There is still some "old money" and some long-term inherited landholdings and titles. These define the upper class, who are not to be judged by speech habits or manners.

Then there are those who bought all their own furniture, as the Tory grandees used dismissively to say of Micheal Heseltine. But those can still be part of the ruling class, as, it seems, can some who would roundly fail other normal criteria from above of class, to judge by some MPs.

Class is otherwise largely about speech habits, table manners (NB, only the upper classes may throw bread rolls), the residual parts of U and non-U, and not being naff, these days.

"Posh" Spice will never be upper middle class because she is naff, and does it very well, but NAFF. Likewise Mr Beckham. And all the other premiership footballers, who have raised unacceptable ostentation to an artform.

Courtiers used (probably rightly) to say that Sarah Ferguson was "Vulgar, vulgar, vulgar", and not many can still tell the difference.

Tony Benn probably does have class, and is not vulgar.

Tony B Liar is vulgar.

The (original) Rolling Stones were good lower middle class grammar schoolboys.


Buggered if I know what it has to do with the "right" to listen to or to sing folk music.