The pursuit of excellence: why ‘elite’ isn’t a dirty word

By Jonathan Roberts / @robertsjonathan

e•lite/iˈlÄ”t/Noun
A group of people considered to be the best in a particular society or category

Owen Jones, writing on this site yesterday, made a typically eloquent argument for the abolishment of Oxbridge.

I respect Owen as a rising star of the intellectual [far] left, but if Labour is a broad church, he and I sit at the opposite ends of the pew. I assume, and he is free to correct me if I am wrong, that his thesis was to provoke a debate about what it means to be elite, and what is acceptable or otherwise about the existence of such a concept. My contribution to the debate is as much a response to the views expressed by the readers, as it is to the author’s original article.

With this in mind, I should set my argument out at the start. I believe that the aspiration to one day become elite is a noble ambition. Those who attain it should be free to reap the benefits and pass them on to their children. They should be supported in their pursuit of excellence, and the existence of the elite is a logical progression from the creation of opportunity.

We spend a great deal of time in the party discussing concepts of opportunity, what it means and how it can be created. These discussions have resulted in genuine progress. One of our greatest achievements in government, Sure Start, provides children with opportunity to learn from an early age. Academies allow older children from deprived areas to develop in a new way that meets their needs and equips them for the future. But what is the point of giving aspiration to those at the bottom if we use ‘elite’ as a dirty word?

Being the best is a good thing and, like the hare at a greyhound track, Oxbridge sets the pace. Oxford and Cambridge are regarded as the best because, in all likelihood, they are the best.

And, of course, we need the best to survive. If I am to have brain surgery, I want the best surgeon I can find. If one day I’m blessed with children I want them to be taught by the best teachers around. If we are to have a military and security service to defend our interests, I want them to be the best of the best.

Indeed, if we are to one day cure cancer, it will be delivered through research conducted by the best medical minds in the world. If we are to compete in a fiercely competitive global economic environment, then we are going to need a highly educated, highly skilled workforce. We will need to be the best we can be. We need to be elite and, in the context of Owen’s article, it is for other universities to catch up, not Oxbridge to slow down.

I will go so far as to say we should be unashamedly pro-elite, in the sense that the future of our economy and society depends on us being able to distinguish between excellence and mediocrity, and exploiting that excellence for the benefit of all people.

Of course, not everybody who tries will attain such excellence – and their knowledge, skills and experience will remain vital to the future of our country. But we should be proud of those people who excel, not question the validity of their achievement.

As part of this process, there is something with which the left will need to become comfortable. With excellence comes wealth – and so it should. So it shouldn’t come as a surprise that wealthy parents choose to spend their money on ensuring their children have quality opportunities to succeed. It is what any loving parent would do. The wealth and privilege gained from success is not something to be despised, it is the necessary and welcome consequence of aspiration. Indeed, there is no point in aspiration if tangible reward is not on offer at the end.

From a Labour perspective, our concern is not to prevent the wealthy from spending their money on giving their children opportunity, it is to ensure those without it still have a decent base level of opportunity to succeed as well.

Excellence is not attained by holding back the very institutions that deliver it. It is attained through the relentless pursuit of making that which is already brilliant even better. We don’t need to rid ourselves of the elite, nor do we need make it easier to join it, we need to ensure that all people from all backgrounds have the opportunity to work hard, become the best and take our society forward.

So yes, ensure people from ‘normal’ backgrounds can gain access to the opportunities they need to succeed. But let’s support all those who seek to be the very best, and rejoice in the noble endeavour of excellence that Oxbridge represents.