Gove has gone!

[bleedingheart]

Leaving education role, moving to chief whip I think

[MasqueradeWaltzer]

Damn, I wanted to be first to post that .

[Levantine]

What!! I didn't expect that

[Iggly]

DING DONG

[SeattleGraceMercyDeath]

Now

[sassytheFIRST]

WHOOP

[SeattleGraceMercyDeath]

FFS! If we could just get rid of 'call me Dave' and Jeremy Cunt things might improve...

[VanGogh]

DING! DONG! THE GOVE IS GONE!!!

[drivinmecrazy]

What difference will it actually make though? Unless the wheels and cogs that make up the education department are all changed, policy is not going to significantly change with a new face.
After all, the ministers are really just the face and voice of policy designed by the civil servants behind them, and unfortunately they will not change.
My betting is he's replaced by a woman, who they hope will be percieved by us as someone who is sympathetic to our concerns cos she is also a mother, whos own off spring will indubitably be educated at first rate state schools.

[Iggly]

No civil servants do not design policy - you clearly don't understand. They are told policy and have to come up with ways to implement it.

[MirandaWest]

Who's it going to be instead? Can't see it will be any better tbh.

[MirandaWest]

Although obviously very glad he has gone of course :)

[Holfin]

Nicky Morgan is the new Education Secretary

[Lottiedoubtie]

The policies were Goves, he was setting them out long before he got office!

The next one probably won't be a radical improvement.

But bloody hell, they couldn't possibly be worse!

[VeryThelma]

whoop whoop

[NapoleonsNose]

Please let that evil, nasty IDS be next to go

[Lucked]

Not much on Nicky Morgans wiki page apart fom her voting against same sex marriage in 2013. Her son is 5 or 6, I wonder if he is at state school.

[scaevola]

Gove was setting out Tory policies long before the coalition came in. Not his personal ideas. There's not going to be a policy change.

Making Gove a figure of individual hate was always going to be something that would backfire spectacularly in the run up to an election. The new incumbent will just quietly continue the Tory programme (without the personal hatred).

[sunnyrosegarden]

Interesting!

[clairewitchproject]

YYEESSSSSSSS!!!!! This has made my day!!!

[pointythings]

It'll be more of the same shit. David Cameron is cynically shoving a lot of women into senior posts because he wants to win back the female vote. One of them is now going to be Secretary of State for Education and you can bet your last quid that she will have been told to carry on implementing Gove's policies - and they are his - or else.

And I'm sad to say that I believe lots and lots of women will fall for it and go back to the Tories.

[BigfootFiles]

www.theyworkforyou.com/mp/24732/nicky_morgan/loughborough

Nicky Morgan's voting history etc is available here.

Seems she voted moderately against equal gay rights but moderately in favour of same sex marriage. Very in favour of the bedroom tax. Also voted strongly for corporation tax to be reduced. I saw a news summary on the BBC website saying that the Cabinet is now more right-wing than it was, overall. I think she looks to be part of that picture.

[BigfootFiles]

Found her voting record on education:

Voted very strongly for greater autonomy for schools
Voted very strongly for raising England’s undergraduate tuition fee cap to £9,000 per year
Voted very strongly for academy schools
Voted very strongly for ending financial support for some 16-19 year olds in training and further education
Voted very strongly for university tuition

www.theyworkforyou.com/mp/24732/nicky_morgan/loughborough/votes

[drivinmecrazy]

The only reference to Nicky Morgan relating to education I can find after a very quick search is her reference to student loans, stating that a university education was 'not a right', and student fees are set fairly.
I still hold to my assertion that the face has changed but not much else. Morgan is a firm believer in Tory policies, she's not a maverick that some people are hoping she will be.

Only time will tell, but I for one was hopeful that Gove would be replaced with someone who had previously expressed a real interest in education. And, shock horror, would actually have some experience behind them.

Sadly, not the case. A major 'miss' for the conservatives. An opportunity wasted.

[BigfootFiles]

And let's not forget this:

Voted strongly for restricting the scope of legal aid
Voted very strongly for selling England’s state owned forests

I don't think she and I would see eye to eye.

[Jinsei]

Nicky Morgan is my local MP, have met her a few times. She has also visited dd's school. Not sure if her ds goes to a state school or not.

Have written to her in protest a number of times since this government took power. I guess she'll be getting lots more letters now...