You may be interested in a BBC Radio 4 report on 'suitable' accents for party leaders in Britain that was broadcast on Monday, 18 July 2005. The audio file is accessible free of charge via
Veronika Koller Lecturer in Critical Discourse Analysis Department of Linguistics and English Language Lancaster University Bailrigg, Lancaster LA1 4YT Phone: ++44-(0)1524-594642 Fax: ++44-(0)1524-843085 Web: http://www.ling.lancs.ac.uk/staff/koller/index.htm
'It is justice, not charity, that is wanting in the world.' (Mary Wollstonecraft)