Why are 45% of leaders white high social class men while only 1% are working class black women?

 A very powerful statistic provided by "Progress Together" which aims to "work to create a financial services sector in the UK in which EVERYONE working in it is both enabled and has the opportunity to achieve their full potential.

The measure of success will be: Greater levels of socio-economic diversity at senior levels, across our membership".

Class and Social Economic Diversity in UK financial and professional services

 

It is fascinating to see that a new taskforce commissioned by HM Treasury and the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) and involving the City of London Corporation, has been established to boost socio-economic diversity in UK financial and professional services sectors. 

Socio-economic status was due to be included, but then removed, as a protected characteristic in the 2010 Equalities Act. 

The Sutton Trust and the Social Mobility Commission have found that half (48%) of FTSE 350 chief executives educated in the UK attended private school (compared with 7% nationally).  

I think that nearly everyone would be uncomfortable with this statistic. 

This is not about bashing anyone who went to private school

We all should be concerned about the lack of diversity in our company boards but we should not forget class. 

If a company had a board which truly reflected, for example, gender and race in the UK, then great. However, if they all went to boarding school before then studying at Oxbridge? 

Is that really diverse? Will this challenge the danger of "Group think"? 

Hats off (and caps?)  to the the Treasury, BEIS and the City of London for launching this taskforce. 

I hope to contribute. 

https://www.thebridgegroup.org.uk/s/Socio-economic_report-Final.pdf

https://news.cityoflondon.gov.uk/new-taskforce-to-boost-socio-economic-diversity-in-uk-financial-and-professional-services-sectors/

https://www.facebook.com/thejohncleese/videos/1870718759725920

West Ham Plays Away at Sunny Solidarity Saturday in Chingford & Woodford Green

West Ham CLP came over today to their nearby sister constituency of Chingford and Woodford Green to support Labour candidate, Faiza Shaheen, who is standing against sitting Tory MP, Ian Duncan Smith.

While driving on route I passed the famous Walthamstow Greyhound racing stadium which is now being redeveloped by L&Q Housing (after a huge row) and remembered going to its famous night club, Charlie Chan in the 1990s.

Today was a national campaigning day for Labour activists. We met with local activists led by Faiza and local Labour ward Councillor, Elizabeth Baptiste. Faiza is a UNISON member and was successfully nominated by UNISON London Labour Link to be the Prospective Parliamentary Candidate, while Elizabeth is a former UNISON NEC colleague of mine.

We were split into 3 canvass teams by Faiza. My team was mostly West Hammers led by our MP, Lyn Brown.

We canvassed a former Council estate of 1960s Tower Blocks, which had been knocked down in the 1990s and replaced by low rise housing now owned by Peabody Housing Association.  Residents were generally satisfied with their landlord but concerned with parking, dog mess and fly tips. I could have been campaigning in Newham.

I embarrassed myself and a local resident,when a young women answered the door I knocked upon and who I thought was a child and when I asked to speak to her parents, she said she was the adult in the household. She accepted my apologies and despite me putting my foot into it, she still said she was a Labour voter.

The picture in the top left of college is of all the UNISON members in our team (including a member of my branch who I had not met before) excluding Faiza who was leading another team.

West Ham Labour will be supporting Chingford & Woodford Green Labour in their campaign to elect Faiza as their MP at the next General election. Our residents in West Ham (a safe Labour seat) desperately need a Labour Government to solve the housing crisis, save our NHS and end austerity. Unless we win in marginal seats like Chingford and Woodford Green, we will not be able to do this.

Hat tip pictures Karl Lewis West Ham CLP Vice Chair Campaigns. 

Race, gender, class in the "Mother of Parliaments"

Recently I went to a late afternoon event in the House of Commons then afterwards had a drink (or three) with a colleague in a nearby pub.

The pub and road outside became full with drinkers enjoying the end of the workday and the glorious sunshine.

The picture right was taken later but there was probably around 100 people at its peak.

My colleague had worked in and around Parliament for many years and was very entertaining about the various MPs, Lords, journalists, lobbyists and party hacks who passed us by while we enjoyed our beers. Some of whom greeted him warmly. Some didn't. The vast majority of drinkers had some direct or indirect connection with Government.

I must admit that the lack of of diversity was pretty damn obvious. At a peak I only saw about 5 black men and no black women. I wonder how many of the 100  (or so) were working class from state schools? I suspect very few.

We still have a long, long way to go to making our society fairer and more inclusive.

  

UNISON Labour Link nominate Faiza Shaheen for Chingford & Woodford Green

Greater London UNISON Labour Link have  given a supportive nomination to Faiza Shebeen to be the Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for the seat. There were a number of excellent UNISON members seeking nomination. I have seen Faiza speak at a number of Class events (the Labour movement think tank where she works as its director) and I think she will make a great local PPC to take the seat away from Ian Duncan Smith.

"UNISON does phenomenal work fighting for public sector workers in the face of Tory attacks. Years of cuts and pay freezes must end - and we need a Labour government to turn it around.

As the candidate for CWG, I will be working closely with UNISON members to campaign for fair pay and public sector investment, and I am really grateful for their support in this selection".

Great British Rip Off

Last month I went to the "Great British Rip Off" debate at the House of Commons. Sponsored by "Unions Together"; "Class" and the Parliamentary "Trade Union Group".

The excellent Katy Clark MP, from Trade Union Group of MPs Chaired (apologies for not getting her into picture!).

Zoe Williams from the Guardian was the first to speak (2nd left - another useless photo by me). She thought tonight that she was speaking to the converted on why inequality is "bad" but she doesn't understand why the Tories don't get that despite the economy picking up on GDP, inequality is still growing? Wages have not gone up since 2003. 

There is 500k "self employed" who are not really employed but playing the benefit system and then another 500k on insecure "0 hour" contracts, then 150k on unpaid placements.  People are not being paid enough. They cannot buy enough. There is not enough demand and ideology is hamstringing the economy.

Tories would rather have a weak economy than free collective bargaining,

Even a living wage for all will not solve housing crisis. Housing is not affordable even on a high wage. So many cannot afford housing then something radical may actually happen. Solution is collective bargaining, land tax and collective housing provision.

Next was Sadiq Khan MP who agreed that we have seen a Great British Rip off in recent years. The most wealthy have increased their wealth while the poorest have become even poorer. 28% of Londoners live in poverty despite 60% of them being in work. 

In his constituency of Tooting he has many houses worth £1 million plus but it also has food banks.The last Labour government spent money on improving the housing stock but did not spend enough on building new homes. A future Labour government will build 200,000 new homes per year by the end of its term.

Sadiq noted that in most successful countries there is more collective bargaining over pay (I will ignore the silly interpretation that a branch of the stupid Party online made about his comments)

Matthew Pennycook, the Prospective Parliamentary candidate for Greenwich and Woolwich was next. He reminded us that for the first time, the majority of people in poverty were in work. Since the election the average family is worse off by £1600 per year. Stagnant wages have caused a massive cost of living crisis.

A living wage is part of the solution but not the silver bullet. We also need affordable child care and (real) affordable rents.

Final speaker was the General Secretary of the TUC, Frances O'Grady. 

Frances asked for not a plaster but to address the root cause of poverty. Which is giving Billions to subsidise poverty wages to employers who can afford to pay more. We need a fair share of wealth in this country and a right to bargain. We need wage councils or "Fair Pay" councils (whatever you want to call it) who can work on the whole pay package.

We need a new economy, a  fair economy and in tribute to the RMT trade union leader, Bob Crow who died recently, we need greater public ownership. 

Frances finished by quoting Docker trade union leader (and former Newham Labour Councillor) Vic Turner, who when asked what trade unionism is all about answered "its about working class people looking after each other".

(usual disclaimer about the absolute accuracy of my hurried note-taking)

A Kentish Walk, Class Cleansing & Downton Abbey

Back from a lovely day walk in stunning Kentish countryside.  6 mile up and down circular stroll along the 
Wealdon Ridge - "Mereworth Woods and West Peckham".

At the end of the walk I went and had a look at Mereworth Church (see picture). Which is very impressive but as you can see, not the usual rural countryside church you will find in a village mentioned in the Domesbury Book of 1086? 

It turns out that the village and Church use to be half a mile away near to Mereworth Castle (or rather a fortified Manor house).

In the 18th century the owner John Fane, 7th Earl of Westmorland, decided he didn't want poor people to over look his home. So he moved the entire village and built a new church (and destroyed the old).

At the risk of upsetting my two sisters (this is always a very dangerous for a brother to do regardless of age) who are ardent fans of the popular romanticised Television series "Downton Abbey". I do think that we ought to remember what being a rich and powerful landowner actually meant in the past (and arguably even now).

Stretching the point I know, but the sons of rich landlords play a disproportionate role in the Conservative Party, who are responsible for bedroom tax and total benefit cap, which will soon make it impossible for many poor people to continue to live anywhere in London. They will be forced to live elsewhere (ironically many in cheap unfashionable Kent seaside resorts - run by Tory Councils!). 

By a complete East London coincidence, the architect of the redeveloped Palladian Mereworth Castle, Colen Campbell, also redesigned Wansted House which was built to rival Blenheim Palace. Ironically Wansted House was completely destroyed by aristocratic gambling and spending excess and it is now a public park managed by ....the City of London.

Update: check Facebook here for more pictures on walk 

Class: Parliamentary Launch "Why Equality Matters"

Collage is from the Parliamentary launch last Wednesday evening of "Class" The "Centre for Labour and Social Studies". A new "left" think tank.

The launch featured its latest report "Why Equality Matters". Which is a more populist and accessible version of the book "The Spirit Level - Why Equality is better for everyone". 

The meeting was packed with loads of Labour MPs. Including Stephen Timms from East Ham.

Steve Hart from Unite chaired the meeting, Emily Thornberry MP spoke first, then we had John Trickett MP, Owen Jones, Professor Richard Wilkinson and new TUC General Secretary Frances O'Grady. Check out my twittering here on the event (31 Oct).

I asked the question about whether we were really preaching to the converted here tonight when we should be asking what actual policies will be needed to bring about a more equal society. Should we be honest with the electorate, that everyone will have to pay more in taxes not just the super rich, to bring about a society that benefits everyone? (such as truly affordable housing and childcare)

Owen Jones responded by saying that at first we we need to start with a tax on the rich and make sure that they do not evade their taxes, then we could be more ambitious. The wealth of the Sunday Times "Rich List" has grown during this "recession" by more than the total sum of the deficit.

Frances O'Grady was fiery and passionate in her response. Growth in real wages is key in reducing inequality and recession. UK companies have reduced wages and accumulated £750 billion in reserves. No wonder we have no demand in our economy.

Afterwards I met up with my best ever blogging mate, Dave Stroppy, (nee Osler) and we went with UNISON comrades to sort the world out at the Red Lion.

Middle picture hat tip Seph Brown

TUC 2012: Why Inequality Matters fringe

During lunchtime I went to this launch of an authorised summary of Professors Richard Wilkinson and Kate Pickett's "The Spirit Level".  The fringe was sponsored by the new "left think tank" Class (Centre for Labour and Social Studies).

Chaired by GMB Tim Roache. Unite General Secretary Len McCluskey kicked off by introducing "Class" and the reasons why it was set up. For too long right wing think tanks have dominated political policy and research. Katherine Round spoke next. She is producing a video documentary on "The Spirit Level". 100k copies of the book have been sold in the UK while the gap now between the rich and poor is the widest for 30 years.

While Richard started by posing the question - is inequality an ethical or empirical issue? Many perfer to believe it to be ethical rather than empirical since then it can be dismissed as being subjective. He explained that in the 600 odd lectures and seminars that he and Kate have given there has been no good counter arguments. People are surprised about how how inequality has such a profound impact in so many ways. He is clear that you cannot have a classless society without addressing income equality.

Mehdi Hasan from the Huffington Post told a witty tale about how he was thrown off a right wing USA TV programme (are there any others?) for arguing in favour of a wealth tax even though a "wealth tax exists in communist Switzerland and is supported by that well known Marxist, Donald Trump".

Owen Jones (not in picture he was speaking at another fringe) came on last and made the point that Labour leader Ed Milibands "Predistribution has a point since billions spent on family credit were in effect a subsidy for low pay...whatever predistribution actually means". 

The Titanic: Real life and death class politics

Last weekend was the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic. Which obviously was a great tragedy at the time. However, Michael Walker at Hayes People History posts here about the many myths and some ugly truths about the disaster.

The worse being that your chances of survival that night and that of your children depended upon your "class".

Horrifyingly "While five out of six children from first class survived, less than a third of the children of third class passengers survived.

Compare these statistics to the plight of the nine pampered dogs on board, two of whom were saved, statistically proving you had more chance of survival as a dog on the Titanic than a working class passenger".

Hat tip here picture (double click to bring up detail) of an unknown child victim from the Titanic.