Privilege begets privilege

Following the OBV exclusive about the lack of BME students attending Oxbridge universities, David Lammy has followed it up with his own data and analysis that paint a picture of our elite academic institutions looking rather anti-BME and anti-working class.

There are a number of critical points that his article raises, in particular that our centre of national governance - The Cabinet - it disproportionately comes from Oxbridge alumni, and/or wealthy families. What Lammy does not talk about but equally important is that it’s not just high political office that self selects from narrow pool. The Oxbridge elite is also significant and powerful in banking, the media-particularly the BBC, and in the upper elements of the Law. What we have therefore is powerful privileged elite from privileged backgrounds virtually running many of our key national institutions.

Some may say so what. Isn’t that just the way the world is? But surely a fairer society should expect to see much more talent from many more different backgrounds. This is not just a case of inequality, appalling as that may be. The other hidden penalty for which we all ultimately pay for stems from the undetected thus wasted talent that resides in abundance outside of privileged families. One challenge is that there is vested interest in maintaining the status quo.

It is right for David Lammy to point the finger at these universities, and I particularly hope that many more people use the underused vital tool of ‘Freedom of Information’ laws (FOI) to demand data from public bodies, but people will ask Lammy and his Government why they didn’t do enough to tackle these elite academic institutions when they- his Labour party - were in power.

In their defence, the Coalition Government might argue their policy that demands the high fee charging universities do more to reach out beyond their privileged recruiting grounds should make a difference, but I personally doubt it. In the short term the Government must pay those schools that predominately feed the elite universities to take bright working class and minority students in, whilst simultaneously raising the level of our other schools.

Without a long term holistic approach in all areas of our education system, we can never effectively undo the drivers that make our society so unequal.

Simon Woolley