Blatant elitism and hypocrisy

The central thesis you can read in the blurb but he makes a wonderful job of unpacking and deep delving that numbs the brain when you realise how blinkered we have been. Perhaps this Tory/Etonian/Oxbridge elite has had its day but I would be wary of predicting their demise, they will reinvent themselves and flip again like the noxious weeds that they are.

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1 person found this helpful

Fascinating!

I had no idea. That’s problem the best summary of this book. Yes, I lived through Brexit and Covid and all what preceded. I always knew something is different in the UK but had no idea how to name it. Now I understand.

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A well spun diary of unfettered privilege

Simon Kuyper tells the story very well about this unique sect of English, Eton and Oxford University characters who codded and manipulated everybody else, including themselves.
They and this book provide great entertainment for us all but happily they are unlikely to ever be in charge again.

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3 people found this helpful

Astonishing

A really good listen that delves into the personal upbringing of so many of the current policitical class that passed through Oxford in the 1980s and 90s and how the experience shaped them.

Well narrated and really interesting. Highly recommend.

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Interesting

Insightful view into the inner works of Oxford and the people who went on to become Britain’s biggest politicians

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An entertaining listen let down by the end

For the most part this was a decent book, not groundbreaking but fairly entertaining to listen to, and giving a good impression of the atmosphere within Oxford university and the state of mind that its students may have had during their time there.

However chapter 16, and to a lesser extent chapter 17, seem to have gone out without going through the same editing process as the rest of the book as they are far more political, far less well written, and just generally feel more like yet another blog post about how the UK locked down too late during Covid or how Brexit and the Iraq war were the two biggest mistakes this century.
It's a shame because the rest of the book is fairly neutral and the author says himself at the beginning that this isn't meant to be another rant about how "they lied on the side of their bus." This is true for most of it but sadly it appears the author had to let it all out by the time this fairly short book ended.

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Oxford exposed and it’s impact on U.K.

Excellent expose of Oxford University culture and it’s impact on U.K. society. For those of us harbouring the misapprehension that getting into Oxford required superior intelligence (well maybe for the working class folk who make it through the gate) and enabling us to see why there’s such a pipeline between Oxford and westminister - excellent read

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Insightful

A particularly surreal experience to read while attending Oxford as a postgraduate. Genuinely insightful into the character of Britain, Oxford and the current ruling caste.

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Scary stuff

I guess when we live in a so called democracy and we cast a vote for our favoured candidate or party we think we’re making a difference. I’ve long had doubts about politicians and successive governments. It always looks like an old boys network.

Chums explains why. Simon Kuper provides insight snd analysis of the impact of croneyism and the feeding trough known as Oxford. Frankly, it’s sickening to understand the extent to which a network ( predominantly male, of course) shapes politics and has done so for decades. We live in an autocracy, without doubt and I suspect little will change in the next few decades. Fascinating snd enraging in equal measure.

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Crooks

As my headline says crooks the majority of them. They may be Oxford educated but literally every one of them have been caught being nefarious.

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