rational typing. I wish I'd been a naughty Etonian. Eddie could have spoken sternly to me, dressed in his waistcoat and billowing sleeves, then taught me a stiff lesson.

Off for a lie down...

Eddie Redmayne. I am no longer capable of rational typing. I wish I'd been a naughty Etonian. Eddie could have spoken sternly to me, dressed in his waistcoat and billowing sleeves, then taught me a stiff lesson.

Off for a lie down...

Sorry. Need new phone.

at silver
Only on mumsnet...

Here's a slightly different take.

Many MP's go into politics because they can afford to. For highly educated people, a politician's salary is actually really rather low so those with a back up income are far more likely to be attracted to it.

Most company directors will earn more than the Prime Minister.

He's got a bit of an odd mouth... Prefer the lovely Tom Hiddleston myself.

Now back to your MPs and archbishops!

Oxbridge may be a breeding ground for those with ambitions in politics or high office. Not everyone is rich. Thatcher was a grocers daughter who read Chemistry at Oxford. Cecil Parkinson was the son of a railway signaller and won a scholarship and went to Cambridge. Prescott got into the Cabinet via Union work and I think mature entry to Oxford (Ruskin?) and was a waiter with Cunard. Politics is a good career for those with high ambition. It seems to rarely attract medics as they are struggling to succeed in that field but law graduates who enjoy debate thrive. Google PPE at Oxford and look at the list of graduates who have made it.

i take it you'd rather have a bunch of uneducated oiks in charge of the country? fine.

Justin Welby sent all his children to state schools, if that makes any difference to your opinion of him.

LeQueen

I'm not trying to be anti-elitist. I haven't critisised Eton per se. I do worry that people in power need to be drawn from a wider spectrum and that power seems to be relatively inaccessible for people from differing backgrounds.

As for the point somebody made that the AOC and Prince William are apolitical, I agree but they are nonetheless hugely influential IMO.

poster b4bunnies - Eton or oik? Is that it then?