The British Class System - A Colonist Enquires

I think Mick is acutely aware of the class system here, although the phrase "lower social economic group" is abit of adeparture from the usual oiks and plebs.

While Mick's skills in diplomacy, and expertise in ethics, politics, foreign policy etc are much to admired - I have to confess that we Cupcakes find him a little "new money" for our tastes!

Indeed. The letters NQOC spring readily to mind.

I believe the Parrys actually had to buy their own furniture.
(Rather than inherit it don't you know)

How vulgar!

Furniture? Luxury! We used to live in shoebox in middle o' t'road.....

The Labour Party abolished the working class (before they got into power in 1997) so they wouldn't have to look after them any more.

Then, having gained power, they did the same with the middle class.

This leaves two remaining classes - the upper classes who look after themselves and the Labour party who also look after themselves.

In a cynical moment I'd say we all think we're better than each other.....

Think? Know!

;-)

A marketing view of class at postcode level.

ACORN classification categories plus financial classification groups.

quote:

Originally posted by Steve Toy:
The Labour Party abolished the working class (before they got into power in 1997) so they wouldn't have to look after them any more.

Then, having gained power, they did the same with the middle class.

This leaves two remaining classes - the upper classes who look after themselves and the Labour party who also look after themselves.

Well said, you gave me a good laugh.

Of course, some of us are more middle class than others.

Deane

The idea of a classless society is one of the great myths of the 20th/21st century. IMHO there are two classes in my country, those who work and those who profit from said work.

The more I hear about life in England the more it seems they are becoming like us in good and not so good ways. Class distinctions imply a certain kind of social interaction and social structures which no longer exist. Hence the perpetuating of the myth.

quote:

The Labour Party abolished the working class (before they got into power in 1997) so they wouldn't have to look after them any more.

Then, having gained power, they did the same with the middle class.

This leaves two remaining classes - the upper classes who look after themselves and the Labour party who also look after themselves

True of the Democrats as well.


BB

My parents are the archetype middle class in everything they do, including the fact that they are absolutely convinced they are working class.

I suggested this to my Dad once. He'd just got in from mowing the lawn and washing his two cars and caravan on the drive. Sitting in his nice double-glazed deep-piled (and fully paid for) bungalow, the Telegraph neatly unfolded on his lap, Radio 4 burlbling by his ear and with my Mum unpacking groceries from M+S in the kitchen he said 'Nonsense, we are working class, I've worked hard for everything!'


Bruce

Bruce's dad is quite right.

Nationally, we don't have a problem with the terms 'upper class' and 'middle class', yet in these mewling times, we shy away from the grammatically consistent third element of the classification - the 'lower' class.

I think the 'working' class belong to a different taxonomic grouping, being the 'working class' (those who have to work for a living), the 'leisured class' (those who don't) and the 'retired class'.

I see the two systems as wholly discrete - the first social and the second economic. Thus I am 'middle, working' - having worked hard to get there.

Fraser.

We're all people, no matter what we label ourselves.

YES, WE'RE ALL INDIVIDUALS!!

In the same was as cars are all cars, houses are all houses, hi-fi systems are all hi-fi systems etc. etc.?

We vary vastly, hence the genesis of classification schemes for everything.

Fraser

A few years ago I saw a documentary about Richard Branson. One of the pundits made the comment that the popular conception of Branson was that he fought his way to success through good decision-making and so on - but that the reality was that he had access to "the old boys network" and had used it extensively to promote his business interests.

quote:

Originally posted by Deane F:
A few years ago I saw a documentary about Richard Branson. One of the pundits made the comment that the popular conception of Branson was that he fought his way to success through good decision-making and so on - but that the reality was that he had access to "the old boys network" and had used it extensively to promote his business interests.

anyone who wants to be successful needs help from their friends...and not just financially.

True of the Democrats as well?

First, the Democrats have been powerless for 4 of the last 6 years, and Jeffords helped legislate the Republican economic policy before he switched caucuses. The GOP congress thwarted progressive legislation for 6 years before that, and the GOP held the presidency for 16 of the 20 years before that.

It's so-called conservatives in the US who abolished the working class and the poor, with their constant harping on sexual 'morality' (stop anyone who wants to have fun that the 'moralists' don't approve) and 'tax cuts', with the new robber barons saying they'll give a dime to the middle class as long as they can get $10,000.

The Democrats' failure was in figuring out how to combat what really is a vast right wing conspiracy - but then, it's hard to combat a message that can be and is repeated ad infinitum by people with the money to use for propaganda.

And along the way, the GOP has provided massive handouts to the top managers in industries such as insurance, pharma, military equipment, engineering, oil, etc.

Phil

Phil

I won't argue with any of the points you made concerning the GOP. As far as the Dems go, they have little interest in the common man. Bill Clinton's contribution to the common man was to enact NAFTA, which resulted in massive job losses to foreign competition. The minumum wage bill, soon to be made law, was on the Republicans agenda too.

The Democrats will serve their corporate masters first, anything else is secondary. What we will get with the new congress will be Republican Lite. Wait and see.

BB

Chaps

The american economy is in dire straights.

They are hopelessly expensive and import far to much oil. They survive on an internal market based on credit and the bubble is soon to burst.

I can see them coming in and merging with the Euro in about 20 years.

If you got any shares in US based companies, sell now.

Regards

Mick

Mick

In what respect is the European economy different from the US economy? Does Europe import less oil per capita? Are European goods inexpensive?

If the US economy fails the effects will not be isolated.

Deane

Deane

The US has been and still is the worlds largest economy but Europe is growing as an economic force, that is one advantage of the EU.

We are more willing to take advantage of cheap asian imports and provide a service industry in return. London is booming at the moment.

The yanks are not very good at fighting international competition, their goods are ludicrously expensive. They are going to impose all sorts of tariffs for short term protection but in the long term, they are buggered. China and india are their major threats.

Basically they are doing what the UK did during the 60s and 70s...living beyond their means.

Regards

Mick