The grasping middle

An opinion piece in the Independent which appeared on Microsoft’s clickbait (which I can’t now trace) posits that the nation will have celebrated a planning inspector’s decision to reject an appeal by the daughter of Capt. Sir Tom Moore to permit a ’luxury’ spa to remain in their home’s grounds which never had planning approval in the first place. Within the bounds of the law, I can only say too right, and isn’t it a shame that the family of this warm hearted man have, according to the media, made so much posthumous money out of his efforts?  How fortuitous! I wonder what Capt. Sir Tom would make of his daughter’s enrichment should he rise from the grave? In order to reveal my prejudices, let me also throw into the mix the story of how the Middletons, another grasping middle class family have inspired media interest. This of course is the family that begat future queen Kate, and ran a humble party accessories business that went bust. In their village, posters have been put up (and ripped down) possibly expressing the frustrations of some disenchanted creditor. I speculate on that front since I don’t know the content of the posters. To me, these are just two egregious examples of many that dominate the English landscape, perhaps epitomised in its heart by the Cotswold culture exemplified by our late Prime Minister David Cameron and his craven caravan of cushioned followers  - people for whom the word austerity meant nothing.
 
It’s the very English Home Counties demonstration of grasping middle class ambition that irks me. I think it is a very English thing. Although of course I guess similar behaviour exists elsewhere. There is a huge degree of self-satisfaction in being invited to join the select elite (Sir Tom’s elevation may have allowed his daughter to imagine she had been admitted to this circle of privilege) without any qualification. Blessed with the imprimatur of monarchy, swooning recipients of honours imbibe from the cup of condescension, perhaps not recognising that their progression up the ranks is merely a form of golden slavery (for which they’re very grateful). Perhaps I’m merely expressing my envy (the Daily Mail would probably say so, although they too occasionally like deriding some of the great and the good for the sake of ‘balance’) that some people with titles may effortlessly get restaurant reservations others are denied (though probably not down at Ask Italian in Scarborough).
 
The Covid inquiry I think is bringing out the product—in the political sense—of where this culture has led us. Where has been the evidence in the inquiry of an actual meritocracy? As with the PPE contract cronyism, there is no evidence of merit in the making of contracts. We’re led to believe that we were ripped off for our own good, and a showering of honours on the recipients of taxpayers’ cash made them honourable. These days it pays to be grasping. At this point I refuse to be drawn on Sir Keir’s noble elevation (had to get that in).