I don’t like Gove.
I don’t know him personally but I don’t like him. I’m sure that behind closed doors he is a lovely man. However, I only know his public persona. The one that started dismantling our education system. The man despised by teachers everywhere in the UK. I have talked about Gove several times on my blog and how I hold him responsible for making our education system elitist. How I blame him for the dry and tedious work Oldest has to do at school. When he lost his job as Education Secretary in 2014, teachers (including myself) celebrated. However, I knew that the damage had already been done and we still have the remnants of his toxic legacy today. A legacy that is failing my child. Gove has already destroyed our education system, are we going to stand-by and let him destroy the UK? A country that is already broken by Brexit. A country that needs someone to bring it back together. Gove is incapable of fixing and mending the UK. The only thing Gove is any good at is destroying things.
Gove is not in touch with the common people. He has this idealised view of society that is so far removed from the actual reality of today’s society. This was evident when he was the Education Secretary. Instead of listening to the teachers, the feet on the ground, the ones with the experience, he ignored them. He was blinkered and narrow-minded in his approach. Like a stubborn toddler who has decided that they want a biscuit and refuses to listen to reason. Gove ignored the experts, the teachers and headteachers, instead he pushed through his ridiculous ideas. He overhauled the National Curriculum, making it elitist and not reflective of the modern society that we live in. He changed the exams, heaping yet more pressure on our children and he changed the school system; introducing ‘Free Schools’.
I didn’t trust Gove with my pupils’ and children’s’ future so I won’t be trusting him with running the country. The man is a liability.
Gove is a traditional man out of touch with the modern man. He doesn’t appreciate technology and modern advances. I would go as far to say that he doesn’t appreciate that the UK is a multi-cultural society. Surely his curriculum overhaul is testament to that. This is a man who said that there was no place for “To Kill a Mockingbird” because it teaches no lessons. This is the novel that, I believe, teaches children about the need for compassion, tolerance, understanding, diversity, friendship, bravery, forgiveness and standing up for what you believe in. Really Gove, no lessons? I would dare to suggest that if Gove had really read the novel and taken the lessons on board he might not be the ignorant man he is proving himself to be.
To put it simply - Gove does not have the qualities required to run the country. Gove destroyed our education system, we cannot let him destroy our country. Do you really think that Gove has the qualities of a leader? Let’s think about the qualities required to make a good leader.
- Decisiveness
This is the man who had repeatedly insisted that he did not want to be Prime Minister, and now we find him running for Leader. I think it is fair to say that decisiveness is not one of Gove’s strong points.
- Empathy
Ha, ha, ha. Nope. Gove demonstrated no shred of empathy whilst he set about systematically destroying the education system. I think that the 50,000 teachers that left the profession in 2015 would agree with me.
- Accountability
Oh now this is just getting embarrassing. Let’s look at the destruction of the education system. Let’s look at Gove’s legacy. He should be deeply ashamed of how he has destroyed our learning in schools. He should be holding his hands up, he should be taking accountability but instead he is trying to convince us that he would make a good leader.
- Confidence
Gove doesn’t strike me as a confident man; to me he resembles a puppet. You should be proud because I resisted saying muppet. Gove doesn’t seem comfortable on the political stage. Also he hardly instils confidence in those around him. When I was a teacher I was not confident in his ability.
- Focus
This might be something that I can credit Gove with. He is certainly focused…on himself…on what he believes is right. In fact he has proven that he is so focused that he is unwilling to listen to anyone. When he was changing the education system he point blank refused to listen to any teachers, headteachers or educational experts. No, Gove knows best. Why should he listen to anyone else?
- Inspiration
We need a leader to inspire us. To inspire us you need charisma. You know you are doomed when the man himself says that he has no charisma.
We are doomed if Gove gets in. The UK is broken. We need someone to fix it. That someone is not Gove.
What do you think? Do you think Gove would make a good leader?

From what I have read, I don’t think Gove would make a good leader. I get so annoyed reading about children being under more pressure than ever to perform. I don’t see why young children should have to take so many examinations. I go into a sweat just thinking back to my GCSEs! #TribalLove
I know. I was awful when it came to exams at 16 so I can’t imagine how a 6 year old must feel 🙁
He’s an odious man. I watched that gif of him falling over many many times.
If he is chosen to run the country there will be an uprising. There are a LOT of pissed off teachers and parents out there who probably wouldn’t swerve to avoid the man.
And he looks like pob.
I agree. The memes of him and Pob are what cheer me up right now 😉
Fantastically written. You missed off “Being Trustworthy” as one of the qualities required to make a great leader…which muppet puppet is most certainly not. He gives no assurance that he won’t cut and run when we’re at the lowest ebb, much like some of his counterparts.
I had no idea about that statistic for teachers leaving the profession - how utterly awful We need a leader who agrees that this is utterly awful and untenable.
I know. So many good teachers felt forced out by his changes. But ‘Muppet Puppet’ is my new fave description of Gove
No. He would merrily lead us all to hell and then wander off and trip over something.
As always very well said! 🙂
Completely agree with everything you’ve said here. The country has already been screwed over by white upper class men trying to impose their pathetic backward looking ideas on everyone else and hoodwink the more disenfranchised sections of the electorate that the past was some kind of golden utopia. The last thing we need is more of the same. #tribe
Oh I love your comment. LOVE IT!!!! Amen to that!
My son is due to start school in Sept 2017 and the thought of him going into our education system as it currently stands scares the bejesus out of me. He’s so bright and beautiful, and I can’t stand the thought of him losing a love for learning thanks to the pressure that’s heaped on our babies. So much so that we are frantically trying to work out a way of pulling together the estimated £200k it would cost to put him in private education until he’s 18. Thank you for writing this and for sharing your brilliant views on this emotive subject. #coolmumclub Xxx
Oh thank you for your comment. I completely get where you are coming from regarding private education and we considered that too. I think if it gets to a point where we really are not happy then we will withdraw her and home school instead. However, this is not a reflection of the school or teacher as they are both brilliant. 🙂
Brilliant writing - Gove would be a terrible leader and I’m starting to lose faith completely! It’s as you say, he’s so out of touch with the majority of the UK, I can’t imagine what will happen if he’s in charge of running the country. An odious man to say the least xx #coolmumclub #triballove
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Don’t lose faith because he didn’t get in - huzzuh!
Oh my goodness I cannot believe that man said that about to kill a mockingbird. What a moron. Well I can only assume he hasn’t actually read it as surely it is not possible to come to that conclusion? I echo your sentiments towards him and this certainly made for a good read. Let’s just hope that the rest of Tory party feel the same seeing as they are the ones choosing out next prime mininster hmmm…#coolmumclub
I know. How powerful is that novel and all the kids love reading it. At least he didn’t get in though 🙂
Well said! Gove is an ignorant and arrogant man who has completely destroyed our education system as you said. He wil never be voted in as PM in a general electiom and hopefully this will stop him winning the eace. Fingers crossed!!
Laura: Adventures with J recently posted…Good reads – Inspire and Flourish Linky #1
Yaaaaay he didn’t get in!
Ugh, I don’t think anyone thinks Gove would make a good leader! Hopefully he doesn’t get any votes purely on the basis that he claimed for so long that he didn’t want it!
I enjoy your rants so much Emma, haha!
#Triballove
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Oh I am glad you enjoy my rants because I seem to be doing it a lot!
Please dear god don’t let him win this s***show otherwise we will seriously be in for some major trouble. I agree 110% with your views. Thanks for linking up this post to #coolmimclub lovely xx
He hasn’t got in. I like to think that it was this post that ensured he hadn’t got in - haha! 😉
He is more hideously out of touch than the man with the NHS plan that destroyed the NHS, Andrew Lansley. He turned into a fragmented, lumbering, top heavy, bureaucratic behemoth…
Did u see the tweet he did about the EU that got loads of hate tweets back?
Ps. Agree with everything u said
Thank you and yes Andrew Lansley also not good!!!
I need to read up more about exactly what he has done because other than implementing more unnecessary testing, I’m not sure exactly what he did (or didn’t do) for education. I do know that every single teacher I’ve spoken to can’t bear him which speaks volumes. Sounds like it’s a very good thing that he’s not in the final running for prime minister. #CoolMumClub X
Cheryl @ Tea or Wine recently posted…5 Ways Kids Party Harder Than You
Thank goodness - big relief but pleased that people saw sense. I’m sure he has alot of good qualities but I don’t think he would have made a good PM xx