SO much for the “classless society”.

According to senior Government policy advisor Peter Brant, working class children should be helped to feel more comfortable in middle class settings if they are to thrive at university and in more lucrative professions.

Blogging on the website of the Social Mobility and Child Poverty Commission, of which he is head of policy, Mr Brant highlights lifestyle, cultural and attitudinal differences between people from so-called “working class” and “middle class” backgrounds as reasons why “working class” people can find it difficult to fit in, and why many “working class” young people are put off applying to the more select universities.

“The lack of effective networks and advice to help navigate this new alien ‘middle class world’ probably make it more difficult to translate high attainment into success in the professional jobs market,” he said. New alien middle class world?

He makes salient points about lack of educational attainment and how raising the standard of state schooling alone is not enough.

But he makes it sound as if a significant proportion of the “working class” regard their “middle class” contemporaries as having green skin, one big eye in the centre of their faces and antennae sprouting from their foreheads.

Of course, national newspapers of a more right wing bent lapped up his pronouncements, one proclaiming gleefully that what he meant was that “working class” children must be taught to think and act like the middle classes if they are to get into the best universities and top professions.

I don’t know whether he meant it like that or not, but having read his blog – at www.smcpcommission.blog.gov.uk – there is little in there to discourage that view.

At no point during his sermonising does he concede that it might be helpful if some of the onus on making “working class” people more comfortable in “middle class” company was actually taken on by the latter.

But no. It is all about the “working class” getting more access to experiences such as going to the theatre and eating at restaurants. It smacks of the view that somehow the “working class” is less valuable than the “middle class”.

Mr Brant’s missive is reminiscent of the old 1960s Frost Report sketch Three Men on Class, but shorn of all the satire, leaving only the patronising finger wagging.

I must apologise for the liberal use of inverted commas around the phrases “working class” and “middle class”.

I may be – no, I know I am – naive, but is it really too much to expect us to have moved on from the use of tired old class cliches?

Let the rugby do the talking at Twickenham

LIKE millions of others, I can’t wait for the England v Wales Six Nations match at Twickenham tomorrow afternoon.

Unlike the majority however, I still couldn’t name each side, who is in, who is out, who’s refereeing...

Until five minutes before the whistle blows for kick-off at 3pm, I will not interest myself in the intrigues, banter and hype that surround a sporting occasion that is ultimately only about what happens on the pitch.

If I could have a pound for every column inch and broadcasted minute of opinion, argument, prediction and downright waffle that has been produced this week, I would be able to retire to warmer climes.

But I can’t, so I choose instead to ignore it. Too many big mouths, even among the players who will take the field tomorrow – too much hot air, too much wasted energy.

I understand that the blizzard of pre-match nonsense this year has included a spat about the use of, and meaning of, the word ‘hate’ in the context of this match and the rivalry between England and Wales. It is a small word with a big meaning, entirely negative, and ultimately of no use to those seeking to win any sporting contest.

Passion, commitment, desire, respect for one’s opponents – these are good feelings to carry into such a contest, and far more positive ones too.

But it would be remiss of me not to join in with everyone else and make a prediction about the outcome. I just cannot see England turning around the 30-3 defeat to Wales last year, even on home soil. So, Wales to win by 10-15 points. Let’s just hope it’s a good game.