Bullingdon Club Britain: The Ransacking of a Nation

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Today, Bright argues, an old declining British elite, with its roots in Eton and Oxford, desperate for self-preservation, is merging with a new international elite happy to exploit this country as a safe haven for its cash. All this is to the detriment of decent working British people who have been fooled into believing that their real political and economic enemies are liberal, woke, university-educated, mainly metropolitan remainers.

Cecil Rhodes (1853–1902), Prime Minister of the Cape Colony (1890–1896), [19] endower of the Rhodes ScholarshipA photograph of club members in their Bullingdon tailcoats taken in 1987 has been repeatedly republished since Cameron became Tory leader. The picture made him “cringe”, he said. “We all did stupid things when we are young and we should learn the lessons.” And what has happened, politically, during this time? Brutal, systematic austerity measures have saddled deprived communities with declining health and limited economic prospects, while oligarchs and their friends in power have been showered with abundance. Gould, Tom (1 November 2018). "Tories revolt as OUCA President pushes through Bullingdon Club ban". The Oxford Student . Retrieved 27 February 2019. Cameron would later deny being there that night. He was ambushed by a BBC interviewer who drew uncomfortable parallels between his old club and the actions of disaffected young people during the London riots, for whom Cameron was demanding tough justice. He claimed he had gone to bed early that night, which two sources there on the day claim was “rubbish.” “There is no question Cameron witnessed destruction of property,” one former member told The Daily Beast. These adverts enable local businesses to get in front of their target audience – the local community.

Michael Kerr, 13th Marquess of Lothian (1945–), Deputy Leader of the Conservative Party (2001–2005) and Chairman of the Conservative Party (1998–2001) [64] Tim Walker (24 June 2010). "George Osborne's age of austerity starts with a bang for the Bullingdon Club". The Daily Telegraph. London. Lord Randolph Churchill (1849–1895), [67] Chancellor of the Exchequer (1886), father of Sir Winston Churchill A photograph of the club taken in 1992 depicted George Osborne, Nathaniel Philip Rothschild, David Cameron's cousin Harry Mount and Ocado founder Jason Gissing. [41]

In this way, the political, social and economic establishment of ­Britain is effectively acting as a ­private club for the privileged, dedicated to its own gluttony at the direct expense of ­ordinary people. In fact, they blame Britain’s relative decline on the evolution of the welfare state – which has protected Brits from hunger, disease and deprivation – and the social democratic consensus that emerged in the post-war years. The committee advises the prime minister on ethical standards across public life. It can conduct inquiries, collecting evidence to assess institutions, policies and practices, and makes recommendations to Johnson where appropriate. In 2013, Johnson told the BBC he was “embarrassed” about being a member and said Bullingdon was “a truly shameful vignette of almost superhuman undergraduate arrogance, toffishness and twittishness”.

But we were also primed to react. An Etonian toff, inebriated by his own eloquence, appetent as a comic strip Billy Bunter, the ‘Boris’ persona expressed something about the English (if not the British) psyche. He was a national archetype, just as Donald Trump was to America. The brash New York real estate dealer and TV reality star recognised this and called him “Britain Trump”. And it’s not just the privilege and exceptionalism that worked for him, but Johnson’s genius at ‘improv’ and literary irony. In this, he carries more of the Oxbridge ‘Beyond the Fringe’, Private Eye and Monty Python mantle into politics than most of us would care or dare to recognise. According to the Cabinet Office, committee appointments are made by the prime minister on advice from Cabinet Office ministers such as Michael Gove, who are in turn advised by an advisory assessment panel. Boris Johnson followed his Eton and Oxford friend David Cameron into politics - becoming London Mayor between stints as MP for Henley and later Uxbridge and South Ruislip, Tory party darling and entertainer-in-chief, a short-lived foreign secretary and now party leader. Bullingdon Club all-male members – Bullers – learn at elite public schools that they are special, chosen, above the law. Most Bullers attend Eton, but also Harrow, Westminster, St. Paul’s, Radley, Rugby, Charterhouse and Stowe.

In an age far removed from the “greed is good” excesses of the 80s, the circle of privileged youngsters who want to flaunt their wealth publicly is shrinking. With dozens of elite drinking societies to aspire to, few Oxford undergraduates are keen to embrace the stain of the Bullingdon legacy. At Bristol in 2016, the year Sophie Pender began her degree, the proportion of private school pupils was close to 40%. Photograph: Alamy