Priorities: who decides them? The affluent? The working class?
The U.K. is the home of social class and for as long as there have been class systems, there have been inequalities embedded within them. British elite society created the class system and have carefully protected it for hundreds of years. They use the class system to hijack the democratic structures to favour the rich. To be able to use the class system and democracy together effectively a person must gain an in-depth knowledge of how to strategically vote and retain control. As there is a level of knowledge that can be gained by the elite to favour certain people, democracy can easily be mobilised and corrupted by popularism. Trump’s America is a prime example of popularism using democracy to favour a few.
British political structures are controlled by people who understand how to use democratic systems to their advantage, political engagement is dominated by the British bourgeoisie and is often corrupt. It is time for systemic change to help engage people from all social backgrounds in politics! However, this is hard when the bourgeoisie holds control of Parliament. The Tory Government is able to control factors such as when elections are held, which allows them to influence the type of people who will vote. For example in 2019 the Tory Government held an election in December knowing that people who had little interest in politics would not go outside when it is cold and the days are darkest, the majority of these people are the poorer citizens (Kirkland, 2019). This timing also ensured that university students were travelling around as the academic term ended and were unable to get to polling station on the day, this targeted working-class students who do not have the capital to travel to vote (Kirkland, 2019). This is just one example of how the elite uses their political engagement to benefit themselves.
This is exemplified with voter statics. The overall voter turnout in general elections fell significantly from its peak in the 1950s. Voter turnout hit an all-time low in the early 2000s but is steadily increasing again. In the 1950s 80% of voters voted but the 2001 general election saw that plummet to just shy of 60% (Rodgers, 2005). However, this increased to a voter turnout of 68.8% in the 2017 general election (Kirkland, 2019). The increased voters coincided with a 40% increase in Labour votes (Kirkland, 2019). These numbers show a clear correlation between higher voter turnout and a fall in elite power. Democracy has created longstanding inequalities but having more people vote effectively fractures these unfair power structures.
One of the reasons politics can be manipulated by the bourgeoisie is unequal education. Some children are receiving a much better education in how to politically engage effectively compared to others. This does not necessarily mean formal teaching but also informal teaching inside the home from family or carers. Political engagement is less commonly taught in disadvantaged areas and in state-funded schools. Without understanding how students can make systematic changes they are not going to engage in politics whether that be voting, protesting or a career in politics.
This table visualises the level of education the 2017 voters had compared to who they voted for. Typically speaking the Labour party addresses the needs of the working class more than other parties. Labour votes increased by 28% for voters with a degree compared to those without formal qualifications (Razzall, 2017). This shows a direct link between education and voting for the benefit of themselves.
Furthermore, it’s not just the level of education people receive that affects how they engage but also the type of education it is. Fee-paying schools produce politically engaged citizens at higher volumes then state-funded schools. Alumni of fee-paying schools typically have more political jobs. It is important to remember only 7% of the British public have been privately educated. 57% of people working in the House of Lords were educated privately, 65% of Senior Judges in the U.K. and 59% of Civil Service secretaries attended fee-paying schools (Social Mobility Commission, 2019). These percentages are shockingly high compared to the national average.
We can see a streamline from fee-paying schools to political careers. Private schools have the capital to take children to Parliament and include guest speakers in their curriculum. British Parliament has created a free school trip available to all schools to try and combat this.
However, disadvantaged schools do not have the resources to attend. There is still a cost to get the students to an affluent area, like Westminster, extra staff and packed lunches. School trips create clear divisions between students. A 2018 survey found that 15% of parents said their child was unable to participate in school trips due to the cost (Weale, 2018), showing that opening political buildings to students favours well-off children. Inclusive political engagement education still misses the mark and leaves behind the students who need it the most.
We should encourage all people to engage in any way they can. As explored in this blog, change can be made through more inclusive learning or structures that allow for all people to understand and use democracy in their favour from a young age. These unfair educational standards link to the cycle of poverty and elite parents using their own capital to reproduce and retain their ideologies for the next generation.
Bibliography
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KAL’s cartoon (2017) The World this Week.
Kirkland, C. (2019) How Important is Turnout in a UK Election? the Recent Actions of the Parties Give You a Good Idea. Available at: http://theconversation.com/how-important-is-turnout-in-a-uk-election-the-recent-actions-of-the-parties-give-you-a-good-idea-128522.
Osborne, H. (2017) Revealed: Queen’s private estate invested millions of pounds offshore. The Guardian. 5 November Available at https://www.theguardian.com/news/2017/nov/05/revealed-queen-private-estate-invested-offshore-paradise-papers.
Partington, R. and Inman, P. (2019) Boris Johnson’s tax cut would benefit the richest 10% most, say experts; the plan would cost 9bn and endanger promise to end austerity, according to IFS. The Guardian.
Razzall, K. (2017) General election 2017: Will education be the key factor?.
Rogers, B. (2005) Turnout is really about Class. Available at: http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2005/may/14/election2005.constitution.
Social Mobility Commission (2019) Elitism in Britain, 2019. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/elitism-in-britain-2019.
Free Education Services for Teachers and Schools from UK Parliament (2019) Directed by UK Parliament. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wxX2LuicT6E..
Weale, S. (2018) £3,000 for a School Trip – You must be Joking? Available at: http://www.theguardian.com/education/2018/nov/22/3000-pounds-for-a-school-trip-you-must-be-joking.