So he's rich. So what.

Over the last 24 hours, Labour and their pet newspapers have attempted to draw a very clear line in the sand; giving the clearest indicator yet as to the lines on which they will be fighting this election.

If you take a look at the political coverage on The Mirror's website today, you will find yourself unable to move for the multitude of stories imploring voters to avoid David Cameron based solely on his upbringing.  The popular press would have you believe that his privileged upbringing makes him completely unable to relate to the man-in-the-street and therefore makes him unsuitable to lead our country.

But why should the wealth or background of a political leader have any bearing on their party's ability to govern?  Is it really fair to condemn David Cameron for something he had no choice over?

The press would like you to believe that Cameron made a conscious choice to be born into a life of privilege; nothing could be further from the truth.  The fact of the matter is that it could so easily have been any one of us.  As the man himself admits, he was very fortunate.  But that is it; he is nothing more than a very lucky man.

As for the allegations that he has none of the life-experiences that any Prime Minister needs; they may have a point.  But that is where his Cabinet will come in.

In the leader-focussed world of today's politics, the press seem to forget (when it suits them) that we are not electing a President, rather a team of people who are united in their beliefs and visions for this country.  They have been assembled to pool their vast experience in order to create a working, competent government.  They are there to share their experience with each other, to fill the gaps and to help the government arrive at workable, realistic decisions.

Let me be clear here, the plutocratic Conservative Party of the past is long gone; and it died longer ago than you may care to think.

Edward Heath was of a humble background, as was Margaret Thatcher.  People are always surprised when I tell them that John Major grew up in a Brixton slum, went to a normal state school and left at age 16 with three GCSEs.  The modern Conservative Party is a meritocracy, plain and simple.  Are we supposed to deny the leadership to the best candidates just because they come from a wealthy background?

Simply put, a preoccupation with the background of our potential leaders has the serious potential to backfire and leave us poorer, politically, for it.

In fact, since Alec Douglas-Home (46 years and eight Prime Ministers ago) there has been only one privately-educated Prime Minister; a certain Anthony Charles Lynton Blair and, the wars aside, he probably wasn't too bad.