Late home from a council meeting just caught back end of Newsnight re Obama and found myself watching the Prescott documentary on class. I say "documentary." It was of course an utter stitch-up designed to make the man look ridiculous and more fool him for agreeing to take part.
But nevertheless interesting in some ways.
I found it ironic that everything Prescott said was absolutely right on class divide, the absolute disparity between state and public schools, and general lack of serious social mobility in any real sense. He kept quoting a figure which was that only seven per cent of our children go to public schools yet command something like the top 90 per cent of jobs in relation to income and prestige. Yes, I agree, an utter disgrace.
Yet it was Prescott, erstwhile Deputy Prime Minister, who presided over the introduction of top-up fees, backed a regime which was "intensely relaxed" about the filthy rich, and indeed himself enjoyed all the trappings which go with very senior office. Without a murmur.
What happened to his "class warrior" stance when he helped Tony Blair become Labour Leader. Prescott was seen as some Real labour buffer to Blairism. It all went out the window post 1997. It is clear to my mind that some residual guilt about abandoning class politics governed this TV project which, sadly, was designed to make him look a buffoon.
As for social mobility, well the reality is that most of us are now facing tough times thanks to the iniquity of a system which puts profit before people. In short, capitalism fails the vast majority. And it's rather a shame that John Prescott is making even more money out of spurious faux proletarian grandstanding - having let down those who relied on him to be their voice in Parliament. And the Labour Party.....
Posts
4 comments:
he came across as very aggressive
and i still have a soft spot for him
dispite he selling us out as deputy
yes, I suppose the sad thing is so did many of us
All through I was thinking: "You are right but you were deputy prime minister - why didn't you do something about it?
"What were you waiting for?
"Who else did you think was going to do something?"
Perhaps he really is a buffoon!
Well, I thought the documentary was seriously lacking in any discussion of class as a measure of economic power. It was underlying the education debate but not tackled directly and 75% of the show was about class as cultural practice rather than as a reflection of people's economic circumstances.
I couldn't really care less whether people turn there noses up at Prescott at Henley, it matters slightly more whether they control a huge percentage of the economy and run it to perpetuate their own interests.
I generally thought he came over quite well, though.
Post a Comment