Mind the Gap [Paperback]

This isn't a bad book. At times it's quite interesting, and given the author's pedigree, age and Conservative party background, one suspects that the great political thinker of our time "Just Call Me Dave" studied this book relentlessly when forming his social policies. Knowing that the first edition is 2004, it's uncanny how many of the off-the-cuff ideas Mount proposes have found their way into current Conservative policy. Too many to name. However, the annoying thing with "Mind The Gap" is that it is not really about the "The New Class Divide in Britain" as the sub-title suggests. It is pitched as a comparison of class in modern Britain, but in fact is survey of various writings or speeches on class in the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries. Mount is not disingenuous, he states his aims and the limits of his experience at the outset, but as he remarks, the book is an essay, and as with any good school essay, there are plenty of long and worthy quotations from more learned fellows. Indeed, one almost suspects that this work has been designed and shaped by publisher to put another book on class out there. The book relies heavily on notions of class gained from 19th century literature, and seems oblivious to the fact that there is a mountain of solid academic research on class and society where class specimens have been met and interviewed. It is somewhat ironic that one of Mount's principal gripes is that the political system devises and implements schemes to better the lower class, without ever asking them what they want. Yet in his very own inquiry, he does the very same thing: plenty of reading and theorising on class, but no actual discussions with the blessed riff-raff (at least none documented). Despite an update in 2010, the book's examples seem dated: plenty of references to news items in 2003 and, curiously, Ms Polly Toynbee. The editor has graciously added the words "Credit Crunch" on a few pages (with no real analysis following) but remarkably not even one mention of the word "chav". Whether one likes the word chav or not, it is hard not to at least ponder its meaning and impact in a book which purportedly considers "the new class divide in Britain" and this exemplifies why the book simply is not that. If you're looking for a decade old essay on class history, Mount's essay is very good, if you're interested in more current in-depth analysis, this might not be the best choice.

In this book on the class structure in Britain, Ferdinand Mount starts with an historical analysis of the different interpretations of what is meant by `class', taking his examples largely from the history of the past 200 years. This includes such things as the roles of education, social convention, earnings and personal expectations. The meat of the book is his assertion that the worst-off in Britain today are more culturally deprived than their parents or grandparents. The evidence he cites for this includes the destruction of institutions created and used by working people, such as Literary Institutes with libraries, Friendly Societies for health provision, and non conformist chapels and churches. This has mainly been due to the actions of the middle class, which has assumed that `they know best'. This attitude is now endemic, with television channels condescendingly showing mainly an endless diet of mindless trashy soaps, panel games, and celebrity chat shows. Politicians, dominantly middle class, have also played an important role in establishing state education and health provision, but the noble ideals behind these have not been fully realized, leading to much frustration. Despite this, Parliament still enacts legislation that intrudes further into our lives, removing the need for self-help, without correcting, or often even admitting, mistakes of the past. As a consequence, there is a lessening of taking responsibility for oneself and one's family, and an increased expectation that `others will take care of things'. The result is a growing gap, cultural, educational and economic, between the `Uppers' and the `Downers', as Mount calls them, and increasing despair amongst the latter. It is a depressing picture.

Having read (and reviewed for Amazon) Ferdinand Mount's excellent book "The new Few: or a Very British Oligarchy", I looked forward to reading this book on the class divide in Britain, but I was a little disappointed. The writing is beautifully clear and the arguments made are well supported, but the emphasis is too much on history, even although the book was updated in 2010. (Incidentally, contrary to one reviewer's assertion, the word `Chav' does appear several times.) Nevertheless, it is a thought-provoking book and well worth reading, even if you do not agree with the author's views.

I bought this as a present for my Welsh husband, having read a review of this book written by a Welshman! My husband thinks this book is extremely good.