The Tory manifesto actually manages to nail a major problem. But it won’t do anything to fix it
The Conservative manifesto summed up everything that is wrong about this country in one sentence. But the party is not planning on doing anything about it.
A society of inequality
The manifesto [pdf] states:
The greatest injustice in Britain today is that your life is still largely determined not by your efforts and talents but by where you come from, who your parents are and what schools you attend.
And this is true. According to research from the Sutton Trust, in 2016 just 7% of the population went to independent fee-paying schools. But they were attended by:
- 71% of top military officials.
- 74% of top judges.
- 61% of top doctors.
- 32% of MPs.
- 50% of cabinet ministers.
The domination of an elite
But there is nothing in the Conservative manifesto that will change this. It claims [pdf] that:
We are proud of our reforms to education, which are giving millions of children a better start in life than they could have expected a decade ago.
Yet teachers are struggling with immense cuts to their budgets and have been reduced to sending begging letters to parents. And children are struggling with the reformed SATs based on archaic knowledge, while GCSE students are suffering under the new curriculum.
For once, the Conservative Party has got something right. But none of its policies will do anything to bring about an end to inequality. Instead, it will be business as usual for wealthy elites and big corporations. And the rest of us will pay the price.
Get Involved!
– Register to vote in the 8 June general election.
– Discuss the key policy issues with family members, colleagues and neighbours. And organise! Join (and participate in the activities of) a union, an activist group, and/or a political party.
-Also read more Canary articles on the 2017 general election.
Featured image via Wikimedia
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