The Telegraph just launched a very bizarre attack on Theresa May

The Telegraph logo and Theresa May


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The former editor of the Telegraph has written an article questioning [paywall] why Etonians have been “shunned” from the Cabinet. Charles Moore also asked where “new talent” will come from.

Championing pro-Brexit old Etonians like Boris Johnson and Jacob Rees-Mogg, the article also makes a bizarre dig at Theresa May.

“Where will the new talent come from?”

Moore was previously editor of the Telegraph, Sunday Telegraph and Spectator. All three are owned by the billionaire Barclay brothers.

In the article, he bemoans the fact [paywall] that now Johnson has gone, “for the first time ever, we have a Conservative Cabinet with no Old Etonians in it”. He celebrates the connections between Eton and UK politics. But his ‘argument’ actually sounds more a rallying call for the Bullingdon Club.

Moore attacks non-Etonian MPs – including May. According to ex-editor of the Telegraph, it’s [paywall]:

a mistake for Mrs May (who seems instinctively to dislike talent, and has certainly done little to promote it) to close off her party’s Etonian supply on principle.

Gosh.

Read on...

But he doesn’t stop there. Taking a swipe at comprehensive schools, Moore says those who don’t go to Eton, which costs around £40k a year, shouldn’t suffer from the [paywall]:

wilful poverty of expectation which was endemic from the first in the imposition of comprehensive schools.

And he claims [paywall]:

There are good reasons why so many prime ministers were from Eton – while none have come from comprehensives

These poor old Etonians face a “Darwinian fight for survival”, Moore laments. Even though he says Etonians, like [paywall] Johnson and Rees-Mogg, are “funnier, more human, more raffish” and “enjoyable” than the “stupifying boredom” offered by non-Etonian political figures.

Eton mess

People had plenty to say to Moore on Twitter.

For a start, they raised the fact that Eton only admits boys:

Some pointed out what a total shambles the UK is in thanks to Etonians:

And others were scathing about the ‘values’ they believe Eton instills in people:

Meanwhile, a few observers took down the whole concept of elitism and privilege:

And one tried to provide an answer to Moore’s question:

Beyond elitism, there’s a dangerous undercurrent to Moore’s article. Johnson is currently top of the polls to become the next Tory leader. Johnson has also recently been in contact with prominent fascist Steve Bannon. So too has old-Etonian Rees-Mogg.

Moore’s article suggests that some old-school tie sharks are circling around May. Meanwhile, speculative discussion of Johnson as leader has crept into other right-wing outlets. The Times [paywall], the Spectator [paywall] and other articles in the Telegraph [paywall] have all sowed seeds of doubt in May and championed Johnson. While few will miss May, however, the prospect of Johnson as PM is truly horrifying.

Perhaps it’s time for a comprehensive school-led revolution.

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