Stuart Broad is in hot water. The millionaire cricketer who was privately educated at the Oakham School in Rutland, one of the most prestigious and elite schools in the land, has tweeted, “I’ve heard if you earn minimum wage in England you’re in the top 10% earners in the world. #stay #humble.” That tweet is surely open to interpretation. Was Broad really telling people in the UK who are on the minimum wage (£6.50 an hour) that they should “stay humble” for living in, or near, poverty or was he making a point about poverty in the rest of the world? Or was he just thinking out loud?
He’s apologised now so I think we should leave it at that. My last two jobs, for two of the largest supermarkets in the land, paid barely more than the minimum wage and there was never an issue about me remaining humble (whatever that means). Nor was there among my colleagues, many of whom were dependant on top ups from the state (you know, the tax credits for working people which are being cut by Gideon Osborne), who were just grateful to have enough money to eat and keep them warm through the winter.
I do not begrudge Broad one penny of his wealth. He is a world class cricketer, he has obviously worked incredibly hard to get where he is today and he has earned the right to be stinking rich, beyond the wildest dreams of most of us. In fact, we should be celebrating his success, not berating him or being jealous. Is there a but? Only a small one. What he said was open to interpretation and could, if interpreted the wrong way, could make him look a bit sneering and superior, especially given his privileged background. I don’t buy that because I simply don’t know whether he meant to come across and sneering and superior but my guess is that he has simply been guilty of a lazy, non-thinking tweet and who on twitter hasn’t done that?
Sorry was not the hardest word for Broad and now he has said it, and apparently meant it, that should be that. I had a pop at him last night, referring to him as ‘posh boy’ and maybe that wasn’t the brightest thing to tweet either. We’ve all done it.
Broad’s dad, Chris, used to play cricket for Knowle in Bristol, not far from one of the poorer estates in the city, so I suspect the family does know the difference between rich and poor.
And even if he did mean it in a disparaging way, then he’s allowed to do that in a free society. It’s called having an opinion.
Move along, nothing to see here.
