This is especially true with Politics. For someone like me, (make what you will of that statement) it's like getting into Fort Knox. I come from a working class family, my dad is an unskilled engineer, and my mum left school without any qualifications. I am the first person in my family to attend University. I have no connections, no money and I live 200 miles away from Westminster.
Unpaid internships are usually prerequisites to entering the world of politics, and unfortunately something which I can not do. They are already quite competitive, and only people who can afford to work for 3 months unpaid and live in one of the most expensive cities in the world need apply.
If we take a look at the figures, 9 out of 10 MPs went to University, 3 out of 10 went to Oxbridge, and there are 20 ex Etonians in Government. 19 of those are Tory, one is a Liberal Democrat. Shockingly only 1 in 20 MPs are from a Blue Collar background.
Despite the fact that only 7% of people in this country went to a Private School, 53% of the Conservative- Liberal Democrat Coalition went to Private School.
Most MPs were born with a silver spoon in there mouth. Even Ed and David Miliband who proudly talk about their attendance at comprehensive schools had a head start, their father was Ralph Miliband for Christ's sake! They grew up having Labour veteran and champion of the NHS Tony Benn round for tea. Hardly a 'normal' upbringing. For some people a dinner with Tony Benn would be a dream come true, well mine at least. That is to say nothing of the practical benefits which such esteemed contacts would surely provide.
What I find most laughable is Thatcher's (I refuse to call her 'Mrs Thatcher' or indeed 'Lady Thatcher') rhetoric that "Class is dead" and anyone can rise to the top through hard work and effort. Obviously there are exceptions, for example former Home Secretary Alan Johnson who started as a Post Man, but they are just that, exceptions. They certainly aren't the rule. I have worked hard throughout my whole educational career, I may not be the best or have the most experience, but does that necessarily mean I don't deserve it? That I shouldn't be given a chance? Because I know that I could and I would do an excellent job. Working alongside an MP is my dream job after all.
With a freeze on recruitment in the public sector, it seems the only chance a graduate like me has of getting a seat in Whitehall is through the extremely competitive and difficult civil service fast stream. Prospective employers will spend a great deal of money on books and reaources to swat up on their maths and verbal reasoning in the hope they may just make it past the online tests. Then if they manage to make it through these they then face grueling assessment centres and interviews. Not to say that it's not all worth it because of course it is. £24,000 starting annual salary, benefits including pensions, flexible hours and options of career breaks later in working life. Not to mention advising ministers and making policy to help shape Britain. It's just an extremely difficult process, in an already difficult graduate jobs market. Do not take this to mean that I am critical of the necessary rigors of the recruitment process for such posts, my grievance is with the fact that in practical terms it may serve to further enforce the divide between rich and poor. There is no equality of opportunity here in supposedly 'Great Britain'.
This means that while this inequality continues Parliament can only be seen as unrepresentative of the people. This in turn has extreme effects on Britain. It furthers the gap between rich and poor which has already been mentioned. The majority of MP's cannot relate to an everyday Briton's life. They've never had to struggle or choose between warmth and food as so many of us will be doing this winter. How can such an unrepresentative Parliament be allowed. How is this fair? How is it fair for the people they are representing and the people who want to be involved but have limited resources?
It could be argued that the fact that so many Members of Parliament attended the top universities in the country is a good thing. It is difficult to argue against that point. However, what must be argued and fought against in the most relentless of fashions is the socioeconomic factors, and inequalities in the education system which forces many young people to choose against studying a degree level even if they managed to have made it to the stage where they have the relevant qualifications to meet the entry requirements. With the withdrawal rather than reform of the EMA and the increase in tuition fees the number of young people choosing against higher study is destined to increase dramatically. While these trends continue we will continue to be out true representation and democracy in Britain in 2011.
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