Michael Gove is now standing

JessM - what an awful depressing story about your school. Gove really is responsible for backward steps in education.

Gove as a ventriloquist's puppet

So many good young teachers leaving the teaching profession it is heart breaking.

Obieone, I am not sure what animals going to slaughter is about; however I do know much about negotiating agreements and you just have to take your personal views out of the equation, so this is why, despite her own personal view, I am confident that Teresa May would negotiate the very best deal for the country and her view should not be a deciding factor on whether she is the best candidate for prime minister. We must remember the negotiations will only be part of the job. for me none of the other candidates appeal; regretfully Angela Landsome has a bit of a blotted copy book and none of the men appear honest or competent enough. Incidentally I don't vote conservative and labour well the best you can say is that their leader is a disaster. Hope my explanation helps.

Well I am impressed by Theresa May. She proposed the Modern Slavery Bill now Act. I think she is a quiet sincere capable woman. She is the longest serving home secretary which is a difficult job. Gove said he didn't have what it takes to be a prime minister and Andrea Ledson was saying it would be hard work. Gove alienated teachers so much he had to be moved.

And for those who missed it, this interesting article about the particular talents that Gove and Johnson brought with them from journalism to politics.

www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/jun/25/boris-johnson-michael-gove-eu-liars

Tens of thousands of teachers know that he is not interested in the opinions of experts - just his own ideological bees in his bonnet. I remember calling the Tory candidate in the constituency the month before the last-but-one election and he did a great job in parroting the Gove line - that the way (and, it appeared, the only way) that school standards would be raised would be by introducing free schools across the country. He wiggled away from of the education brief when the flak started to fly on the amount of money that was being dished out to various iffy outfits to set up free schools that catered for small numbers of children in all kinds of unsuitable buildings. (And poor results and inadequate governance in some academies)

www.standard.co.uk/news/education/michael-gove-under-fire-for-outrageous-45million-spend-on-free-school-in-london-9223335.html
www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-tyne-30884169
www.heart.co.uk/sussex/news/local/crawley-free-school-close/#prZXA4KKkLw1tGY4.97

www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-25369094 www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/collective-spirit-school-chadderton-ofsted-11540040

He is ghastly, truly ghastly. JessM's post rings true with me, as a fellow governor.

The dreaded Nicki is following his lead -our wee primary school - which is a joy - like a big family - is in the firing line for being forced into becoming an academy. Why oh why? - if it ain't broke don't fix it (or more likely wreck it)

He kept calling people 'yesterday men 'having totally forgotten he was a yesterday man himself....

I remember that gaffe! And this man was in charge of raising educational standards! Hahaha!

I suppose it's marginally better than when IDS admitted that something (can't remember exactly what) wasn't true, but HE believed it was, therefore it was.

PS. What's happened to IDS? He seems to have gone into hiding.

I don't feel confident with a man who doesn't understand 'average' .

I haven't read all the posts so apologies if it has already been done stating not equipped to be PM
He also made the statement in the run up to the referendum that he didn't trust experts- would love to see him have an operation with someone not an expert surgeon!

He was an utter disaster for education so I would hate to have him in charge!

Turning all schools into academies was never going to raise standards and Gove was warned. He didn't listen. I could recount many horror stories about what's actually happening behind the scenes in schools.

Well Boris obviously thought he would join the Leave campaign get loads of personal publicity and then Remain would win and Boris would shortly thereafter step into the shoes of Dopey Dave.
I would have thought that the staff rooms in secondary schools (and many primaries as well) are decorated with effigies of Gove with pins stuck into his most tender places. He single handedly caused a major and backward looking upheaval to the curriculum and the exam system. Not content with that he pushed thousands of schools into becoming academies. Let me tell you a story as I was in the firing line as a chair of governors at the time.
Our school, on a deprived council estate, had been improving exam results year on year - the best that the school had managed in its 40 year history. We had just received a Good from OFSTED and we were just 1% below the target level of 5 a-c grades including English and Maths. Gove decreed that all "failing" schools were to become academies and that no exceptions were to be made. We were classed as failures despite our senior team improving the prospects of the kids and the school was happy and stable - important when there were so many kids with troubled home lives. We were told we could "choose our own sponsor". There were a lot of schools in the same boat and not enough sponsors and the sensible ones had closed their books. We spoke to some absolute chancers who were trying to set themselves up as sponsors. WE eventually selected one called XXX. Little known to us they took on dozens of schools that year, far beyond their capacity to support (remember these were nominally schools that needed support). I stepped down at the end of the year as we were contemplating a move to another area. 9 months later the head became seriously ill and died within 4 months. The week he died XXX eventually woke up (having done nothing all year) and parachuted in an "executive head" who decided to make the entire senior team redundant. Too expensive it seems. They were not allowed to complete the school year. Exam results dropped by 50%. They stayed at that level the following year. Gove's high handed bullying had spoiled the chances of a lot of kids and taken away the stability that many of them needed. And destroyed a happy school. If the local authority had still been around I have no doubt that the outcome would have been entirely different. To say that his actions were unforgivable is a gross understatement.

obieone Thu 30-Jun-16 10:29:16

I think those are the sort of decisions you have to make for yourself not tease the GN members with.

Yes tegan not an ounce of integrity between them.

But Gove made those promises as well. Makes it more disgusting that the referendum was won by lies?

There is a suggestion that there was an almighty row in the Brexit camp, as Gove said that Johnson couldn't deliver on the promises made in the campaign. Support began to drain away as a result so Johnson caved in.

Maybe it's been obvious since last week that Boris was in meltdown?

I think Boris has realised what he's done and is now running for the hills.

I didn't know whether to put this on the Gove or Bozzer thread - maybe we need a joint one

Gove was last night texting Johnson's supporters urging them to turn up for his announcement to stand but by 9 this morning he was standing himself?

Did he really have such a last minute change of heart .... or is he a real Macheavellian and planned to back-stab all along?

It's all so thrilling!

I think Boris realises he cannot deliver on any of his promises he made for the Brexit.

Gove now saying that there is a need for 'experienced people'.Err.....aren't they 'experts'?

Mmm. What a nasty little backstabber. One of the kind who thinks that insulting others make you look cleverer. He will be in for a disappointment probably. Do you think that email was 'leaked'or really some kind of accident? If you are married to a Government Minister you mus surely have some idea of the kind of security needed around messages you send to your husband - and why email him with such sensitive comments? Do they not speak? More smoke and mirrors, ladies!
Boris has now dropped his bombshell. He will surely be back; a polymath, possibly one of the smartest men of our time playing Falstaff when it suits.