The New Puritans: How the Religion of Social Justice Captured the Western World

by Andrew Doyle

the suggestion that rigorous standards of spelling, punctuation and grammar are inherently ‘elitist’ overlooks one of the chief benefits of standardised English: that it guards against the development of a multi-tiered system of communication which bars certain individuals from the top echelons of society. Throughout history and across cultures, low levels of literacy have been the key factor in sustaining class divisions. It is in the interests of the powerful to keep the lower orders in a state of ignorance. Education brings with it equality of opportunity and the possibility of social mobility. Standards in written English do not perpetuate elitism, they act as a guarantee against it. If it is true that pupils from particular demographics are failing to achieve their goals, the solution is not to dispense with standards altogether but to improve the education system itself. There is a perverse determinism, not to mention a mild form of racism, in the suggestion that certain ethnic groups are destined for academic failure. As headmistress Katharine Birbalsingh has argued, the proposition that accurate written English is ‘white, male and elite’ does nothing to close the attainment gap, but rather ‘masks the fact that our schools are not delivering and ensures only rich white guys will ever succeed’