Jasraj (Jazz)

This is the first edition of what I’m tentatively calling ‘The United Report’.

The intention is to curate a collection of writing, audio and video – mostly in relation to cultural, social and political issues as they pertain to the United Kingdom and the United States of America.

I’ve been thinking a bit about class structures, and I’ve been running various searches online this morning.

I’ve discovered that there are fewer classes in the US than the UK, even though one might expect the opposite, given the relative size and population of the two countries.

The scale between the two countries never ceases to amaze me. For some basic context, the population of the UK stands at about 68 million, with a land mass of roughly 244,000 square kilometers.

The population of the US is estimated to be around 340 million (about 5x more than the UK), whilst its land mass is 9.1 million square kilometres (about 37x more than the UK).

The population of Texas alone is about 30 million – and that single state is bigger than the UK.

Though, I did learn a few things about my local borough here in London just yesterday. It’s relatively green around here; we are very much on the urban/suburban border. Not quite rural countryside, but there’s plenty of green space here.

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One of the reasons I’ve been thinking about class is in the context of sport. In England, our women’s football team have taken the nation on a roller-coaster over these last couple of weeks. In defending their title and winning, for the second time in a row (it’s worth repeating that for emphasis), they have broken all kinds of records.

Many of the players in the starting-11 and wider squad come from towns and cities in the middle and north of England:

image via The Sunday Times newspaper, 27th July 2025

I couldn’t help but think of the so called “middle class” vs the “working class” and, that of the divide between the “South” and the “North” of England.

I think of the same divide between the cities and the country in the US.

And I remember well-meaning folks I’d met in Fort Worth, Texas, warning me that"them folks are different out there", when I was on my way to visit friends out in the country. (I spent time in Gilmer and Pittsburg; the latter of which is to be found in Camp County and has an area of less than 4 square miles, and a population of less than 5000).

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When it comes to higher education, the (air-quote-marks) “aspirational thing” in society and, indeed, to rise up the class ladder – has been to go to University.

This was helped along by Tony Blair’s message of ‘Education, education, education’. The reality now is that University presents a significant debt for one to get into, with no promise of a job afterwards – let alone a job in the same industry or, indeed, one that will lift you up the socio-economic ladder. Combine that with inflation, the rising cost of rent and living in (university) cities, I find myself asking:

Are the deeply-held views that attending University is aspirational (and synonymous with rising up aforementioned class ladder), whilst pursuing a trade or an apprenticeship is of a (lesser?) working class, a helpful one?

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As we have become more individualistic as time has gone on (see Richard Layard’s work, below), pursuing wealth and measuring national success by GDP, with widening gap between rich and poor in the US, UK and much of the world… we have to take stock and think, does the class system serve us, the majority?

How about a unifying CITIZEN class, instead?

One that sees northerner and southerner, university-goer and trade-school-goer, city dweller and country-bumpkin as equals.

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The reality is that the majority of us do not own £10 million in wealth, or even £5 million in wealth.

At the time of writing this Perplexity AI, drawing upon sources including The Sunday Times Rich List, tells us that around 1 in 350 UK adults is worth £10 million or more; that’s ~0.28% of the population, or less than a third of a per cent.

Roughly 1 in 100 UK adults could be worth £5 million or more.

I am increasingly wondering whether the class system actually benefits us.

And, indeed, if it possible to be aspirational, hard-working, and make a contribution to our local communities – beyond wealth – that is meaningful and lasting.

Richard Layard certainly thinks so. His was one of the books that inspired me to pursue a Masters in the field of Positive Psychology, or “human flourishing” back in 2015.

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I am increasingly of the view that there is a way to create good wellbeing outcomes and sustain ourselves, independently and as communities, financially.

Looking around at the state of the UK right now, the current model isn’t working.

I suppose the grand old question is “well, what’s the answer then?".

I am hopeful that, collectively, we can figure out the answers.

In fact, I’m quite sure of it.

Jazz.

July 29th 2025 ~ at the England Women’s homecoming celebration, St. James’s Park

The evening after the night before, I’m still reconciling exactly what this England team has done over this last fortnight.

They lost their very first match to France and have, since then, found their form – and built momentum – as the tournament progressed.

In their Quarter Final and Semi Final matches they went behind. In the midst of the ecstasy of those wins, their post-match interviews were measured and honest. In interviews with Lucy Bronze, Leah Williamson and Chloe Kelly, the tone was “we’re strong, we’re resilient, we know aren’t starting games in the best way, but we’re finding a way”.

Some of these individual stories have been remarkable.

Hannah Hampton being one of them. Her story and her performances through out the tournament, especially in these last three matches (two of which have gone to penalties), have been crucial. She she been a worthy replacement to her predecessor, Mary Earps.

Leah Williamson, who I’ve mentioned already, is another. I remember watching the live TV images of Leah Williamson and Billie Jean King chatting away, with passion and with focus, in the Royal Box during one of the Wimbledon Finals. I got goosebumps then, and I can’t help but wonder what words these two sporting powerhouses exchanged between them that day. (If you search their two names online, there are plenty of pictures and posts referencing this meeting of theirs).

And then there’s Lucy Bronze. Where to start? She has led by example from the back, running up and down the field from start to finish of every match, including these last 3 matches that have all gone beyond the 90 minutes. She revealed something yesterday that stopped me in my tracks:

“No one knew… but I broke my fibia before the tournament”.

Chloe Kelly, England’s heroine when they won their first major trophy, has seen herself frozen out of the Manchester City team in recent months. She created a move for herself to Arsenal, who won the Champions League this year. Last week, she celebrated the one-year anniversary of her marriage, calling it in a social media post “the happiest day of my life”. In an interview with The Times last year in which she opened up further on her wedding, saying:

“We’re in one room with everyone that you want to be there. I was more nervous than putting the ball in the back of the net against Germany. It doesn’t make sense.”

Coming off the bench yesterday, she created the equaliser that Alessia Russo beautifully rose for and headed into the net. Her words after the game?

“I knew I was going to score… I don’t miss two in a row!" She was referring to the penalty she initially have saved in extra time, before scoring with the re-bound, in the Semi Final against Italy.

I also think of Maya Le Tissier who, whilst is a rising star, had set up a WhatsApp group for the Euros tournament back in 2022 to celebrate images of their celebrations.

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‘Clicking’ celebrations & group chats - how England are bonding, via BBC Sport

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Something else I’ve noticed about this England team in an article I was reading in yesterday’s Times was many come from the middle and the north of the country, from rural towns and working class backgrounds. A marked difference from the backgrounds of those who find themselves playing sports like rugby and tennis, for example.

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This England team are the first women’s team to win back-to-back Euro tournaments, and the first English side to win a major trophy.

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I was heartened to see mentions of the love of wearing the English shirt, and the patriotism that shone through.

I find myself wondering how Thomas Tuchel and the England men’s team can feed off of this.

I think back to London 2012, the Olympics that saw a record medal haul, with investment being pumped into several sports following medal success. I think of Andy Murray who, up until that point, hadn’t won a Grand Slam. Beating Roger Federer in the Final in front of a home British crowd, he went on to win his first Grand Slam at the US Open a few weeks later, then won Wimbledon the following year (the first Men’s champions since Fred Perry in 1936), and went on to lift the Wimbledon trophy a second time, three years later.

There is much for the men to take from the example set by Lionesses' manager Sarina Wiegmann and what these players have achieved. Observing the post-match reactions on the pitch by the players and the coaching staff, morale is high (understandably) and, less obviously but more importantly (I would argue), the culture that has been created is strong.

I find myself thinking of the US women’s football team, and indeed of Mexico where the women’s football league there is one of the fast-growing in the world.

My Manchester United membership gets me a 1/3 off of women’s matches. I’m already casting my eye ahead to matches at Leigh Sports Village – and the likes of Maya Le Tissier, Grace Clinton (who came on as a substitute yesterday), Ella Toone and co.

And in London, you can watch 4 high-quality women’s matches at Chelsea’s iconic Stamford Bridge for as little as £55 with The Bridge Pass – including a fixture with newly-promoted side London City Lionesses.

The future of women’s football in the UK, and in England, is strong. I am looking forward to being a part of the story of the Lionesses and their counterparts, the Lions, over the months ahead and the years to come.

With the Women’s Super League growing year-on-year, there has never been a more exciting time for women’s football in England.

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“I’m really proud to be English right now, and I’m proud to be part of an amazing group of girls."

– Chloe Kelly, post-final press conference (via BBC Sport)