David Cameron and the Old Boys' School

Eton College, the elite finishing school for the sons of the aristocracy, has a long list of distinguished former pupils, including John Maynard Keynes, Aldous Huxley, George Orwell and Ian Fleming — not to mention 18 former prime ministers. Conservative PM candidate David Cameron is next on that list.

Despite aiming to rid the Tories of their image as an outdated bastion of privilege, Cameron is a dyed-in-the-wool product of the "old boys' school" and its traditional life-long networks. He has surrounded himself with "Old Etonians", and his inner circle remains undeniably exclusive. Cameron recognizes that his background is a problem. He recently said: "Look, if the next election is about, you know, 'Let's not have a posh prime minister,' I mean, I'm not going to win it."

Only 56 per cent of Britons still believe in the duty to vote at all, and disenchantment may lead to the rise of splinter parties and political instability (see Spotlight 4/2010). Given the deep divide between the rich and the poor, Cameron's anachronistic class and privilege is sure to play a huge role in the upcoming election.

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Anne Hodgson