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So, I& #39;ve not been able to sleep tonight. I have a feeling it might be the prospect of Michael Gove as Prime Minister.
"Why would that be then Chris?"
Glad you asked.
#CabinetCoup #Gove #ToryCoup
So, I& #39;ve not been able to sleep tonight. I have a feeling it might be the prospect of Michael Gove as Prime Minister.
"Why would that be then Chris?"
Glad you asked.
#CabinetCoup #Gove #ToryCoup
So obviously we& #39;ve had two years of intractable Maybot. And obvs, we& #39;re all sick of it. Her "speech" to the nation last week, delivered half an hour late, fell as flat as Boris& #39;s leadership bid in 2016. Presumably the Conservative Party will be looking for a new approach? Uh-huh.
From 2014. Horowitz, a self-professed Conservative interviews Gove.
"The truth of the matter is that as our time together slips by, I come to realise that I might as well be interviewing Stonehenge. Everything I throw at him bounces back." https://www.spectator.co.uk/2014/03/the-disturbing-certainty-of-michael-gove/">https://www.spectator.co.uk/2014/03/t...
"The truth of the matter is that as our time together slips by, I come to realise that I might as well be interviewing Stonehenge. Everything I throw at him bounces back." https://www.spectator.co.uk/2014/03/the-disturbing-certainty-of-michael-gove/">https://www.spectator.co.uk/2014/03/t...
Gove& #39;s intractability is well known. This letter, from 2013, was written by Ralph Manning, a lecturer in Primary Education from the University of East Anglia. https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/letters/letters-gove-ignores-the-real-issues-with-the-curriculum-8551923.html">https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/le...
This letter was written as a response to Gove& #39;s reaction to a letter written by 100 academics, including Manning, who had criticisms over government plans for the curriculum. Gove responded to the letter by labelling the academics "Marxists" and "enemies of promise".
Manning - "The criticism was a response to Mr Gove’s blinkered, almost messianic, self-belief, which appears to have continually ignored the expertise and wisdom of teachers, head-teachers, advisers and academics, whom he often claims to have consulted."
He continues - "We are people whose lives are devoted to helping the next generation to succeed and prosper in education, not political fanatics."
Gove& #39;s personality isn& #39;t exactly refreshing. Nor is his inclination to use smears to discredit genuine concerns.
Gove& #39;s personality isn& #39;t exactly refreshing. Nor is his inclination to use smears to discredit genuine concerns.
But that& #39;s not a surprise, and it& #39;s nothing new. Gove disgracefully backed up the Daily Mail when they launched their now infamous assault against Ed Miliband& #39;s late father. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-24363765">https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-p...
Gove was a passionate supporter of Iraq and even a fan of Tony Blair. He wrote this article in 2008, proudly claiming that :
"The liberation of Iraq has been that rarest of things – a proper British foreign policy success." https://www.scotsman.com/news/michael-gove-triumph-of-freedom-over-evil-1-1302486">https://www.scotsman.com/news/mich...
"The liberation of Iraq has been that rarest of things – a proper British foreign policy success." https://www.scotsman.com/news/michael-gove-triumph-of-freedom-over-evil-1-1302486">https://www.scotsman.com/news/mich...
Gove is a well known neocon. But he also wants to privatise the NHS.
This story from 2009 gave David Cameron a headache. Gove co-authored a book called Direct Democracy which claimed that the NHS "is no longer relevant in the 21st century." https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2009/aug/16/tory-mps-back-nhs-dismantling">https://www.theguardian.com/politics/...
This story from 2009 gave David Cameron a headache. Gove co-authored a book called Direct Democracy which claimed that the NHS "is no longer relevant in the 21st century." https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2009/aug/16/tory-mps-back-nhs-dismantling">https://www.theguardian.com/politics/...
So it& #39;s starting to feel like Tory Bingo here. Ticking all the boxes.
Ludicrous gestures made to the Royal Family in a time of austerity? Check. https://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/17/world/europe/education-minister-suggests-a-yacht-for-queen-elizabeth-ii.html">https://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/1...
Ludicrous gestures made to the Royal Family in a time of austerity? Check. https://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/17/world/europe/education-minister-suggests-a-yacht-for-queen-elizabeth-ii.html">https://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/1...
Archaic, insane views on the death penalty? Check. (And coincidentally in the same article, he says that the Stephen Lawrence inquiry was marred by McCarthyism and that it bore the "whiff of Salem".) https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/conservative/11595776/Michael-Gove-new-Justice-Secretary-wanted-to-bring-back-hanging.html">https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/poli...
State schools run for profit? Yes and ho. https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2012/may/29/michael-gove-open-state-schools-profit">https://www.theguardian.com/politics/...
Gove : "There are some of my colleagues in the coalition who are very sceptical of the benefits of profit. I have an open mind. I believe that it may be the case that we can augment the quality of state education by extending the range of people involved in its provision."
I mean, this could go on forever. Seriously. It might if I& #39;m not careful. So I& #39;m going to play a bit more Tory Bingo and then bring us to a conclusion.
In 2009 he was criticised for "flipping" his home, claiming items at the taxpayer& #39;s expense in the process. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/mps-expenses/5305434/Michael-Gove-flipped-homes-MPs-expenses.html">https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/news...
"He also claimed for a £750 Loire table – although the Commons’ authorities only allowed him to claim £600 – a birch Camargue chair worth £432 and a birdcage coffee table for £238.50. Other claims in the five-month period included Egyptian cotton sheets from the White Company..."
"...a £454 dishwasher, a £639 range cooker, a £702 fridge freezer and a £19.99 Kenwood toaster."
Good for him.
Good for him.
Gove also infamously interviewed Trump just after he won the 2016 election and came back home extolling the virtues of the sexist, racist idiot. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/jan/16/michael-gove-cheesy-puff-donald-trump-interview">https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2...
Gove - “I’m no expert in trade negotiations, but I can tell you that Trump is a dealmaker and he is confident he can make a deal that is win-win for Britain and America.”
I& #39;m no expert.
In trade negotiations.
I& #39;m no expert.
In trade negotiations.
He& #39;s also been accused of nepotism. Imagine. https://news.sky.com/story/michael-gove-risks-new-whitehall-row-over-choice-of-defra-directors-11272376">https://news.sky.com/story/mic...
To be fair, I don& #39;t know where he got the idea that nepotism was a good thing ohhhhhhh https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/uk/2018/10/quiet-rise-securocrat-mark-sedwill-new-head-civil-service">https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/...
His 2000 comments on Northern Ireland have been widely publicised this week.
I mean, I live here. And yes - he would. And that& #39;s not just a concern for Northern Ireland. It& #39;s a concern for the whole of the UK. No-one wants that conflict back. https://www.irishtimes.com/news/world/uk/michael-gove-a-fanatic-who-would-damage-peace-process-1.2710224">https://www.irishtimes.com/news/worl...
I mean, I live here. And yes - he would. And that& #39;s not just a concern for Northern Ireland. It& #39;s a concern for the whole of the UK. No-one wants that conflict back. https://www.irishtimes.com/news/world/uk/michael-gove-a-fanatic-who-would-damage-peace-process-1.2710224">https://www.irishtimes.com/news/worl...
Gove& #39;s ties to Rupert Murdoch are well known. To be honest he& #39;s a bit of a fan boy. https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/commentators/matthew-norman/matthew-norman-let-us-never-forget-the-stench-of-this-rank-corruption-7462447.html">https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/co...
Here& #39;s a little glimpse into the bromance. If you dig deeper I assure you, there& #39;s plenty more.
THERE& #39;S JUST SO MUCH ON THIS GUY.
And we continue (but we near the end)
THERE& #39;S JUST SO MUCH ON THIS GUY.
And we continue (but we near the end)
In 2012 Gove lost a case concerning the Freedom of Information Act, in which he contended that e-mails sent from a private account were not subject to FOI. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-17235168">https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-p...
From the article : "The Campaign for Freedom of Information said the commissioner& #39;s decision had closed off two "potentially vast loopholes" which would have allowed "industrial scale evasion" of the Freedom of Information Act."
Of course, we can& #39;t bow out without acknowledging his time as Education Secretary. In 2013, the Association of Teachers and Lecturers passed a no confidence motion. For the first time ever. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/educationnews/9952410/Teachers-pass-vote-of-no-confidence-in-Michael-Gove.html">https://www.telegraph.co.uk/education...
This was followed by the NUT just a week later... https://www.theguardian.com/education/2013/apr/02/nut-no-confidence-michael-gove">https://www.theguardian.com/education...
...and finally by the National Association of Head Teachers conference where Gove was subsequently heckled throughout his speech. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-22558756">https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/educ...
But I can& #39;t sign off on Gove without mentioning his failed bid for the 2016 leadership where he blindsided his long time ally and friend Boris Johnson in an incident that had the nation nodding at each other in unison and simply saying, "Tories, eh?" knowingly.
Gove of course had no interest in the job just two months before. That in itself is nothing new - we see it all the time. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/05/06/michael-gove-rules-out-running-for-tory-leader-and-says-his-frie/">https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016...
But Gove& #39;s betrayal of Johnson was shameless, public and utterly born out of self-interest. The Telegraph call it "the most spectacular political assassination in a generation."
Not much sympathy for Johnson. But just further evidence of Tory disloyalty. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/06/30/boris-johnsons-allies-accuse-michael-gove-of-systematic-and-calc">https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016...
Not much sympathy for Johnson. But just further evidence of Tory disloyalty. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/06/30/boris-johnsons-allies-accuse-michael-gove-of-systematic-and-calc">https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016...
So in summary. Michael Gove is a genuinely dangerous prospect for many, many reasons. There are areas I didn& #39;t even touch on here. His time as Environment Secretary, for instance. And Brexit! And no, I didn& #39;t forget about Brexit.
Gove is a known Eurosceptic. Murdoch is a close ally and a huge proponent of No Deal. I can& #39;t say I& #39;m not concerned.
However. I& #39;m aware that if Gove gets into office, he may fight a General Election. I suspect that he has no problem with a coronation under the right circumstances and could hang onto the role. So this thread is here for general use. Apologies if it was long and plodding.
