Earlier this evening I wrote about how one of the main thrusts of Gordon Brown’s election strategy will be to portray the Conservatives as the party of privilege, this was clearly illustrated at PMQs on Wednesday when he said the parties tax policy was “written on the playing fields of Eton.”
Labour makes no secret of their hatred of Eton. This hatred of the school that’s given the country 19 Prime Minister’s so far is irrational, but it goes deeper than one single school. This hatred of Eton is indicative of their views of all independent and grammar schools, which they believe “entrenches privilege.” Which is rather odd, especially when you consider so many of them went to grammar schools themselves.
Diane Abbott – Harrow County Grammar School for Girls
Nick Ainger – Netherthorpe Grammar
Graham Allen – Forest Fields Grammar School
David Anderson – Maltby Grammar School
Janet Anderson – Kingswood Grammar School (now Kingsfield School
Hilary Armstrong – Monkwearmouth Grammar School
Charlotte Atkins – Colchester County High School
John Austin – Glyn Grammar School for Boys (now called Glyn Technology School)
Adrian Bailey – Cheltenham Grammar School
Vera Baird – Chadderton Grammar School
Margaret Beckett – Notre Dame High School for Girls
Stuart Bell – Hookergate Grammar School
Liz Blackman – Prince Henry’s Grammar School
Hazel Blears – Worsley Wardley Grammar School
David Borrow – Mirfield Grammar School
Karen Buck – Chelmsford County High School for Girls
Richard Burden – Wallasey Technical Grammar School
Colin Burgon – St Michael’s Catholic College
Alan Campbell – Blackfyne Grammar School
Martin Caton – Newport Free Grammar School
Colin Challen – Malton Grammar School,
Ben Chapman – Appleby Grammar School
David Chaytor – Bury Grammar School
Paul Clark – Gillingham Grammar School
Vernon Coaker – Drayton Manor Grammar School
Ann Coffey – Bodmin County Grammar School, Bushey Grammar School
Rosie Cooper – Bellerive Convent Grammar School
Jeremy Corbyn – Adams’ Grammar School
David Crausby – Derby Grammar School
Tony Cunningham – Workington Grammar School
Janet Dean – Verdin Grammar School
Andrew Dismore – Bridlington Grammar School
Frank Dobson – Archbishop Holgate Grammar School
Jeffrey Ennis – Hemsworth Grammar School
Bill Etherington – Monkwearmouth Grammar School
Paul Farrelly – Wolstanton Grammar School
Frank Field – St Clement Danes Boys Grammar School
Hywel Francis – Whitchurch Grammar School
Bruce George – Mountain Ash Grammar School
Neil Gerrard – Manchester Grammar School
Mark Hendrick – Salford Grammar School
John Heppell – Rutherford Grammar School
Stephen Hesford – Urmston Grammar School
Patricia Hewitt – Canberra Girls’ Grammar School
Keith Hill – City Boys’ Grammar School
Kate Hoey – Belfast Royal Academy.
Kelvin Hopkins – Queen Elizabeth Boys’ Grammar School
Kim Howells – Mountain Ash Grammar School.
Beverley Hughes – Ellesmere Port Girls’ Grammar School
John Hutton – Westcliff High School for Boys
Eric Illsley – Barnsley’s Holgate Grammar School for Boys
Glenda Jackson – West Kirby County Grammar School for Girls
Alan Johnson – Sloane Grammar School
Diana Johnson – Northwich County Grammar School for Girls
Martyn Jones – Grove Park Grammar School
Gerald Kaufman – Leeds Grammar School
Alan Keen – Sir William Turners Grammar School
Stephen Ladyman – Birkenhead Institute Grammar School for Boys
Tony Lloyd – Stretford Grammar School for Boys
Andrew MacKinlay – Salesian College grammar school
Christine McCafferty – Whalley Range Grammar School for Girls
Sarah McCarthy-Fry – Portsmouth High School
John McDonnell – Great Yarmouth Grammar School
Tony McNulty – Salvatorian College
Alun Michael – Colwyn Bay Grammar School
Austin Mitchell – Bingley Grammar School
Madeleine Moon – Durham Girls’ Grammar School
Kali Mountford – Crewe Grammar School for Girls
Denis Murphy – St Cuthbert’s Grammar School
Edward O’Hara – Liverpool Collegiate School
James Plaskitt – Pilgrim School
Greg Pope – St Marys College RC Grammar School
Stephen Pound – Hertford Grammar School
Joan Ruddock – Pontypool Girls grammar school
Christine Russell – Spalding High School
Martin Salter – uNKNOWN grammar schools
Alison Seabeck – Harold Hill Grammar School
Barry Sheerman – Hampton Grammar School
Siôn Simon – Handsworth Grammar School
Alan Simpson – Bootle Grammar School for Boys
Dennis Skinner – Tupton Grammar School
Andrew Smith – Reading School
Peter Soulsby – Minchenden School
Helen Southworth – Larkhill Convent Grammar School
Jack Straw – Brentwood School (boarder)
Gerry Sutcliffe – Cardinal Hinsley Grammar School
David Taylor – Ashby Boy’s Grammar School
Stephen Timms – Farnborough Grammar School
Paddy Tipping – Hipperholme Grammar School
Jon Trickett – Roundhay Grammar School
Des Turner – Luton Grammar School
Neil Turner – Carlisle Grammar School
Joan Walley – Biddulph Grammar School
Alan Whitehead – Isleworth Grammar School
Alan Williams – Cardiff High School for Boys
Mike Wood – Nantwich and Acton Grammar School
Phil Woolas – Nelson Grammar School
Tony Wright (Cannock Chase) – Kettering Grammar School
Derek Wyatt – Colchester Royal Grammar School
Brown may want to declare a class war, but as I pointed out earlier, this is a highly dangerous strategy that could backfire spectacularly. You only need to look at what happened in the Crewe by-election with their Tory Toffs campaign to see how much it damaged the Labour candidate. Indeed it can be said that the local ground operation never recovered from the attempts to smear Edward Timpson.
Also attacking the institutions that so many of his own MPs were educated in will not endear the PM with so many of his backbenchers.
