Print this pagePrint this page.

Recent Publications by New English Review Authors
In Praise of Prejudice: The Necessity of Preconceived Ideas
by Theodore Dalrymple
Defending The West:
by Ibn Warraq
Nations, Language and Citizenship:
by Norman Berdichevsky
Romancing Opiates
by Theodore Dalrymple
Which Koran?
by Ibn Warraq
Our Culture, What's Left of It
by Theodore Dalrymple
What The Koran Really Says
by Ibn Warraq
Life at the Bottom
by Theodore Dalrymple
The Origins of the Koran
by Ibn Warraq
Why I Am Not Muslim
by Ibn Warraq
Spanish Vignettes: An Offbeat Look Into Spain's Culture, Society & History
by Norman Berdichevsky
Leaving Islam
Edited by Ibn Warraq
Friday, 9 May 2008
Two kinds of Etonian

Boris Johnson, bless him, is considered a bit of a toff because he went to Eton. However, he went to Eton on a scholarship, and is probably less of a toff than many Labour supporters. Etonians are not all the same; as Charles Moore points out, there are two kinds:

The growing power of Islam in Britain has forced the British public to learn more about its component parts — Sunnis and Shiites, Deobandis and Barelwis, and so on. By the same token, I feel it is time for a more thorough understanding of Etonians as they start their reconquista of our country. They divide into two groups — Collegers and Oppidans. At any one time, there are only 70 Collegers and more than 1,200 Oppidans, but Collegers are scholars and represent the original purpose of the foundation, so they have an importance beyond their numbers. Collegers tend to live off their wits, Oppidans off their inheritance. Oppidans are more relaxed and confident, Collegers more twitchy and more original. Collegers make better companions at high table, but you would rather go into the jungle with Oppidans. George Orwell was a Colleger, James Bond was an Oppidan. Just because Collegers and Oppidans are both Etonians, it should not be supposed that there is a natural alliance between the two. David Cameron is a typical Oppidan of the top class. Boris Johnson is a typical Colleger ditto. That, in essence, is all you need to know about them. (I am a Colleger, by the way, so my witness may be considered tainted.)

Charles Moore may be right about Etonians, but he's wrong about Islam. The divisions of Islam are far less significant than the division of Muslim and Infidel.

Posted on 4:59 AM by Mary Jackson
Comments
No comments yet.
Most Recent Posts at The Iconoclast
Search The Iconoclast
Enter text, Go to search:
 
The Iconoclast Posts by Author
The Iconoclast Archives
sun mon tue wed thu fri sat
     1 2 3
4 5 6 7 8 9 10
11 12 13 14 15 16 17
18 19 20 21 22 23 24
25 26 27 28 29 30 31

RSS Site Feed
RSS Feed