This is a daring, provocative, and unusually frank discussion of the gap--the invisible yet powerful divide between classes--which has always and perhaps always will plague Britain. To pretend that class distinctions are a thing of the past is nothing more than an ostrich-like attempt at idealism. Through fine observation and extensive research, and by covering issues as diverse as the distribution of wealth, the significance of speech patterns, and the politics of egalitarianism, Ferdinand Mount pursues an illusive answer to the fundamental question: how can oppressive inequality in Britain be wiped out once and for all?