The social composition of this Government has been cited as proof positive that Britain is still hidebound by class. A whopping 64% of ministers went to fee-paying schools and a staggering 70% went to Oxford or Cambridge. The post-war ideal of equality of opportunity, embraced by Labour and the Conservatives alike, has never seemed so out of reach. As Anthony Crosland said, "Never have class divisions been so acute and anguished as since they were, theoretically, abolished."
But do these shocking statistics prove that Britain isn't a meritocracy? The issue isn't as clear cut as it seems because admission to Britain's top public schools, as well as Oxford and Cambridge, is at least partly based on merit. Indeed, their status as elite educational institutions largely rests on their meritocratic admissions policies. Not only that, but in order to advance in both the Conservative Party and the Lib Dems it is not enough to be posh. On the contrary, it's something of a handicap – or, at least, it was until recently. (To read more, click here.)
