Latest news with #elitism
The Sun
12-07-2025
- Business
- The Sun
Huge percentage of BBC staff in top-paying jobs that were privately educated revealed
THE percentage of privately educated BBC staff is four times higher in top-paying jobs than in the lowest salary bracket, its own figures reveal. The news will increase claims of elitism at the broadcaster. Only seven per cent of Brits have a private education, but 32 per cent of BBC roles with a salary of £150,000 or more are occupied by those who do. And just 6.8 per cent of jobs there with pay of under £30,000 are taken by the privately educated. Social mobility expert Prof Lee Elliot Major said: 'The BBC's disproportionate representation of privately educated individuals in its highest-paying roles starkly illustrates the persistent class barriers in British society. 'The BBC was founded to serve the whole nation — yet we have a public institution that looks and sounds out of step with the lives of the people it is intended to serve and represent. 'It isn't healthy when the most powerful roles come from the same small slice of society. "It means news organisations are fishing in a narrow talent pool, missing out on the perspectives of people from different backgrounds.' The BBC said: 'We're doing more than ever to bring people to the BBC from all backgrounds.' In 2023, an Ofcom report said low-income audiences found the Beeb too 'politically correct'. Breakfast legend returns to BBC daytime for the first time four years after quitting sofa 1
Bloomberg
22-06-2025
- General
- Bloomberg
Have Middle-Aged Millennials Jumped the Shark?
This is Bloomberg Opinion Today, the commodification of elitism of Bloomberg Opinion's opinions. On Sundays, we look at the major themes of the week past and how they will define the week ahead. Sign up for the daily newsletter here. Although it's an integral part of my job to eliminate clichés, platitudes, prosaisms 1 and other banalities, I have a fondness for vast overgeneralizing about generations. I suppose the Lost Generation, the Greatest Generation and the Silent Generation were lost, great and silent, respectively. Baby boomers think they invented the world. Gen X can't be bothered. Millennials think boomers ruined the world. Gen Z would like Gen X to shut the hell up.
Daily Mail
14-06-2025
- Daily Mail
Melbourne rich lister threatens to take feud with Australia's most exclusive day spa to court over racism claims
Melbourne rich lister Christopher Shao has doubled down on claims that his mother was 'vilified' at an exclusive Melbourne day spa. Earlier this month, Christopher declared war on Saint Haven - the members-only wellness clinic owned by rich lister Tim Gurner. It all began when Christopher went public with a strongly worded complaint against Saint Haven, claiming a staff member spoke to his elderly mother in a 'condescending' tone during her visit to the spa. Speaking to the Herald Sun, Christopher alleged that his mother was also racially targeted for holding her phone at the club. He claims that, since news of the feud broke, he had also been contacted by members and ex Saint Haven staff members, claiming they had been racially profiled and targeted by the exclusive club. He told the publication that he was prepared to take legal action on behalf of the alleged victims, adding many were scared to come forward. From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the DailyMail's new showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop. 'This isn't just about me - it's about systemic elitist racism imbedded in institutions that pretend to champion wellness and inclusivity but act very differently behind closed doors. All Australians deserve better,' he said. Christopher, who met with Saint Haven executives earlier this month, added that he felt that the way his concerns were handled by club management had been 'dismissive' and 'offensive'. 'Since speaking out a significant number of former Saint Haven staff have contacted me to share their own experiences of the club's toxic internal culture, it's clearly not an isolated issue,' he said. 'They don't necessarily have money to back it up and, you know, these people have lawyers and legal teams. They are too scared to speak up.' He added that his membership to the club, which costs $499 per week, had been suspended while an internal investigation took place. The publication reported that an internal memo to staff and members was sent by Gurner Group CEO Ahmed and Group CEO of Wellness Hotels and Hospitality Peter Crinis, about the matter. The memo said that after an internal review, 'no wrongdoing has been identified on the part of our team.' Speaking to the Herald Sun , Christopher alleged that his mother was also racially targeted for holding her phone at the club and has since been contacted by fellow members and ex-staff members alleging the same It also reiterated Saint Haven's 'zero tolerance' for racism and discrimination. It comes after Christopher claimed that his mother had apparently received a stern talking-to for carrying her phone into the bathhouse area at the private members club. Saint Haven emphasises a device-free environment to better allow its well-heeled clientele to unwind and recharge. But Christopher claims this rule is widely ignored, including by staff, and believes his mother was singled out. 'How ironic that you're enforcing no phones in the bathhouse but your staff is walking around carrying electronics?' he wrote in a furious email to spa management, which he reposted on Instagram. 'A staff [member] is telling my mum off for carrying her phone in the bathhouse and said, "I will let you off this time and don't do it again," in a very condescending way like a school teacher telling off a student.' Christopher described the no-phone policy as a 'joke' given that there are at least five people using phones or wearing earbuds whenever he visits the venue. A clinic staff member responded via email to Shao - which he also shared publicly - and admitted the no-phone rule was an ongoing challenge for management. 'It is common practice for us to issue reminders about phone usage in the bathhouse to maintain a relaxing and respectful atmosphere for all,' they began. 'We strive to maintain a phone-free zone, though it can be an ongoing challenge, and we do our best each day to enforce this policy.' Saint Haven is said to have a jaw-dropping wait list of 15,000 people. The ritzy spa, which has three locations in Collingwood, South Yarra and Toorak and is opening its first Sydney venue in Bondi in Spring 2026, is owned by the controversial property developer Tim Gurner. The exclusive club offers a range of wellness and anti-ageing treatments including hyperbaric oxygen therapy, IV drips and mineral-infused osmosis water from its 'Fountain of Youth'. Jackson Warne, the son of cricketing icon Shane Warne is also an ambassador for the club, revealing the surprising career move in October last year. Tim Gurner is one of Australia's richest men with an estimated fortune of $990million. Little is known about young property mogul Shao; however, it is understood he sold his Melbourne penthouse in recent years for close to $15million.
Irish Times
16-05-2025
- Politics
- Irish Times
Defence Forces' members criticise ‘elitist' and ‘archaic' behaviour by some senior officers
A 42-year veteran of the Irish naval service who previously described some senior officers as acting like they're in the 'British Raj' says it is clear from speaking to Defence Forces members this week that an 'elitist' mindset remains for many senior military figures. 'It originated a long time ago, and it is demeaning,' said Ken Holland, speaking at the annual conference of the Permanent Defence Forces Other Ranks Representative Association (PDForra). 'There's an elitism there among some. And you don't make any friends by saying it or sticking your head above the parapet,' said Mr Holland. He said many members were expected to wait hand on foot like servants for senior officers in aristocratic fashion, cleaning officers' toilets and cabins and providing them with silver service at mealtimes. READ MORE It was a particular issue for senior officers who had trained in the UK, according to Mr Holland, as they had 'learned some of their ways'. 'Those [officers], they do demean, and I saw it myself. People felt devalued. People just felt like there was a divide there, and it was there,' he said. Members in attendance at the conference appeared to agree, with a motion passed seeking to 'cease the practice of our members catering to the needs of commissioned officers during meal times to reflect a modern Defence Forces'. Introducing the motion – the third such one in the last five years – a delegate told of the rigorous training that one must go through as a member of the Defence Forces: 'Why is it that these people, trained in logistics from the beginning of their careers, end up spending most of their time cleaning private cabins and toilets of commissioned officers, running around the ship to figure out their meal preferences and setting up the officers' mess table to a standard that could rival any hotel?' The delegate spoke of a buzzer next to the officers' dining table that they could press to summon someone for their every whim during mealtimes. 'This, to me, is like calling someone like a dog,' the delegate said. 'It's not often used, to my knowledge. But, in my opinion, the fact that it exists is a disgrace. 'I've heard many speeches up here today about the Defence Forces moving into a modern Defence Forces. How can we call it a modern Defence Forces, or even a modern navy, when this archaic behaviour still exists?' When the speaker concluded, attendees erupted in loud applause. Another member at the conference said they had experienced demeaning demands from officers to heat their butter so it could be spread, along with shining their cutlery and fetching napkins. Mr Holland, who retired three years ago, said it was clear from members' continued frustration that not much had changed in terms of affording them the dignity they deserve. He said the applause received by speakers on the issue 'just goes to show that those same people are having those same issues now', he told The Irish Times. 'I'm disappointed that in 2025 these practices are still ongoing'. A spokesperson for the Defence Forces said it did not condone any demeaning behaviour by personnel in the execution of their duties. 'We encourage any issues of this nature to be brought to the interim grievance manager, the new independent complaints process, for resolution by an external panel of HR professionals.' The spokesperson added the duties of logistics staff on-board naval ships include 'general cleanliness of tableware and cutlery as well as the cabin and ablutions, as per the captain's standing orders'. 'A ship at sea is the epitome of teamwork in a harsh and challenging environment. The Defence Forces values the service of all of its personnel no matter how they serve the State,' the spokesperson said. Along with the motion to stop personnel catering to senior officers at mealtimes, just under 70 other motions, primarily related to pay and benefits, were passed by delegates. These, according to outgoing PDForra president Mark Keane, represent the multipronged approach the body is taking to tackle corrosive retention issues, as the private sector poaches crucial personnel from their ranks. 'We have recruitment measures, we now want retention measures,' he said before the closure of the three-day conference at the Gleneagle Hotel in Killarney, Co Kerry on Thursday. 'Whether it's an independent pay review for highly-skilled personnel, whether it's the duty payments announced in a review that was contained in the Fine Gael manifesto but never made it into the programme for government.'
Daily Mail
10-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Rivals star Danny Dyer insists 'elitist' critics would never mock his accent if he was black
Cockney star Danny Dyer, who can count kings and counsellors among his ancestors, claims 'elitist' critics wouldn't mock his accent if he was a black actor. The former EastEnders favourite reveals on Desert Island Discs on BBC Radio 4 today how one sneering review of his work was even written in a Cockney accent. He says: 'I felt like, 'why would that be allowed?' Because if I was a black actor you certainly wouldn't do it in a Jamaican accent. I've had some awful reviews about me.' The 47-year-old father of three from Custom House in London's East End believes that coming from a working-class background has prevented him from being regarded as a serious actor. 'I think I've done some good work over the years but I've never really been acknowledged,' he says. 'There's a bit of elitism in our industry. I'm incredibly working-class and proud of my roots. 'I don't work for critics in a sense, but the one that did do me was, 'The biggest plot twist about Rivals is that Danny Dyer can act.' And I thought, 'wow'. In a way it's a compliment, but at the same time, not really.' An early mentor to Dyer was the Nobel Prize-winning playwright Harold Pinter, who took the then 22-year-old actor under his wing. Dyer appeared in three plays by the writer, who also had working-class East London origins. 'I used to stay at his house in Notting Hill and he would buy me a six-pack of lager and he would drink his wine and we'd just talk,' he says. 'I felt safe with him. He wanted me to be a theatre animal.' When Pinter died in 2008, Dyer says he went into a 'spiral of madness'. 'The guilt at not being around him any more. I was a bit of a lost soul I think and again, angry at the world,' he added. In 2013, Dyer joined the cast of EastEnders for an eight-year run as Queen Vic landlord Mick Carter, but his struggles with fame led to excessive drinking and drug-taking which affected his career and relationships. He went into rehab in South Africa in 2017 to deal with his emotions. He reveals he was close to quitting the facility until a letter from home made him reflect on the pain he'd caused his family. 'I had a moment where my ego started to rise again and I'd had enough,' he says. 'Then they read a letter out from my daughter, my Dani, and it made me sit back down in that seat pretty lively.' Now he fears toxic masculinity and the difficulty many men have in talking about emotional issues is harming a generation. He says: 'We've got a lot of lost young men out there at the moment that don't quite know how to behave and are frightened and we need to stop it. 'Toxic masculinity is a thing, but it's not necessarily because you're a male, it's because you're not a very nice human being.' The actor, who earned praise for his role as wealthy electronics businessman Freddie Jones in the hit show Rivals, believes men could help themselves by discussing their feelings with friends. While the main storyline follows tense rivalry between polo-loving lothario Rupert Campbell-Black (Alex Hassell) and Lord Tony Baddingham (David Tennant), fans watching have been quick to point out Danny's 'fantastic' contribution One of Dyer's most famous roles before Eastenders was a football hooligan in gangster film The Football Factory 'Men need to open up a bit more,' he says. 'We need to talk to each other. I envy women that can gossip and talk about stuff. We certainly shouldn't bottle stuff up. 'It's okay to be masculine and it's okay to not be that in touch with your feelings but be able to speak about it when you're playing pool or sitting in a car.'
