Dear Mr Gove
Dear Mr Gove,
I'd like to thank you. No really, I would. In amongst all the condemnation and angst-filled ire that has come your way in recent weeks due toyou starting on the long road to privatising state education your education reforms, you have provided something that the country has long needed. A scapegoat.
In amongst all your crass, nonsensical and emotive verbal outpourings about how the "poor and needy single parents" will be the ones who suffer most from the forthcoming teacher strike (these are the same single mothers & fathers who you slashed 8.5% off their total income via the last budget, so your concern didn't spread to actually making them any better off did it? http://www.totallymoney.com/news/index.php/2011/06/lone-mothers-bearing-the-brunt-of-cuts/) you have attempted to put teachers in an invidious position. Forcing them to bear the brunt of parental ire, accusing them of not having the children's best interests at heart, accusing them of being "militant" and not behaving responsibily.
It is a divide and conquer philosophy. Hitler used it too and so did Stalin. So you are in good company.
So in amongst these syrup-laden words of sycophantic moral proselytizing, what is the actual point you are making? I mean what is it? That teachers, lecturers and other civil servants are merely doing this because you are a Tory? That they should meekly accept they are going to lose out on around £75,000 - £200,000 per person in their old age, despite it being promised to them, because your fat cat banker friends, politicians et al, all don't want to make similar great sacrifices of their own?
So, in effect you are saying you want them to give up their right to withdraw their services, accept that you dictate (and that IS the right word) to them what they will earn in future, that they will work harder, longer for less and receive less in the future too and that they should be thankful for it?
Don't get me wrong, teachers are well aware that their pension scheme needs to change. As does every single person with half a braincell in the country. The only difference is, no other single group of people has been so obviously targeted and unfairly hit. No other single area of society has been so callously and unfairly castigated, apart from the bankers and it is a lot easier to feel sorry for yourself when that £2m bonus is in your account and you've got your £775,000 a year pension. As opposed to learning you are going to work harder, for longer for less and then receive much less upon retirement.
It is not just the teachers though it is Mikey? It's the schools and the kids too. Let's take a look at what you've done to further the Education of our children since taking office.
1. Taken away all the money earmarked for much needed school refurbishment. As soon as you got in this money had gone, schools who had already started much needed work, found the money they had earmarked for it had gone. So the work either had to stop, or the school had to find funding from elsewhere. That funding comes from giving the kids less, or getting rid of staff.
2. Slashed the budget to schools/local authorities - Oh yes, a double whammy! Take away their buildings money then slash their central source of funding too. Not all schools were affected of course, those in leafy suburbs down south are rolling in the cash. Doesn't matter that anywhere north of Watford gap is seeing school after school forced to let good quality staff leave because they can't afford to pay them.
3. Made academies of 'low achieving schools' - AKA the first step to privatisation of the education system, where education comes at a price for the parent and a profit for the sponsoring business. This is not about achievement and attainment, this is a decision motivated by greed. You KNOW education needs massive investment, you also know you don't have the money to do it. So, the answer is simple, sell off the education system to the highest bidder. So, when this happens, are we assuming that businesses will get involved in running schools due to the goodness of their hearts?
Or will their be massive subsidies and tax-breaks made available to them, enabling their shareholders to make a tasty profit initially and then reinforce that profit by charging for aspects of education so the shareholders get a good return on their investment.
After all, they shouldn't miss out just because of some snot-nosed poor kids should they?
4. Tuition Fees - If by some miracle, our single parent kids come through the school system and get good grades at A-level, then we can look forward to them going to university. As we all know, every single parent has a spare £9,000 a year available to pay tuition fees. Not to mention other finance for accommodation, books, food and whatnot.
Through your mind-numbingly facile actions, you have offended, dispirited and demotivated one of the hardest working, loyal and caring sections of society. You are demonising the profession upon which the future of many kids, including those of the single parents you care so passionately about, depend. It is patently clear from your actions and mealy-mouthed words that you value the teaching profession less than what you flush down the toilet on a daily basis.
You are sowing the seeds for an unworkable, impossible and unfair education system. You are blundering through one calamitous mistake to another, and the only thing you care about is following Thatcherite policy to give unions a black eye while cutting services to allow for an easier privatisation of state education.
In short, you are stealing the future from an entire generation of children and demoralising an entire section of society. Congratulations Michael, even Mrs Thatcher only stole the milk, so that's quite some achievement in little over 12 months.
Don't take this the wrong way, but all your carefully chosen emotive words may ring true with the Neanderthal musings of the average Daily Mail reader. Yes it is an inconvenience having a strike on Thursday. But school isn't a babysitting service and sometimes, even teachers, those liberal, sandal-wearing do-gooders, can galvanise themselves to do something if they feel something is wrong.
Believe me Mr Gove, they may be striking about pensions on Thursday, but there are many other reasons why every teacher could and should be protesting.
Your plans (if they can even be called that) are nothing more than a collection of ill-informed, entirely financially-based decisions based on cutting costs, rather than the welfare of those in the education system. Chiefly because they are an easier target than taking the money from your friends the fat-cat bankers and brokers that got the country into this mess in the first place.
But then again, who is most likely to vote Tory next time around? And where will the party donations come from? And who is going to profit most when schools are privatised?
It won't be snot-nosed Johnny from the estate will it?
So, thanks Michael, you've shown in the space of a few weeks that you are a conniving, duplicitous, morally-corrupt, self-serving, rubber-faced liar. Machiavellian doesn't even begin to describe your actions.
And worst of all, you dress it up as if you are trying to do the best for "the kids".
In the words of Mr John Lennon...
"Ohh... How Do You Sleep?"
Education is a right of birth, not of privilege. Social standing, political leaning, your bank account should not matter.
A recent buzz-phrase in Education is "Every Child Matters"- in the Gove vision of British Education, only the wealthy home-counties based ones do.
My wife has a day off this Thursday, she'd rather be working helping kids in one of the most deprived areas of Britain. Instead, she'll be sat at home not being paid. She'll feel dreadful, guilt-ridden and concerned about some of the kids for whom school is not just an alternative to home, but a refuge. Of course, since she's not being paid, she'll spend the day... guess what? Writing reports, doing paperwork and planning.
That's because she doesn't care and is irresponsible.
You gormless fuckwit.
Yours Sincerely
Me.
I'd like to thank you. No really, I would. In amongst all the condemnation and angst-filled ire that has come your way in recent weeks due to
In amongst all your crass, nonsensical and emotive verbal outpourings about how the "poor and needy single parents" will be the ones who suffer most from the forthcoming teacher strike (these are the same single mothers & fathers who you slashed 8.5% off their total income via the last budget, so your concern didn't spread to actually making them any better off did it? http://www.totallymoney.com/news/index.php/2011/06/lone-mothers-bearing-the-brunt-of-cuts/) you have attempted to put teachers in an invidious position. Forcing them to bear the brunt of parental ire, accusing them of not having the children's best interests at heart, accusing them of being "militant" and not behaving responsibily.
It is a divide and conquer philosophy. Hitler used it too and so did Stalin. So you are in good company.
So in amongst these syrup-laden words of sycophantic moral proselytizing, what is the actual point you are making? I mean what is it? That teachers, lecturers and other civil servants are merely doing this because you are a Tory? That they should meekly accept they are going to lose out on around £75,000 - £200,000 per person in their old age, despite it being promised to them, because your fat cat banker friends, politicians et al, all don't want to make similar great sacrifices of their own?
So, in effect you are saying you want them to give up their right to withdraw their services, accept that you dictate (and that IS the right word) to them what they will earn in future, that they will work harder, longer for less and receive less in the future too and that they should be thankful for it?
Don't get me wrong, teachers are well aware that their pension scheme needs to change. As does every single person with half a braincell in the country. The only difference is, no other single group of people has been so obviously targeted and unfairly hit. No other single area of society has been so callously and unfairly castigated, apart from the bankers and it is a lot easier to feel sorry for yourself when that £2m bonus is in your account and you've got your £775,000 a year pension. As opposed to learning you are going to work harder, for longer for less and then receive much less upon retirement.
It is not just the teachers though it is Mikey? It's the schools and the kids too. Let's take a look at what you've done to further the Education of our children since taking office.
1. Taken away all the money earmarked for much needed school refurbishment. As soon as you got in this money had gone, schools who had already started much needed work, found the money they had earmarked for it had gone. So the work either had to stop, or the school had to find funding from elsewhere. That funding comes from giving the kids less, or getting rid of staff.
2. Slashed the budget to schools/local authorities - Oh yes, a double whammy! Take away their buildings money then slash their central source of funding too. Not all schools were affected of course, those in leafy suburbs down south are rolling in the cash. Doesn't matter that anywhere north of Watford gap is seeing school after school forced to let good quality staff leave because they can't afford to pay them.
3. Made academies of 'low achieving schools' - AKA the first step to privatisation of the education system, where education comes at a price for the parent and a profit for the sponsoring business. This is not about achievement and attainment, this is a decision motivated by greed. You KNOW education needs massive investment, you also know you don't have the money to do it. So, the answer is simple, sell off the education system to the highest bidder. So, when this happens, are we assuming that businesses will get involved in running schools due to the goodness of their hearts?
Or will their be massive subsidies and tax-breaks made available to them, enabling their shareholders to make a tasty profit initially and then reinforce that profit by charging for aspects of education so the shareholders get a good return on their investment.
After all, they shouldn't miss out just because of some snot-nosed poor kids should they?
4. Tuition Fees - If by some miracle, our single parent kids come through the school system and get good grades at A-level, then we can look forward to them going to university. As we all know, every single parent has a spare £9,000 a year available to pay tuition fees. Not to mention other finance for accommodation, books, food and whatnot.
Through your mind-numbingly facile actions, you have offended, dispirited and demotivated one of the hardest working, loyal and caring sections of society. You are demonising the profession upon which the future of many kids, including those of the single parents you care so passionately about, depend. It is patently clear from your actions and mealy-mouthed words that you value the teaching profession less than what you flush down the toilet on a daily basis.
You are sowing the seeds for an unworkable, impossible and unfair education system. You are blundering through one calamitous mistake to another, and the only thing you care about is following Thatcherite policy to give unions a black eye while cutting services to allow for an easier privatisation of state education.
In short, you are stealing the future from an entire generation of children and demoralising an entire section of society. Congratulations Michael, even Mrs Thatcher only stole the milk, so that's quite some achievement in little over 12 months.
Don't take this the wrong way, but all your carefully chosen emotive words may ring true with the Neanderthal musings of the average Daily Mail reader. Yes it is an inconvenience having a strike on Thursday. But school isn't a babysitting service and sometimes, even teachers, those liberal, sandal-wearing do-gooders, can galvanise themselves to do something if they feel something is wrong.
Believe me Mr Gove, they may be striking about pensions on Thursday, but there are many other reasons why every teacher could and should be protesting.
Your plans (if they can even be called that) are nothing more than a collection of ill-informed, entirely financially-based decisions based on cutting costs, rather than the welfare of those in the education system. Chiefly because they are an easier target than taking the money from your friends the fat-cat bankers and brokers that got the country into this mess in the first place.
But then again, who is most likely to vote Tory next time around? And where will the party donations come from? And who is going to profit most when schools are privatised?
It won't be snot-nosed Johnny from the estate will it?
So, thanks Michael, you've shown in the space of a few weeks that you are a conniving, duplicitous, morally-corrupt, self-serving, rubber-faced liar. Machiavellian doesn't even begin to describe your actions.
And worst of all, you dress it up as if you are trying to do the best for "the kids".
In the words of Mr John Lennon...
"Ohh... How Do You Sleep?"
Education is a right of birth, not of privilege. Social standing, political leaning, your bank account should not matter.
A recent buzz-phrase in Education is "Every Child Matters"- in the Gove vision of British Education, only the wealthy home-counties based ones do.
My wife has a day off this Thursday, she'd rather be working helping kids in one of the most deprived areas of Britain. Instead, she'll be sat at home not being paid. She'll feel dreadful, guilt-ridden and concerned about some of the kids for whom school is not just an alternative to home, but a refuge. Of course, since she's not being paid, she'll spend the day... guess what? Writing reports, doing paperwork and planning.
That's because she doesn't care and is irresponsible.
You gormless fuckwit.
Yours Sincerely
Me.
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