Michael Gove

[grabot]

He gets a lot of stick on the East Dulwich forum. I often find myself wanting to develop a contrary line of thought. But I am genuinely struggling to feel anything positive about him. In fact I can't really get past his face, which looks that of an unnaturally aged 7 year old. Anyone got anything positive to give me? I have reconciled to him being around for a while at least.

[steveo]

He's the only man in the government with a vision.

It might be the wrong vision but he's got one

[El Pibe]

oh i think quite a few of them have a vision it's just communicating "let's party like it's 1899" doesn't tend to play well with the public!!

That aside i did have a good guffaw at that :)

[grabot]

"He's the only man in the government with a vision.

It might be the wrong vision but he's got one"

Yes, I am afraid that doesn't help. In general my experience of people with visions, is that rather having some deep insight they are prone to a solipsistic tendency to ignore the complexities of reality. But then again I would class myself as a gloomy existentialist...

[steveo]

Cheer up grabot - if you are real that is

[????]

He's not a toff

He's the most radical person in the govt

He's trying to change things

The Guardianista's hate him

Social media hates him (correlated to the above strongly)

What's not to like?

[grabot]

Ha, so possibly the best thing about him is that he is even more irritating to a number of people who I may find irritating. I guess that works for me in a fashion.

[????]

works the other way too - when *that lot* start loving someone, I start to dislike them...eg Russell Brand

[El Pibe]

a fellow hammer?!?!

[????]

...it gives him a little more slack.......otherwise I'd detest him

Noel Edmonds is a Hammer too, don't forget

[DaveR]

Hazel Blears came out publicly yesterday to support his line on extremism in schools. Many of the more thoughtful commentators on education (teachers and opposition politicians included) have supported many of the measures he has introduced. Knee jerk opposition from self-interested teachers and parody urban lefties (see Quids above) is a sign he's doing something right. I think recently he's been caught up in the reaction to UKIP/pressure from the Tory right, hence the rubbish about British vs foreign literature, but generally he's a very effective SoS. He does get a lot of stick on the EDF, but little in the way of coherent argument about actual policies.

[El Pibe]

I dunno, he normally gets taken to task for the stupid things he _does_ do; effective management of a govt dept is never newsworthy after all.

dropping english language classics because theyre not british is pretty awful knee jerk ukip appeasement, and that whole WW1 historical revisionism certainly wound me up.

[grabot]

I am finding his spat with Theresa May distasteful, it smacks of schoolyard Machiavellianism. But, I have to admit that I have not really bothered to fully understand the arguments on each side for the reasons stated in my OP.

[uncleglen]

He gets it in the neck firstly because he is a Tory Education Secretary- and by definition will incur the wrath of teachers- just because.

I think reducing the opportunities for students to sit exams is primarily a money saving exercise.

Prior to this current regime, A level students could sit some of their modules up to 4 times each. And if they take 4 subjects at AS and 3 at A2 that was potentially 38 exams altogether. Some students may have an A on a module but would resit to get a better A and maximise their UCAS points on easy modules since they cannot resit their final June modules.

People have to be paid to produce them, invigilate them, mark them, sit with students over lunch time when they have clashes so that they do not access phones and computers.

Most schools would not pay for all resits and parents would pay but even so the process must be subsidised since they do not cost very much.

Also he is reforming BTEC exams- the dropout rate of students who get into uni with a BTEC (all coursework- does not appear to be externally moderated!)is high so subjecting BTEC students to sitting exams may reduce the dropout rate.

[grabot]

OK, reducing scope for resits is sensible. I hadn't realised how prevalent it is nowadays. It seems like a charter for pushy parents and schools to squeeze students through the system to the general detriment of educational welfare, mitigating factors aside...

[DaveR]

"Liam Nolan, the head teacher who successfully turned around Perry Beaches school in Birmingham, thinks Mr Gove is a hero rather than a villain. ?I?m a Labour-voting member of the NUT but I think it?s an absolute disgrace that he is being criticised for a success story. In the past, schools have been too willing to blame culture or poverty for lack of success. We don?t take any excuses. I want the children I serve to have the same chances as children who go to Eton or Harrow. Michael Gove has exactly the same mission.?

From yesterday's Sunday Times