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?

Sir William Robert Ferdinand Mount, 3rd Baronet (born 2 July 1939), known simply as Ferdinand Mount, is a British writer and novelist, columnist for The Sunday Times and commentator on politics, and Conservative Party politician. He was head of the policy unit in 10 Downing Street in 1982-83, during the time when Margaret Thatcher was Prime Minister, and wrote the 1983 Tory general election manifesto.

He attended Greenways Prep School in Wiltshire, and was later educated at Eton College and Christ Church, Oxford. In 1993 he succeeded his uncle as 3rd Baronet, but he does not use the title.