David Cameron: It is your fault if you are fat and poor.

[FairyMum]

Has anyone commented on the David Cameron-speech on moral neutrality? He is a price-dick, isn't he?

The chances are that if you have been to Eaton you have been educated "tucked" away from what I would call normal mixed society. Of course it doesn't apply to everyone who has been to Eaton, but I think as an Etonian, DC is much more likely to suffer from the "Let them eat cake"-syndrom than the rest of us. I am sitting here with a tiny silver spoon in my mouth myself and think I am normally quite a judgemental cow so I am a bit suprised by how many posters agree with DC's populist nonsense.

So it's just Eton is it? If you went to say Westminster (usually no.1 school in the country in League Tables and just as hard, if not harder to get into than Eton), that's fine? Nick Clegg went there but I have yet heard that fact referred to in a disparaging way in contrast to the bleating about DC's background.

My point is that the bulk of people in positions of influence have had a fairly priveleged upbringing whether its politicians, judges, journalists or whomever. Just look at the proportion of the Labour Cabinet who were privately educated. If you say that DC doesn't understand "ordinary people" then nor do they.

In any event it's been a long tradiiton for social reformers/ campaigners to be posh - from Charles Booth to Tony Benn and even the sainted Polly Toynbee. Frankly its facile to suggest that their background precludes them from having any understanding of the issues surrounding poverty.

I really hate when people trash Eton. It really is quite a wonderful school and the boys are absolutely charming. They also come from a variety of backgrounds, and will have even broader backgrounds in the coming years as funding for free places expands.

I recently went to a dinner party in one of the Eton houses. It was 4 adults from 'outside' and 8 boys from across the years. There is no way any of the boys I met would have disappointed. They were caring, genuinely interested in the life that DH and I led, did not disparage us for sending our boys to a minor public school etc. They were also superb at serving and clearing up. Noblesse oblige, I imagine.

Cut the prejudice, folks. I couldn't think of a better group of young men to be future leaders of this country.

What the hell are all these Etons and Westminters? I thought Westminster meant the building.

Are these boarding schools?

Why on Earth would someone send away their child to be brought up by strangers for hire unless there was no alternative at all?

Seems to me that he is failing to value tolerance

Surely this will lose him a lot of votes?

At least Gordon Brown can't have a go at fat people

If you knew Eton, Expat, you would understand the attractiveness of it.

ExpatinScotland, Westminster is a London School, predominantly Day. My brother was at Eton on a full scholarship, precisely the sort of scheme SP is referring to.

Sorry, Squeaky, but unless the alternative is no school at all - and this does occur in certain circumstances when the parents have to work abroad or live in a remote location with no secondary school - I do not believe in boarding schools at all whatsoever.

I really don't.

Have some vinegar with your chips, riven

Well, quite a few families who send their children to boarding school are expatriate and mobile. These schools offer stability.

If you don't like it, don't send your kids to one. But don't expect everyone to share your values.

D-I-V-E-R-S-I-T-Y

Now, I agree that knocking someone just because they went to a certain school is a bit harsh, but to suggest that boys at Eton are a representative cross section of British society is pushing it a tad

Well, I agree with you there, Squeaky.

Horses for courses and all that.

My father worked abroad a lot as a petrol engineer. It was during the big crash in the late 70s and 80s and so it was either that or no job at all.

Now he always went alone if the alternative was boarding school for us, because he was opposed to these places.

But he had colleagues who chose differently.

Fair enough for them.

For us, it's a no go, but for others, perhaps it is best.

We live in a meritocracy, Riven. Remember that lower middle class female prime minister we had?

Anyone with enough talent and will can rise to power, or have a sporting attempt.

But that shouldn't take anything away from Eton (nor should Eton take anything away from anyone else). The bottom line is that you have to be clever to get into Eton, and particularly clever to be a King's Scholar (DC and BJ). Once there, the boys are nurtured and encouraged to take an active interest in the world around then, and to develop good attitudes. Stop knocking it.

Or a Prince...

Ah, yes, I don't get all that title business.

I'm very wary of that sort of thing, it smacks of outdated notions to me and I'd be seriously disappointed if one of my children took up with someone who believed in all that nonsense, much less used such a thing as a 'title' because it means they adhere to archaic notions of superiority over others and i'd wonder what other ideas such as that they held, particularly when it comes to women and things like fidelity in marriage and that like.

Just my opinion.

I see where you are coming from, FM.

They didn't have wheelchairs 500 years ago, Riven.

But much of the campus is perfectly accessible.

Actually, I suppose William's not that daft, and maybe Harry got in on a sibling rule

At least Harry's somewhat pleasant to look at.

The other one is going to the way of the Windsor.

I see the attractiveness gene escaped them entirely .