The events of the last week have confirmed the fears of many people that the next five years are going to see a progressive elite, already dominant across all major sectors and institutions of our society, insinuate its views ever more deeply into the national psyche contrary to the wishes of the majority of the population. There will be a doubling down on identity politics, the state will extend its tentacles even further into people’s lives, the autonomy of our nation state will be undermined, the school curriculum will be turned upside down, and, most worryingly of all, our freedom to express our views about some of these developments will be under assault from an elite that appears not to value free speech.
Is there anything we can do to keep this progressive elite in check, or are we faced with an unstoppable juggernaut to which, not for the first time, we will simply have to bend the knee?
The Inevitability and Necessity of Elites
Writing in the first half of the 20th Century, the Italian sociologists Gaetano Mosca, Robert Michels and Vilfredo Pareto argued that whatever form societies took, they would all be led by a minority ruling class and that it was this class that would largely determine the history of that society. Michels called this “the iron law of oligarchy”. Despite their realism about the inevitability of oligarchies, all were keen that ruling elites should respect the liberties of their fellow citizens. The challenge was to find ways of ensuring that the oligarchical rule to which we are all going to be subjected would be as respectful of the general interest as possible.
One way of doing this might be through education. They were cynical, however, about whether some kind of education in civic virtue would do much to induce elites to act against their own interests. They would certainly not have agreed with a recent book which saw education as “the primary determiner of the future of society”.
Avoiding the Emergence of a Hereditary Meritocracy
Pareto was particularly hard-nosed about the measures needed to keep elites in check. In his opinion, two approaches are necessary. First, an elite should be self-renewing with continual movement of people both in and out, making the emergence of a hereditary meritocracy less likely. Second, an elite needed a counter-elite sufficiently influential to force it constantly to re-examine itself.
Back in 2017, David Goodhart’s The Road to Somewhere had already pointed to the risks of the development of a hereditary meritocracy with the 20% of “Anywheres” – “the highly educated and mobile (minority) who… comfortably surf social change” – ensuring that the benefits the graduate ruling class had acquired were passed on to their children. It is true that more people from what Goodhart called the “Somewheres” – the socially conservative and largely non-graduate majority – now go on to higher education and then into elite roles, but there are many parts of the country and large sections of the population so poorly represented in government and in leading institutions that the gulf between them and those with power and influence is massive. These are the areas that people were promised in 2019 would be ‘levelled up’, but which have little to show for the past five years and little hope that the next five, under the shadow of the country’s Net Zero 2050 plans, will see anything better.
Inequalities in Educational Attainment: What the EBacc Data Show Us
Some of the data that indicate most clearly where the future English elite is likely to come from (and is currently located) are the scores for the English Baccalaureate (EBacc), a performance measure showing the proportion of pupils who, at 16, have obtained a GCSE Grade 5 or above in five of the most important and academically demanding GCSE subjects. Successful completion of the EBacc is an indication that a pupil has a strong academic foundation on which to base further study. Not all pupils are entered for it, and less than a quarter attain it. Success greatly increases one’s chances of going on to get good results at A Level, participating in higher education and then landing a good job. Success in the EBacc is one of the strongest indications of whether a young person is en route to ultimate membership of our elite.
What the 2022 EBacc data (published in August 2023) show is that getting on to this academic track is proving much more difficult for boys – who have a 34% EBacc entry rate and 17% pass rate – than for girls – a 44% entry rate and 24% pass rate. It is also proving more difficult for white British candidates – a 34% entry rate and 18% pass rate – than for Asian candidates – a 51% entry rate and 28% pass rate. One of the striking features of the data is that far fewer white candidates are even following a curriculum that allows them to be entered for the English Baccalaureate: 34% compared with an entry rate of 47% for black candidates whose pass rate, at 20%, is only slightly higher than that of white candidates.
More striking still are the geographical discrepancies. The pass rate for England overall was 20% – 17% for boys and 24% for girls. The overall London pass rate, by contrast, was 29%, with some London boroughs having stunning results – Hackney 32%, Barnet 38%, Hammersmith 41%. Many other parts of the country, particularly in the Midlands, the North and some rural areas in the South (for example, Cornwall at 13%), were hugely below the average pass rate of 20%. These areas also show even wider gaps between boys and girls than the national average.
Many of the places where there were recent violent disturbances have among the lowest pass rates in the table: Blackpool 6%, Stoke-on-Trent 10% (13.2% girls, 6.8% boys), Rotherham 11%, Middlesbrough 12%, Bolton 16%, Liverpool 17%, the North West as a whole 17%, Manchester 18%, the North East as a whole 18%, Sunderland 19.2% (girls 24.4%, boys 14%).
It is hardly surprising, therefore, that very few young people from these backgrounds end up following the path that leads to membership of the elite, or that, in the absence of such people, our current elite has proved itself so tone deaf to the possible existence of underlying causes behind the recent violent disturbances in these parts of the country. Goodhart highlighted how Anywheres at times governed in their own class interests in areas such as family policy, immigration and the prioritisation of educational expenditure. The resources poured into metropolitan education that made the above EBacc results possible are a prime example of this.
The Case for a Counter-Elite
Pareto’s second approach to keeping an elite vigilant and ensuring that it is responsive to the needs of citizens and reflective about its own plans and performance is to ensure that, alongside every elite, there is a counter-elite. Duties apply to both parties: on the counter-elite to try to empathise with the position of the ruling elite and to give credit where credit is due, and on the elite to provide space for the counter-elite to express itself – in other words, to guarantee the freedom of expression without which debate between sets of ideas – between the elite and the counter-elite – is never going to lead to any kind of synthesis.
Even more worrying than the Labour Government’s policy agenda is its assumption that disturbances are likely to be prompted by people’s online posts – that is by words – rather than by grievances and gut feelings that arise from circumstances, and that, therefore, the solution to the unrest is more regulation of speech. The Director of Public Prosecution’s menacing and nanny-like warning to the nation to “be mindful of what you are saying”, the involvement of the National Security Online Information Team, public speculation about reintroducing the ‘legal but harmful’ section removed from the Online Safety Act – none of this augurs well.
The good news is that the informal counter-elite in the U.K. is in a stronger position than it was a few years ago, with a TV channel, GB News, which allows legitimate views to be expressed that would never find their way onto a BBC programme; with sites like the Daily Sceptic, Spiked, and UnHerd; organisations like The Academy of Ideas and the Free Speech Union; and a growing range of Substack accounts operating without the risk of arbitrary closure. It is because all of this is thriving that the defenders of radical progressive orthodoxy on issues such as immigration have become increasingly shrill, demanding – not for the first time – the immediate shutdown of GB News.
Even if, in due course, a political party or parties emerge to challenge the radical progressive, technocratic elite head-on – and it seems some way off at the moment – this nascent counter-elite, in all its diversity, looks set to continue playing the kind of role that the Italian sociologists I have been reading envisaged for it.
Dr Nicholas Tate is a former headteacher and government chief education adviser and author of What is Education for? and The Conservative Case for Education.
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There’s also an increase in alcohol consumption, that can raise the risks of gout.
Methinks that’s rather a case of coincidence of consumption of alcoholic drinks and lots of junk food.
High wine consumption is linked with gout – it’s generally believed that high alcohol consumption leads to over-production of uric acid, which causes gout. Some say red wine in particular, and although my father-in-law is only a sample size of one, he has gout and no one else I know drinks more red wine…
High wine consumption is linked with gout – it’s generally believed that high alcohol consumption leads to over-production of uric acid, which causes gout.
The teetotallers will link everything to alcohol, be it dying of thirst, because of their a priori convicton that everything bad which happens to humans must be caused by it. In reality, nobody really knows what causes gout and nobody’s much interested in knowing, either. It’s a fairly harmless albeit painful disease whose symptoms can be handled with the the usual suspects medication.
What is “junk food”?
Food which should be thrown away before eating due to its atrocious quality. This applies to most of everything which can be bought in all of these street food outlets.
“The number of cases has risen by 20% in three years, with 234,000 patients admitted to hospital with gout in 2021/22, NHS Digital statistics show.”
That’s 234,000 candidates for bogus covid-19 diagnosis, then.
Might not be worth reading in full, but I like the image of the character under the headline! Reminds me of the occasion in early 2020 when he was allegedly admitted to hospital in London (St. Thomas?) with C-19. There was a report from that place as to what his weight was; not nice (the value quoted, not the publication of it!). Apart from what the Mail says, I think it is likely that being overweight can screw up one’s immune system in general. In particular, at least one of our important vitamins (D) tends to be fat prevalent.
In simple terms, being obese tends to make one more vulnerable to a range of different infections, such as the, err, common one under consideration.
I am shocked that people diagnosed with gout are hospitalised.
Agreed.
Gout is predominantly a genetic disorder caused by overproduction or reduced excretion of uric acid.
Inflammatory episodes my be triggered by alcohol, certain dietary factors, dehydration (possible with a heat wave and/or water shortage) or trauma.
In my experience outpatient diagnosis is frequently incorrect as a correct diagnosis relies on aspiration of joint fluid and the finding or monosodium urate crystals in the fluid.
Even that can sometimes give an incorrect diagnosis.
Since Covid “vaccines” have become prevalent I have seen a huge increase in presentations with acute joint swelling.
Some of these have been labelled as gout by ED staff.
I have performed multiple joint aspirations on these patients as well as other investigations, and found very few to be caused by gout.
My conclusion is that Covid “vaccines” cause inflammatory joint swelling in a proportion of patients.
I have seen no increase in gout presentations.
It is very rare for a patient to be admitted to hospital for gout.
Many thanks for this in-depth explanation.
Very interesting. A friend gets gout and he doesn’t drink alcohol but has to put up with all the comments that go with being diagnosed.
My first post so be gentle with me.
My first cynical thought was that, as gout is a consequence of excess purine intake (port and red wine, but also red meat and, curiously, fructose – https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16234313/) this story would be yet another flag-waver for the insect diet. I was gratified to find this – as yet uncensored – little gem which notes the high levels of purine in several edible insect species. https://www.wageningenacademic.com/doi/abs/10.3920/JIFF2018.0023
While still playing into the pockets of Big Pharma ref drug based treatment options, the best, cheapest and most effective solution is the phrase ‘oi lard*rse, stop stuffing your face with cr*p and get some exercise’.
Excellent first post so please keep them coming.
Pleased to welcome you aboard.
Thanks!
Seconded!
Gout may be caused by excess histamine consumption and/or production. Foods high in histamine include prawns, seafood, oily fish eg salmon, cured meats, aged cheeses, avocado, pickles, wine, sherry and port, and foods which trigger histamine production include egg whites eg in meringues and macaroons, chocolate, citrus fruits, horseradish, shellfish, strawberries, and some nuts …. basically my favourite foods ( when not eating gluten, at which times my favourite food is pizza!
), and traditionally central to the diet of the rich.
I did think that the swollen and tingling toes said to be part of covid symptoms at one point might be something else.
A very powerful instant anti-histamine is vitamin C, which is a relief! ( I had an attack recently, with the odd nausea it can cause too, after eating a bit more sashimi, seafood, and avocado than I’m used to, and drinking plum wine and sherry with them )
Lemons are very useful as they are usually much richer in vitamin C than in their histamine triggers. And high-strength soluble vitamin C tablets will also usually work to relieve symptoms.
Some people are more sensitive to/prone to histamine “storms” than others.
Histamine is essentially an inflammatory reaction, and can be exacerbated by stress …
Sunshine , and Vitamin D, on the other hand help to down-regulate the immune system’s tendency to inflammation … A lot of people may have lost out on their usual doses of Vitamin D over the last 2 years. ( Rich people used to avoid the sun because white skin was prized as sign that didn’t have to work ( outside )).
Interestingly, ( to me anyway
), in the context of covid, “long covid”, and the changes in behaviour and diet that lockdowns caused, ( less time outdoors and different foods eaten because at home ), excess of histamine consumption and/or production can cause not only the swollen, red, sore fingers and toes and stiff aching joints which may be diagnosed as gout, but also the following:
Chronic inflammation
Tingling/numbness in hands and feet
Difficulty regulating body temperature and an increased tendency to sweating
Hives, rashes, itchy skin, flushing
( Quite frightening ) racing heart/heart palpitations
Low blood pressure
Difficulty/obstructed breathing, sinus issues, bronchitis
Post-nasal drip, persistent throat clearing, weepy eyes
Digestive disturbances/distress
Headaches, dizziness
Anxiety/feelings of dread
Insomnia
Chronic fatigue
Thyroid disruption and all that can lead to; energy and mood disorders among other things
Histamine has a systemic effect on the body. And lockdowns may have had a significant effect on people’s levels of histamine by keeping them indoors, ( out of the sun, with no holidays to top up, with resulting loss of vitamin D which would normally keep inflammation in check ), and by perhaps encouraging increased consumption of the higher-histamine foods which are usually the most expensive or only present in small quantities in restaurant dishes but somewhat cheaper/more affordable when bought in supermarkets.
With adequate exposure to ultra violet B from the Sun being our source of power to create our own vitamin D. Otherwise, we need supplement it via our diet. Not going out enough can therefore be contradictory to good health. Worth noting that other animals that spend time outside, such as grazing the fields, do the same thing – even through their fur, which UV B penetrates.
Did Saint Boris and his merry men expect a nation in perfect health, after he literally criminalised exercise? The consequences of the hallowed lockdowns are coming in thick and fast, just as we said they would.
As for gout: Hyancinth Bucket (lockdown snitch personified) once said “gout comes from an excess of good living”, when she made Richard pretend he had gout, instead of a mere fungus infection.
“Over-Eating and Lack of Exercise During Lockdown Has Triggered Huge Increase…” in illnesses, both physical and mental across much of the UK population.
It is important that the correct perspective is taken when the health of the community at large is under discussion.
Once you accept that many other health issues could be substituted for ‘gout’ it is nigh on impossible to refute the conclusion that all of this is intentional.
Stating the obvious but the government (and opposition) are clueless (or ambivalent) about health issues. Do they even have a policy on orthomolecular (nutritional) medicine? Of course they won’t, it’s not profitable enough to them.
But they probably have shares in the elastane/spandex/Lycra ® industry?
Reminds me of The Fast Show and ‘Does my bum look big in this?’
So nobody thought that sitting around, doing nothing but bingeing on delivered food, whilst boozing to excess would have a negative impact on their health? Truly, common sense is not very common.