𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

Be under no illusion, our white working-class youngsters have been sacrificed on the altar of left-wing progressive thinking. For too long we have ignored their plight, particularly that of boys, even when statistics have proved for years that they were struggling the most in our society. Five years ago the Sewell Report concluded that the biggest drivers of disadvantage in our society are not race but class, geography and family stability. This week that report is being revisited by Lord Sewell and the evidence suggests things haven’t changed. New research from the Centre for Social Justice has concluded that “White working-class boys from the poorest homes are still stuck at the bottom of the class”.

Last year just 36% of white British boys on free school meals reached the expected standard in GCSE maths and English compared with 39% of black Caribbean boys, 82% of Chinese boys and 68% for Bangladeshi boys. And only two in 10 poor white children live with married parents, compared to almost six in 10 poor children in non‑white families. At the time of the Sewell Report, the woke Left weren’t prepared to countenance the important role that family and class played, and did everything they could to close down that debate. Begrudgingly and belatedly the political and media class are finally asking themselves what went wrong?

I can tell them. They were blind to any issue other than their politically correct hobby horses. Their focus was on Black Lives Matter or #MeToo, and anyone who tried to raise the plight of white working-class boys was branded racist or ignorant, despite all the evidence to the contrary.

Because to the left-wing elite, the working class are anathema. Proud, self-sufficient individuals who work, have a family and are proud of our country are alien to them.

The dismantling of the working class started with Blair’s push for 50% of children to go to university, whether they needed to or not. It elevated the status of degrees at the expense of trades and apprenticeships, and undermined the value of a job straight from school.

And the barriers to white working-class boys have continued to grow. The left’s love of quotas – particularly of women and ethnic minorities – discriminated against them and left white boys CVs at the bottom of the pile.

While I’m delighted this report has resurfaced with irrefutable evidence white working class boys are being let down, I won’t hold my breath that this socialist government will give them a scintilla of help – just like this government was given indisputable evidence white working class girls were groomed and raped disproportionately by Muslim men of Pakistani heritage, and they have kicked that independent inquiry into the long grass.

The fact of the matter is that Labour MPs today wouldn’t recognise a member of the working class if they tripped over them. The so-called Party of the working classes actually view the people they were formed to represent with contempt.

Labour isn’t working (again!)

Just as with the famous Conservative election poster in the 1970s, once again, Labour isn’t working. Not only is unemployment up – especially youth unemployment – but those lucky enough to be still in work are stopping work to go on strike.

The number of strike days since Labour has been back in office has surged past a million, and that is despite Labour having given into their union paymasters demands of pay rises not linked to any modernisation. Mark my words, there are more strikes on the way. Junior doctors – who got a 22% pay rise two years ago now want a further 29% – voted last month in favour of another six months of crippling strikes and London Underground workers are planning fresh strikes next month.

Funny how all Labour governments end up the same.

Didn’t see this one coming

Kim Kardashian (or should that now be Kim Car-dash-ian) has linked up with formula 1 star Lewis Hamilton. I can’t say I saw that one coming, neither perhaps did Kim’s ex-husband Kanye West who was friends with Hamilton and introduced them to each other. Let’s see if it lasts – it could just end up being a quick spin.

Hopefully it won’t be a car crash.

This tells you all you need to know about Labour…

Over the weekend, Phil and I spent a fabulous evening watching greyhound racing at Romford. It is the 100th anniversary of greyhound racing in the UK this year. Families have been enjoying watching greyhounds racing for decades, but it shouldn’t be taken for granted.

The Welsh Assembly and Scottish Parliament have just voted to ban it, despite there only being one track in Wales and no greyhound racing at all in Scotland. These metropolitan luvvies claim that greyhound racing is cruel, despite it having a strong welfare record and kennel hands who worship the dogs they look after.

The Welsh government actually admitted that they announced a ban straight after being told by civil servants that there wasn’t the evidence to justify a ban. This unjustified abandoning of a great working-class sport tells you all you need to know about the current Labour Party.

London-centric snobs starve north of money

I recently asked how much money was spent by the Arts Council on a) opera and b) brass bands. I wasn’t surprised to learn that over the last three years, seven times more money was spent on the former than the latter. It seems the London-centric snobs at the Arts Council are happy to subsidise the arty-farty opera for their middle-class friends while starving the working-class brass bands of the north of money.

We all know who this one’s about…

I love this by Milton Friedman – Margaret Thatcher’s favourite economist – who said there are four ways to spend money:

1. Your money on yourself (you’re careful about both cost and quality);

2. Your money on others (you care about cost, less about quality);

3. Someone else’s money on yourself (you care about quality, not cost);

4. Someone else’s money on others (you care about neither).

We all know who number four is – the government.