Tag Archives: middle class

Warwick Danks

We need to shift from a class identity debate to a consensus around our core values

By Warwick Danks | Fri 17th January 2020 - 5:06 pm


Embed from Getty Images

With the dust still settling from the December 2019 General Election, it is necessarily a time for the Liberal Democrats to regroup, refocus and plan for the coming years.

One question which I hear being asked is how the Party can appeal to working-class voters, as part of a strategy to make it more inclusive, representative and, of course, electable. However I believe we need to first take a step back and ask whether the underlying assumption here is valid in 21st Century Britain and, moreover, is it liberal?

With our political rivals in opposition currently locked in heated internal argument as to which of their potential leaders is authentically working-class, it is worth exploring just what that means. Is one born working-class, or indeed middle-class, or does one somehow acquire the designation and accompanying self-identity during one’s lifetime?

Continue reading »
Posted in Op-eds | Also tagged | 16 Comments
Stephen Tall

The Saturday Debate: What do we mean by middle-class?

By Stephen Tall | Sat 31st July 2010 - 9:25 am

Here’s your starter for ten in our Saturday slot where we throw up an idea or thought for debate:

Class has always been an intangible concept in the UK.

While most countries would define it quite simply as a function of income, in our class-hungover country there are all manner of other factors: state or privately educated, your profession, whether you have a degree, your postcode, your family circumstances (‘where you came from’), even your accent. So while carpenters and plumbers may well earn more than university lecturers there’s no doubt which of those would be regarded as the middle-class occupation.

How …

Continue reading »
Posted in Op-eds | Also tagged and | 13 Comments
Advert

Recent Comments

  • Judy Abel
    You clearly missed the point - but that’s OK....
  • Simon McGrath
    "There is a phrase widely attributed to Israel’s first Prime Minister, David Ben-Gurion" There is no evidence he said this....
  • Simon McGrath
    What a totally random set of whinges. Yes the Post Office scandal was appalling - but it took place in a state controlled firm - nothing to do with ' neo libera...
  • Sam Ammar
    Thank you for sharing Iyad’s journey. This genocide has shocked Palestinians to their very core. It has awakened something profound across generations. Many ...
  • Rich Dilshad
    Interesting piece Edward, and I particularly agree on the growing vulnerability of CNI. The recent damage to EstLink 2 and other Baltic subsea infrastructure d...