Kemi Badenoch and social class.

 

Kemi Badenoch

As soon as the Conservative Party leader, Kemi Badenoch, opens her mouth, any working-class person would know that she's not of the English working-class, regardless of her colour. She speaks with a middle-class accent.

We don't talk about 'siblings' or 'social capital' even though I'm well aware of what they mean. I also doubt that many black people could identify with Kemi Badenoch, including Nigerians. Kemi really walks in a no man's land, and is not really one thing or the other. Some black people might consider her a 'coconut' - black on the outside and white on the inside.

Badenoch defines social class in terms of a person's occupation, but I think it means much more than that. Not all British working-class people are class conscious but many are. A British Social Attitude Survey carried out in September 2023, found that 52% of respondents identified as working-class, little different from the 58%, who did so in 1983. Nearly half, (46%), of those who identify as working-class, are employed in middle-class jobs. Some 77% of people in this survey, said that social class affects someone's opportunities in Britain and people are more likely today, than twenty years ago, to believe that it's more difficult to move from one social class to another.

In his essay, 'The Lion and the Unicorn', George Orwell, said that England was the most class-ridden country under the Sun. It's also one of the most inegalitarian countries. It still remains a country where property and financial power are concentrated in very few hands, even though its politicians talk a lot about equality, diversity and inclusion.

Gordon Reece, who was a political adviser to Margaret Thatcher, once told her that the type of people who were likely to vote for her, were people who listed to Jimmy Young on Radio 2, watched Top of the Pops and Jim I'll Fix It, and didn't read the broadsheet newspapers or watch in-depth late night news programmes. He told her that they weren't really much interested in politics at all, but if she wanted to become the next UK Prime Minister, she had better reach out and grab them.

Culturally, I don't think there's much difference between the Sun or the Daily Mail reader, but the former are probably less likely to be riddled with angst and insecurity and are more optimistic in outlook. Both are more likely to listen to Classic FM rather than Radio 3 and watch the Eurovision Song Contest.