I made a point of saying I believe social mobility is a thing just that I believe it is more difficult thsb here, and then I provided what I thought was a pretty clear example.

You're supporting what I say by saying your only way out of your social class was the military, that's not the case here, someone born in poverty and someone born into wealth have equal opportunities to pursue the profession they want because finance is not an issue to get into third level.

Of course wealthy people have the advantage of paying for extra tuition and generally are surrounded by like minded people, while those from less affluent areas are more likely to be surrounded by people who turn to drugs and criminality.

To try simplify my point further. Grades are the only thing that affects where you can study here. Someone from the poorest sect in society can study in the best school provided their grades are good enough, finance is not an issue. The average poor student has the exact same opportunities as the average wealthy student.