Harry Wallop

Harry Wallop is well-placed to write about class. The cousin of the Earl of Portsmouth, he went to private school, learned from a young age how to tip a gamekeeper, and went on holidays with his nanny until his parents felt he was old enough to appreciate travelling abroad. But in recent years he has moved away from the world in which he grew up: he now lives in Islington and works as a journalist and television presenter (which is essentially just a different kind of social elite). Class is something that, we’ve been told, many times, is no longer relevant in the modern world, but anyone who lives in Britain knows this isn’t true. In this book, Wallop argues (and I agree) that the great post-war age of social mobility is over. Class is becoming more entrenched and more subtle than ever. He describes the new social tribes of modern Britain, and how they are defined not so much by birth but by lifestyle and consumer choices. It’s a lively and engaging book – albeit full of sweeping generalisations (but that’s the point of any work of classification) – and extremely British. The shades of nuance described here will be difficult for foreigners to pick up, and rightly so (you would be forgiven for exclaiming, on numerous occasions, “But why is that even a thing?!”), but I imagine that native Brits will feel shimmers of recognition. You might come to Wallop’s book for an accessible discussion of how class continues to shape modern society – but you stay because you want to find out which of his categories you fit into. Reading this book is, in itself, an act of class anxiety...

For the full review, please see my blog:
https://theidlewoman.net/2020/07/14/consumed-2014-harry-wallop/… (más)

Class. It is the system in the UK that has been with us for 1000 years or more. The Now Show summed it up by asking people of each class what they called the space outside their back door; Working class call it the yard, middle class call it the garden and the upper class call it Devon! This system, with it's unwritten rules to catch those who have moved between them, has now become blurred and diffused according to Harry Wallop. In this book he seeks to redefine the class system by looking at the three factors that define where we are in society; income, products we buy, where we live.

He comes up with a raft of different definitions for each type of person; from Asda mums, Sun Skittlers, Wood Burning Stovers, Portland Privateers and the Middleton classes. Each of these groups have a distinct income range, buy certain types of products and services and share similar aspirations. There are lots of points of crossover, for example, the Asda mums will spends lots on certain types of products, but other products are the budget end. He looks at each of the groups in detail over a food, education, homes, leisure and clothing to name a few.

Even though he is a member of the upper class, some of his family background is from the working class, and this gives him a better insight to the new classes in the UK today. It is fascinating to read, and you end up looking at the way you spend money and where you spend it to determine your group as defined by Wallop. The writing style is good, though occasionally a little patronising, but i enjoyed reading it.… (más)

I have recently re-read Marx's Communist Manifesto and, like many a previous reader, I felt that its analysis of the situation had some merit, but that his solutions were disastrous. The same could be said of this book.

Harry Wallop presents a very plausible view as to how consumerism has reached the state in which we now find it. His conclusions, however, are a little too laisez faire for my liking. Mr. Wallop is a believer in the theory that society works best without any rules: the Thatcherite view that there is no society.

Like the Communist Manifesto, this book is well worth reading for its historical perspective but, in my view, not for the recommended actions.… (más)