Historian David Starkey has provoked controversy following his Friday appearance on Newsnight, in which he suggested that Britain's recent riots were in part caused by an adoption and integration of "black culture" amongst the white working class.
Owen Jones spoke about Chavs: The Demonization of the Working Class on BBC Breakfast yesterday morning.
Joined by Daily Mail journalist Harry Phibbs, Owen talked about how the working class have increasingly become an object of fear and ridicule in modern Britain. In an enlivening debate, the discussion looked at commonly held attitudes towards the term 'chav,' and examined what such attitudes say about the social divides still apparent across Brtitain today.
Visit BBC Breakfast to watch the interview
Owen Jones was interviewed by Samuel Grove for the New Left Project about the 'chav' phenomenon, the crisis of working-class representation in politics and media, and a new class politics for the 21st century.
In an article for New Left Project, Owen Jones explains the importance of today's strikes:
J30 can only be a start - and, more importantly, a catalyst. Think back to the first student demonstration in November. 52,000 students turned up, taking everyone by surprise - not least the demonstrators themselves. For the first time, many of them felt a sense of power. It kickstarted a wave of student protests and occupations. J30 must have a similar role for the labour movement, encouraging other workers to think that it is possible to resist.