Tory leader David Cameron believes Old Etonians are born to lead:
Among Cameron’s inner circle, no fewer than five went to his old school. They include Oliver Letwin, his head of policy; Edward Llewellyn, chief of staff; Danny Kruger, chief speechwriter; George Bridges, head of campaigns; and Zac Goldsmith, his environmental guru.
In addition, Cameron’s shadow ministerial team boasts Letwin and 12 other Old Etonians — including Hugo Swire, the culture spokesman, and Boris Johnson, the higher education spokesman.
The make up of the higher echelons of British political parties is dominated to an extraordinary extent by people from similar backgrounds. The old school tie is clearly still hugely influential among the Tories whereas Labour relies heavily on those who have been educated North of the border.
What this implies about English state education is rather depressing.
Update: Chris Dillow has an interesting riposte here.
