A few weeks ago the Prime Minister rightly reminded the House of Commons of the dangers of policies forged “on the playing fields of Eton” and designed to benefit the most privileged and wealthy.

But I’m not sure he was properly aware that he was merely following in the footsteps of the former Tory leader Michael Howard who, on 3^rd December 2003, warned of the dangers of policies for the privileged, saying to Tony Blair:-

“Let me make it clear: this grammar school boy will take no lessons from that public school boy.”

With a recent Guardian poll showing that a third of voters still see the Tories as the party of the upper classes, Michael Gove citing Eton as an example of education excellence at the Conservative mini manifesto launch - at 30 grand a sprog it ought to be bloody excellent - and party spin doctors briefing against “Brown’s 1970’s class war politics” the more sensible Tories should reflect on who started this particular bun-fight.

For the life of me I can’t see why Gordon Brown has been trying to “move on” from his Eton jibe. With policies designed to give inheritance tax breaks to millionaires whilst cutting tax credits for the working poor, it seems entirely legitimate to point out a Cameron government will do what Tories do best - which is to look after their own. Particularly when it’s their old school chums!

Far from Labour ushering in an age of discord, according this week’s “British Social Attitudes” survey, carried out by the National Centre for Social Research we are all getting more liberal in our old age. The survey, which asks people about their attitudes to politics and social matters, found that just 36 percent now thought homosexual acts were “always” or “mostly” wrong, down from 62 percent in 1983. More people felt that it made “no difference” whether a child’s parents were married or cohabiting, and in general we appear to have become a more tolerant and less bigoted society. With the Tories still in disarray over their ill-thought out and uncosted proposals for tax breaks for married couples, irrespective of whether they have children, and their recent opposition to civil partnerships, it is clear that whilst society has moved on from the 1980s many Conservatives certainly haven’t.