Gove has gone - hallelujah

[intexasatthe moment]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-28302487

[Mick Mac]

Shame - hope his A level policies remain.

[vgrant]

he is scum

[Louisa]

Gove always reminds me of the camp landlord in the cult 70s film "The Wicker Man".

Louisa.

[Mick Mac]

Who is replacing him?

Ah - Nick Morgan.... ?

[Townleygreen]

a woman I believe.

Teachers will be pleased he's gone...to say the least he is despised

[DaveR]

"Teachers will be pleased he's gone"

Parents and pupils less so.

[holloway]

i feel a little bit sorry for gove, he is the only member of cameron's cabinet with a fairly working class background, felt he got a bit of a kicking for it.

[BECKENHAM CENTRAL]

I can't really tell why I dislike Gove.

Can anyone post what he has actually done wrong? I'm not defending him, I just want justification for why I popped open the champagne and ran naked down Sydenham Road shouting 'WHOOOHOOOO' when I heard the news. The police are here and I need a reason because I can't think of one except that he is annoying.

[????]

What DaveR said. As a parent I've liked almost all of the reforms he's bought in and the decent ones that Labour bought in that he's kept going. The fact that many teachers seem to hate him was just a bonus as far as I was concerned. As my son got told off for 'asking too many questions' last week , when they weren't on strike obviously, I'm all for reform and accountability.

[BrandNewGuy]

The yah-boo playground stuff from the teachers' unions and their friends in the media is tiresome - they've had a go at every Education Secrtary in living memory, though they felt some affection towards ex-teacher Estelle Morris, who was perhaps the least competent Cabinet Minister of the Blair years. This constant shrill criticism comes across as a kneejerk childish hatred of the big boss rather than geuine criticism meant to help come to grips with the significant challenges of our mediocre education system.

As one of my favourite blogs put it last year:

"Mary Bousted, the general secretary of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers, will tell the ATL conference in Liverpool that the Conservative reforms are "undermining and harming our pupils' education," the Guardian tells us.

But that isn't news. It is what the teachers' unions have always said, whoever is in power. It be news if she had said anything different.

Which suggests there are two thumping contradictions in the unions' thinking.

The first is that they hold these two beliefs:

All schools should be run by the democratically elected government.

It is an outrage if that democratically elected government seeks to make changes in the way school are run.

The second is that they hold these two beliefs:

Every change made in education for as long as anyone can remember has been disastrous (that is why we campaigned against them).

Standards in our schools are higher than they have ever been.

Discuss. Do not attempt to write on both sides of the paper at once."

http://liberalengland.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/the-contradictions-in-teaching-unions.html

FWIW I thought Gove was politicially inept and more usually wrong than right.

[Mick Mac]

???? Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> What DaveR said. As a parent I've liked almost all

> of the reforms he's bought in and the decent ones

> that Labour bought in that he's kept going. The

> fact that many teachers seem to hate him was just

> a bonus as far as I was concerned. As my son got

> told off for 'asking too many questions' last week

> , when they weren't on strike obviously, I'm all

> for reform and accountability.

Ha - Chip off the old block.

[vgrant]

Christ - are you from the colonies as well ?

Where are you all coming from ? as papa smurf used to say

[Mick Mac]

I'm against constant reform of education as I guess everyone is but I'm in favour of Gove's general gist (as it appeared to me at least) that exams/coursework combo had become easier and needed to be readdressed in favour of detailed study and testing.

I believe the old fashioned A level approach of going into great detail on a particular subject rather than a generalist level of knowledge on a bigger subject area goes far in life.

The message from universities and employers was clear - A levels as they had become had left students ill-equipped for the next stage.

[StraferJack]

Book now open on how long before teaching unions complain about gove replacement

I'm no gove fan, but this reshuffle is a curious business.

[DaveR]

"Christ - are you from the colonies as well ?

Where are you all coming from ? as papa smurf used to say"

Why are you such a tiresome and obnoxious tw@t?

[Louisa]

This reshuffle is a typical end of term political reboot of the cabinet, to make the team appear fresh with adequate disconnect from the negativity of the past, but equally able to hammer home the positives in the glare of media hype. The Tories have a toxic problem associated with their team, which could mean the difference between a hung parliament or small majority after the next election. The UKIP bubble has predictably caught a slow puncture on the road to 2015 post European Elections, and Cameron assumes by tinkering with the cabinet he can at least try to disperse some of the 'white, public school educated and privileged' tag associated with the cabinet/party in general, and appear more in touch and representative over the coming months.

Louisa.

[JohnL]

Just saw on twitter

@David_Cameron David Gauke is promoted to Financial Secretary to the treasury #reshuffle

@frankieboyle @David_Cameron this is like transfer deadlne day for c***s

[Saffron]

Glad to see him go. His seemingly un-researched and haphazard railroading of curricula without proper consultation was irksome. Not optimistic about the replacement. Meh. Government.

[Loz]

StraferJack Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> I'm no gove fan, but this reshuffle is a curious business.

It was flagged a couple of days ago - an election next year and Dave needed to get more women into the cabinet to nullify an obvious angle of attack from Labour, plus to lose a few of the old guard that all seem to be hanging up the boots at the next election anyway.

[StraferJack]

I get the whole rationale behind reshuffles, and I get the specifics around this one. But still, I think the dynamics at the top of the party have yet to be played out, and a couple of people will settle scores in years to come

Whatever the perception of the cabinet, I share the opinion that the more intellegent/dynamic players have been targetted and that overall, the performance of the cabinet will take a hit

2 things to qualify that:

1 - doesn't mean I often liked/agreed with what some of those moved on did

2 - doesn't mean I'm against more women in the cabinet. I'm not weeping over the Mail/Telegraph "middle aged white men" angle

[vgrant]

DaveR Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> "Christ - are you from the colonies as well ?

>

> Where are you all coming from ? as papa smurf used

> to say"

>

> Why are you such a tiresome and obnoxious tw@t?

because you are here is reason enough

[edcam]

Hated Gove, glad he's gone. Now we have Nicky Morgan, who voted against marriage equality. This I find worrying.

[david_carnell]

Interestingly or not, not one of the new Dept for Education team was state school educated.

[Alex K]

Gove may have become toxic. So: Away with him; but not with his policies. A new face at the helm, yes, but the tiller is held steady, and the ship continues to move in the same direction, accruing more and more momentum. Over the falls or into safe harbour? We shall find out.

And one of the most articulate and aggressive Conservatives is freed from ministerial work to carry battle into the Labour / Liberal / UKIP camps.

This might get interesting.