Monday's Guardian today lamented the lack of diversity in ten new judges - all white males, only one from a British state school, three from from Oxford, two from Cambridge. But this does not mean the selection was not based on merit, and "affirmative action", US style, might give us a Clarence Thomas (see review of "My Grandfather's Son" in Sunday's Observer which, says Andrew Stephen "points up all the ills that bedevil present-day America"). No, it's a long-term and wider problem, starting with education. I don't usually admire George Monbiot but his article in the Guardian on 22nd January "Only class war on public schools can rid us of this unhinged ruling elite" hit the nail on the head.
What could be done about it? As a first step, private schools should lose charitable status and their profits be taxed like any other business. But is there any chance of this or any other government doing this?
Posted by Richard Hall at January 28, 2008 02:17 PM