Guardian reading middle class leftie?

[Hullygully]

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I don't earn enough to be MC either, but have MC education and hobbies.

Does money now determine whether you are MC or not?

See I'm struggling here. Read the grauniad for thirty five years, middle class, work for a charity, never voted Tory. But my god the grauniad is boring now, the Telegraph has much more to read and a better cryptic crossword. So I buy that and then hide it in my bag in case anyone sees me with it. And send the kids to private school. Hmmmm

I don't know. A lot about me could be deemed as MC but I live in a housing association property which puts me right into the lower working class category. We should be clearly labelled to stop the confusion.

Yup, me too. But did you see yesterday's letter re. children's parties, in response to Tim Lott's column at the weekend. She was spot on, and that's what's wrong with the paper - not the serious stuff, but the frivolous lifestyle stuff.

It always surprises me what people consider MC. To me driving a banger and going to France is the epitome of MC. It's those who drive a new car and go on beach holidays every year i consider WC.

Where i grew up it was a middle class, woolly liberal badge of honour to drive a banger and go camping in France, it was us arriviste capitalists who had a shiny car and 2 weeks in Tenerife.

I am unspeakably obscure, Hully. A working hack who's had the odd Graun piece over the years. You really wouldn't recognise my name!

I did cry a bit at the article in Saturday's Family section about losing a parent...

hmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

I cry every bloody Sat morning. Nothing like starting the weekend with a cup of tea and a blub.

I used frequently to well up a bit at the columm which ended to allow Tim Lott his asinine self-indulgent smuggery, about the woman in the first year of single parenthood.

Money or no money, the very fact that we are discussing whether or not we are MC makes us MC

I'm thinking of starting a project to get more true blue Tory reading Telegraph readers to join Mumsnet to balance out the left wingers. Be warned

I well up at the old b&w family photos and sometimes the crappy little recipes. 'Take two slices of bread, some marg and some old cat hair . . . ', but then there'll be a lovely little anecdote. 'We use to eat these in the cupboard under the stairs when the Germans were bombing our house. My mother died during one of those bombings'

Waaaaaah.

The recipes are always revolting!

Silver there are loads of true-blue Tories on MN - just maybe not on this thread!

I never see any?

MrsKoala me too!!! You have just described my childhood.

I thought I was a MC guardian reading leftie, but we have a Quinny buzz 3 biggy so it turns out I'm a chav.

Who'd have thought it?... all those organic veg box deliveries have meant nothing.

MrsKoala Yes, I think I am following in my parent's footsteps. Old bangers and holidays to France were part of my childhood too!

Maybe my view of what MC is has been changed since I met DP. It's confused the hell out of me about whether or not I am middle class. Although I must admit to thinking that shiny new cars and beach holidays are very WC.

Agree, that truly 'posh' people tend to have older volvos or mercs and go to the south of France.

At our school there are a lot of try hards to look posh who are snobby about furniture and how much money people have. But the truly 'posh' families don't care whether their kids wear Ralph Lauren or feel the need to pick up their child looking as if they're going to ladies day. And as for me, I certainly don't have the time or inclination to make us look like we have money when we don't. And if people think we're worth less than they are because of that then I couldn't care less tbh because they're shallow!

Well said lottie!

EauRouge - i disagree, i know lots of what i would consider 'upper working class' or 'new money' (not criticisms just descriptions) people who defo discuss and consider themselves MC - it makes me laugh as it has NEVER crossed their mind they may be WC. To them, they have a new car and a new build house and earn 30k so have 'made it'. It is something i have experienced outside London - class being based on money rather than attitude. The fact they wear YSL polo shirts and their fave food is dominos/hot wings/nandos to them means they are MC - The fact they've never heard of falafel means to me they aren't.

All the MC people i know are really hard up. But it's an attitude they have. Clarks are more MC than Gucci for example.

Did you see the Grayson Perry prog on class, iirc he decided there were 2 types of middle class - the worthy liberal falafel eating guardian reader banger driver types and the DM reading, new build, expensive holiday, designer clothe types. I just consider the latter arriviste/new money - As that is what i grew up in.

the very fact that we are discussing whether or not we are MC makes us MC

In that case, perhaps I'm not MC (I didn't have a moment's doubt).

See, is it a terrible sin to be the things in the op and yet get The Torygraph a couple of times a week too for the crossword as I am sometimes a bit too dim to finish The Guardian one ? Just asking.