Oik declared victor in battle of cultures

There has been a great deal of discussion of Digby Anderson's publication "All Oiks Now". And, whether or not one agrees with Dr Anderson, the work may indeed spark discussion.
In his provocative book he claims that Middle England is in its death throes and is in terminal decline and its traditional values of self-reliance and self-restraint are in retreat, Where once a core of middle-aged, middle-class people in dull sweaters and sensible shoes could be relied upon to vote against higher taxes and to rail against homosexuality and lone parenthood, today there are only spendthrift, morally bereft “oiks”.

In the shopping mall, the restaurant, on the train and at sports matches and airports, one finds middle-aged, middle-class people “desperately apeing the dress and manners of the lower classes and yoof”. This we can witness in any public place Today’s middle classes, adults and children alike, behave in public places in ways their grandparents would have abhorred — speaking badly, showing off, being familiar with strangers and eating anywhere and anyhow, You only have to sit in departures at any UK airport to see an example of this. Children screaming, demanding and being given all that they demand. Queues at fast food outlets at 7.00 in the morning despite the fact that breakfast will be served on the plane shortly. Adults and children dressed in replica football strips, men and women drinking pints of larger at this early hour ‘cos we’re on ‘oliday init’ whilst the middle aged women sport a vest to show off their latest tattoo with midriff bulging over the waistband of their over tight white leggings finished off with gold mules.

These are the people grocer Jack saw in the bar in Spain, but they are not all ex-pats, they are the new middle England. They have bought their ex- council houses, claim thousands in benfits or are living off large compensation payouts from a broken fingernail at work. They can afford two holidays a year, a decent car on finance and more credit cards than you can throw a big stick at. New middle England is the former Essex man, woman and child. Footballers wives on acid. You only have to watch any late night TV show ie. Club reps, taxi nights, wife swap or any reality TV show to see what I mean – an alcohol and drug fuelled existence across all age groups..

I believe there is still an old cultured Middle England, but keeping its head down in the provinces for fear of violence or mugging. The country dwellers and habitants of market towns and traditional villages keep away from the large towns and cities unless absolutely necessary. In the future I believe that with an Orwellian vision we will have a two zone existence; those that dwell in the cities and those outside our only interaction and vision into each others way of life being through the evening news or daily newspapers.

Digby Anderson believes the oiks are fast becoming the majority, therefore fashion, food and entertainment goods manufactures cater for their tastes and needs, therefore the whole thing becoming self perpetuating and as a majority they have the voting power over our democracy – unfortunately I think he’s right but I wouldn’t call them Middle England. which conjures up a Vicar of Dibbley kind of lifestyle, but ‘Tony’s England’ which more resembles life with the Osbournes.

This posting ties in with an earlier one Is This England? which I posted earlier last month in reponse to Right Girls' Grim Tale