Ellie Mae O’Hagan goes full authoritarian in The Guardian‘s ‘Utopian Thinking’ column today, proposing a “restriction on the number of privately educated people in Britain’s elite”:
“In journalism, things are going backwards, with more journalists now coming from private schools than in 1987… let’s introduce quotas. If 7% of the population goes to private school, then it seems only fair that 7% of Britain’s elite jobs should go to privately educated individuals. This would include chief executives, barristers, journalists, judges, medical professionals and MPs.“
Putting aside the moral and practical objections, let’s indulge for a moment in the breathtaking hypocrisy of Ellie’s ‘utopia’. If she had her way, the vast majority of her own newsroom would either be sacked or never have been employed. Privately educated senior Guardianistas, answer the register after your name is called…
- George Monbiot, Stowe School
- Polly Toynbee, Badminton School
- Andrew Rawnsley, Rugby School
- Jonathan Freedland, University College School
- Zoe Williams, Godolphin and Latymer Girls School
- Tanya Gold, Kingston Grammar School (Independent)
- Marina Hyde, Downe House for Girls
- Bidisha Bandyopadhyay, Haberdashers’ Aske’s School for Girls
- Peter Bradshaw, Haberdashers’ Aske’s Boys’ School
- David Mitchell, Abingdon School
- Timothy Garton-Ash, Sherborne School
- John Hooper, St Benedict’s School
- Sam Leith, Eton College
- Peter Preston, Loughborough Grammar School (Independent)
- Simon Jenkins, Mill Hill School
- Richard Norton-Taylor, Kings School, Canterbury
- Clare Armitstead, Bedales
- Ben Goldacre, Magdalen College School
- Martin Wainwright, Shrewsbury School
- Victoria Coren, various independent schools
- Hadley Freeman, “boarding school in Cambridge”
- Matthew d’Ancona, St Dunstan’s College
- Former Editor Alan Rusbridger and occasional contributor, Cranleigh School
Perhaps for her next piece Ellie Mae can tell us which of her colleagues she thinks deserves the chop on the basis of their background…
There are undoubtedly plenty more privileged Guardianistas (let Guido know via the comments). O’Hagan’s own privately educated VICE columnist boyfriend* Sam Kriss (University College School) would also surely be out of a job. Actually, maybe it’s not such a bad idea after all…
N.B. Presumably 93% of Ellie’s other boyfriends were state educated. Incidentally, 0% of the Guido Fawkes newsroom were privately educated.
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