Head boy (part 2)

I don't think that political elites are unique to Britain; in fact, they maybe a feature of all societies. Nevertheless gaining access into the British political elite for those outside the golden circle has always been a life shaping struggle. I can think of just three prime ministers since 1900 that have managed to enter the elite from humble origins.

In the honoured fashion I will do them in reverse order of humbleness (if that is a word). In third place comes Lloyd George; he is often termed the first cottage bred prime minister. A visit to the Lloyd George museum in Llanystumdwy, near Criccieth shows the humble cottage where he was brought up. Lloyd George himself recognised the difficulties he, or anyone else from his background faced, when he made a speech in 1904 in which he claimed that the elites 'so manipulated parliament that it is in the hands of one class...It does not matter up to the present which party is in power, you have practically the same people governing the country'. Andrew Neil might have used the quote to show how little has changed by 2011.

Lloyd George taxed the rich to pay for pensions; this Punch cartoon suggests it was highway robbery.

The second humblest prime minister is Ramsey Macdonald. Born as an illegimate child in Scotland he knew real poverty. His schooling was basic and he eventually arrived in London with virtually no money. Political activity and some lucky breaks saw him become the leading figure in the newly formed Labour Party around the time of the Great War. His opposition to the war did not prevent him serving two terms as a Labour prime minister and then a further one as head of a National Government. It is usually asserted that Macdonald was seduced by the elites, which led him to break away from Labour at the depth of the economic depression in the early 1930s.

From a desperately poor background; was eventually seduced by cucumber sandwiches.

The award, in my humble opinion, to the humblest prime minister since 1900 goes to John Major. Both Lloyd George and Ramsey Macdonald came from backgrounds where educational achievement was sought and valued. John Major did not; rather he made his way to the elite through much under used channel of local government (the place political advisers often fear to tread). John Major did not have the supportive family backgrounds enjoyed by numbers two and three. In an election broadcast he famously went back to his roots; he did not enjoy a privileged upbringing in any sense.

Like Lloyd George, Major was often ridiculed by the satirists; this is the Spitting Image puppet.

Therefore at least three prime ministers have emerged from outside the golden circle. It is likely that others will do the same as I am sure there will be a reaction against the narrow social groupings that form the political elites in the Coalition Government of today.