Old Rage
Sheila Hancock
Having read it
★★★☆☆
Despite its views – some with a splash of rightful anger – honesty, humour and energy in places it felt a little lost and wistful in its traditionalism and somewhat incoherent in its purpose; its diary form leads to a decent page-turning pace (even though I did skim parts!) but holds a rambling series of points and commentary that sometimes felt they were written (or edited) with the benefit of hindsight, despite quite a few comments and attitudes being insightful, honest and pertinent.
As such, a few passages were worthy of five out of five, especially those driven by the state of the world at the time of diary entries, her political views, Quaker faith and organisation and charity work as they were healthy and straightforward in their relevance and obviousness. Some parts, like family anecdotes and memories, were just about four out of five but the whole book – which its author seems somewhat privileged, even presumptuous and a bit hypocritical in her opinions on certain subjects, methods and approaches – gets just three out of five for being a not bad read, just one lacking a satisfying reason for being published – beyond its author’s name and the profits that might be made from it for its publisher!
A good passage
One of my grandchildren asked me, ‘What is the difference between the classes?’
I hate the class system, having been a victim of it myself. I have always felt a profound gut reaction against its manifestations in our country. I classify myself as working class, because I believe that is what my family was, but now I am floating about leading a middle-class life, with working-class attitudes. A phony, in fact.
Three of my grandchildren have the odd situation of having grandparents on one side who are upper middle class, verging on aristocratic, whilst on the other side there is me, at least originally working class.
[...]
So, on reflection, my answer to this question from my grandchildren is that the working class obey orders, often to their cost, and the upper class do what they choose. The upper class know they can get away with a certain moral laxity, legal tax-dodging, that sort of thing, whereas the working class know that if they do not sign on for their benefit at the right time they won’t get the money, and if they are caught shoplifting they will be sent to prison, rather than for a course of psychotherapy. The upper class are confident that they are right.
A second good passage
I have always felt hypocritical about it. I try to assuage my guilt by now working in state schools with a scheme to help kids who are falling behind, but people like me, middle class now whether 1 admit it or not, who take our children out of the state system are doing it harm.
[...]
It would be foolish to deny that the mere 7 per cent of the population who go to private schools do better than state alumni – if your definition of ‘better’ is in terms of career prospects rather than experiencing diversity. Many more of them go to Russell Group universities, get top jobs in government, journalism, the BBC, the city – you name it, they’ve cracked it. They have a confidence, bordering on arrogance, that opens doors. They do not have the lack of belief in themselves that meant that I, even with a grammar-school education, did not believe that people like me wrote books, until I was eventually persuaded to try when I was seventy. They are led to appreciate and regard as their right the beautiful surroundings of their schools, whereas most state schools are ugly. State-school playing fields were sold off by Margaret Thatcher, and at present I see in the schools I visit a shameful dilapidation. The independent schools put an emphasis on the arts and music, usually having purpose-built theatres and studios, whereas in state schools anything not likely to lead to a job is being cut from the curriculum. No mind is being paid to a future where jobs will be taken over by robots and culture can fill the chasm that will be caused by the inactivity of brain and body that this revolution will provoke. There is a huge divide in our country, which Brexit has exposed, and the education system has contributed to it.