A lot is being written about the ‘debate’ held at University between the party leaders. Much has been written about the noise and booing during the ‘debate’ such that no-one has paid attention to what was actually said.
My take on what happened is very different. The Malta Labour Party should hold its head in shame that they have never ever managed to get the sons and daughters of the working class into University. The University has remained the dominium of the middle class. The disparity is glaring.
Why is the educational system failing the working class? Why is the working class continuing to fail to raise itself? Does not the MLP realise that it has to widen its appeal in order to succeed or to govern efficiently? The backbone of society is no longer the dockyard worker but the middle class and that can be achieved by education.
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4 comments:
You're making a gross assumption that the Labour Party has no supporters who fall in the middle/upper class section.
I think there are quite a large number of Labour supporters at university, but I think that there would be a large number of them who would feel intimidated by the rabble who attended last Mondays debate.
Having said that I agree that the education sector should reach out more - but you're forgetting that the MLP had little if any say during the last 20 years or so on education policy. Unless of course you're willing to admit that PN's government was only there to serve the middle/business class :)
There is a big lack of demographic information supporting the major parties. So I am speaking from impressions. To my mind the MLP predominates in the lower blue collar class while the PN predominates in the middle white collar, professional classes.
My impression again is that the majority of University students come from the middle white collar classes. If I remember correctly there was data published to show from which towns University students were coming from. The data was significant. Why is this?
When I was growing up Labour was in power and coming from a blue collar family I managed to get an education against all odds. Since then in the 20 years of PN Government, the MLP has still never quite 'convinced' its core supporters to continue with their education such that the working class is still underrepresented at University.
I never said that the MLP does not have support from middle/upper class. Of course there are but they are not the majority of that class.
"The Malta Labour Party should hold its head in shame that they have never ever managed to get the sons and daughters of the working class into University."
MLP hasn't won an election in basically 20 years. How could they possibly have managed what you're asking of them?
The University is open to everyone and as you know there are financial incentives to do so. Finance should not be a deterrent.
It seems to me that the problem starts earlier. What is keeping 'traditional' Labour families from sending to University. Is it lack of ambition or is it caused by environmental factors?
Personally I feel that the Labour party shoudl start a relentless campaign with its supporters about the importance of education.
Secondly the MLP has never widended its appeal to the middle classes and has remained tied to its traditional core support.
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