A group of 5 up and coming tory MP's have concluded that the Prime Minister needs to tackle the fact that the british worker is lazy. Their views are laid out in a book called "Britain Unchained" and are reported here:
http://www.standard.co.uk/news/politics/ta...=internalSearchThese are 5 of the bright young things in the tory party; So I had a wee look at their credentials
Kwasi Kwarteng was born in 1975 and he attended Eton, on something called a King's scholarship: there are 14 of them a year, apparently. They have to pass an exam: but in case you imagine that this eliminates the need for wealth it should be noted that the remission of fees is means tested and is normally a 10% discount. Fees this year are £10,327 per "half". You might think that means £20,654 a year: but you would be wrong. There are three "halfs" in a year so it is £30,981 a year: less 10%. That is my total yearly wage, more or less: and I earn far more than the average in this country.
After Eton he went to Cambridge University, where he studied classics and history. Just the sort of qualification you would expect from someone who is gung ho for enterprise and hard work: or not. Then on to Harvard, on something called a Kennedy scholarship: again you have to show academic excellence because there are only 6-8 of these per year and competition is apparently fierce. But I have never heard of this: the "national competiton" is hardly "open". Nor is it wholly based on intellectual ability: though that is one of the things taken into account. Others include "personal and communication skills" and "capacity for future influence and leadership".
Dr Kwarteng then took a PhD at Cambridge. His subject was history
Now as far as I know one leaves Eton at 18. A degree takes 3 years in england, I believe. A Kennedy scholarship lasts a year. A PhD normally takes 3 years. So this man does not seem to have had a job of any description until he was 25. He then became a "financial analyst". It is not in the least obvious what fitted him for that role on the basis of his study up to that date. So one might expect, when he got that job, that he would be training hard to learn his craft. Maybe he was. As I reckon it up he did that till 2005, so a good 5 years and with such gifts as he has I am sure that he learned all he needed to know in that period: it is not like people in that trade had no idea what they were doing and helped to trash the economy, or anything.
In 2005 he stood for election to parliament, though he didnt win first time out. It is amazing to me that anyone with a full time job has the time it takes to campaign for election: perhaps his employer was generous with time? Or maybe he is just super hardworking and did his full time job and campaigned the rest of the day? Well not entirely, I think. He was chairman of The Bow Group from 2005-6 and that is a tory think tank: though to be fair I do not think the duties of ordinary members are onerous: it is more of a networking opportunity. But the chairman must put in some time, surely?
Anyway, he was also a candidate for the London Assembly in 2008 and he got his parliamentary seat in 2010 when the sitting MP got embroiled in the expenses scandal.
So just when has this bastard done a hand's turn? All I can see is a bloke who is extremely privileged and has time to further his own career while ostensibly at work.
