Guess what proportion of MPs privately educated in each party. Go on, guess!

[nearlytoolate]

And no cheating if you have read it in the papers already!

I havent read it and tbh I'm not remotely interested in knowing.

I dont think it makes any difference to how well or badly they can do a job.

Why would it matter?

But how do you think it would vary depending on which party? Labour, Lib Dem, Conservative?

(I'm not asking whether you think its relevant. I'm just wondering what impresssion people have picked up).

Am interested only because Labour make such a big deal of it. Would guess 65% Tories, 50% Labour 55% LD.

Partly because I was surprised about the facts myself.

please give us the results or give us the link. I will not be surprised by the Labour hypocrites. I bet there are more privately educated socialists than the Tories.

I want a few more guesses first

Labour 65%
Liberals 45%
Tories 55%

I would say conservative most (probably 60%), then liberal (probably 30-40%) and then labour (say 20%).

I would say 90 % have been to university, and probably 60%of the conservatives are oxbridge, while maybe 20% of labour are oxbridge.

And your point is what exactly- that they are all hypocrites? I was privately educated myself, vote Labour, and am not opposed to private education - just would like state schools to be so good that all children are able to enjoy the excellent opportunities that I had, whether or not their parents can afford it. And actually, on that score - my parents couldn't afford it; I had a scholarship. I grew up in a working class area of Bradford where the state schools were very poor (as my sister had found to her cost). And at university, I got absolutely sick of people being all holier-than-thou because they'd been to a comprehensive, but had grown up in a leafy commuter suburb where the comprehensive was probably posher than my surprisingly socially mixed private grammar school... agree it certainly shows us that Labour can no longer claim to be the party of the working class, but it's not claimed to be that for a long time?

It's not in my favourite paper, the Daily Mail. They are usually the ones who spill the beans. Wonder which paper has it? Please vote so that we can find out.

50 (lab)
65(lib)
60 (con)
go on, give us the answers!

Sorry not good at links but here is a good summary:

news.independentminds.livejournal.com/7139465.html

My point is, dotty2, that the impression people have is not necessarily backed up by the facts. From what I had gathered from the media I had formed an impression that there was little difference between the parties.

Throckenholt, I'm impressed!
claig, interesting that its not in the mail, don't you think?

If you can't be bothered to look it up, its:

Conservative 54%
LibDem 40%
Labour 15%

Why answer a thread with
Could you just not comment?

surprising, thought all parties' percentages would be higher...

Ah - I hadn't realised Claig's answer was a guess, not the real answer. Well, I must say I am surprised, if pleasantly - maybe Labour haven't moved away from their roots as I thought! Please ignore my grumpy and defensive post...

exactly, pollywolly. I had thought it would be more like 60/50/40.

Same as polly - thought all would be higher.

news.independentminds.livejournal.com/7139465.html

thanks, apologies I was wrong about Labour. Well done throckenholt.

nearlytoolate, it's not in the Mail because it won't help the Tories. But it would be interesting to see what the situation is with the cabinet and shadow cabinets.

I don't know but I reckon its 80%.

exactly claig. But the way it has been reported in all the media has been very much 'oh, they're all getting worse', thus allowing the impression that there is little to choose between them. when in fact, there is a world of difference.

And I suppose I am getting a bit sick of the received (media driven) wisdom that you can't succeed if you go to a state school. Just feeds into the self-fulfilling paranoia about state schools. (that's not a party political point by the way).