To think that each our government members should spend the day walking in the shoes of the people they represent.

[FontSnob]

The most obvious, from my point of view, being the delightful Mr.Gove. I think that he needs to spend some time in a bog standard secondary comprehensive, teaching a full timetable for a week and doing all of the marking, parent evenings, meetings etc.

This is not because I think teaching is the hardest job in the world but because I don't think he has a clue as to who our kids are. He makes decisions and spouts his expectations of what he thinks our kids should do and be and then stated we should make a return to Victorian values! He tells the teachers they don't do their job properly, but I don think he actually knows what our job is. I think a stint teaching might bring him back to the 'real world' a little.

I don't think it's just Gove who should spend some time at the coal face, he is just my own particular example.

Aibu or is anyone else fecked off with being told what's right by people who haven't got the first clue?

Absolutely agree about clueless Gove, FontSnob.

Wouldn't it be great if he spent a week teaching, not telling any of the kids who he was, just have him get a bit of a reality check.

I'd make them do a full working week.

Lansley can do a week in a hospital (not with the consultants and registrars, get him on the wards shadowing a nurse or HCA)

Snag: he represents his constituents. If he spent time walking in the shoes of the many and varied people he represents, he'd have no time to lead a Department of State, and neither would anyone else.

Though I do like the idea of appointing only those with relevant experience to ministries. That would mean next to no eligible candidates for most of them, and Liam Fox for Health.

Gove wouldn't last 5 minutes. The flange.

I think if someone is making decisions that affect the entire nation, a week out of their busy constituency timetable to get a more profound understanding of their brief is not unreasonable.

I think 1 week is tokenism.

I loved that tv programme where they got MP's to go and live in deprived areas which they represented for a week, it was on ages ago but it was really interesting to see them wake up to the reality of life outside their little bubble.

I think it is a good idea, perhaps not for all people they represent that would be ridiculous, but for a cross section.

Not sure why flisspaps thinks Lansley should only do a shift with nurses and HCA's not docs as well?

But they do, they're proud of the fact. They have cameras on them at every turn and are never going to know what it's really like no matter how 'realistic' the setting. They know that they will be going back to their own homes and lives and this is just a tiny portion of their lives. That's not indicative at all and I doubt it teaches them anything that normal people wish they would learn.

It's like revisiting the Blitz... we can get an idea of what it was like to live back then but will never know the horror of the telegrams, not really.

Or with budget managers in a cross-section of GPs; walk-in centres; teaching general district and cottage hospitals; dentists with NHS contracts, optometrists etc; plus managers and administrators; plus those who set and monitor clinical governance; perhaps JCVI too? That's probably 6 months work.

Who should be actually doing the job of Secretary of State whilst the SofS is doing that?

Okay, sorry, I wasn't sure how to word my OP, I really think the once in charge of the departments should get down and dirty to experience a week,two weeks a month? No cameras to alert people as to who they are.

Ones, not once. Pesky iPhone.

Lansley probably knows some doctors socially and is more likely to have had his ear bent by one at a dinner party, I would think.

lyingWitch sorry I don't understand your post are you saying that MP's do spend days or weeks walking in other peoples shoes?
If so when do they do this?
Sure they have photo ops but that is an hour or two of handshakes and chat, whereas I think immersing yourself in a lifestyle even if it is just for a week is more illuminating than that.
Of course it is not the same as living that life, but that is a point that can be argued ad infinitum because no person on this planet can know what it is like to be someone else and live their life. However with some empathy and imagination you can get to an approximation which can help inform the decisions you make. Surely that is better than nothing? Politicians are human after all!

I think it's a great idea. But it should be two weeks so that they can see how relentless it is. You can do anything for a week although I'd love to see Gove trying to teach in my previous school bahahahaha those kids would eat him alive

scaevola it is always easy to find reasons not to do something, but if it is a good idea in principle then there must be ways of achieving something similar. It doesn't have to be just Lansley for example that does this, he has a team / a department, they could all do a week workshadowing too. It doesn't have to be all jobs just a cross section of the most commonly done and they could be rotated. Plenty of time left for running the country and hopefully with a better informed team in charge. They seem to have plenty of time to come up with crap ideas so perhaps this would be time better spent?

George Osborne in CAB for a week advising people on debt management, applying for crisis loans and making homeless applications when their houses have been repossessed.

Teresa May spending a week at Heathrow immigration processing asylum seekers.

William Hague on foot patrol in Afghanistan.

Big Dave running reception at Job Centre Plus, preferably in Hull or Doncaster

ahh, imagination running away with me.

snoopdogg

although the idea is hilarious it actually does make some sense....

Perhaps it would be simpler to enforce all the advisers, policy wonks and consultants to do that
as it is they who come up with the claptrap that is spouted
and the vast bulk of them are ex public school / RG Uni / internship while living at mater and pater's london pad / into a plummy job in whitehall
they have never been to the places they set policy for
and it shows

Paul Burstow - minister for care services - should spend a week working in a care home (full time) as a care assistant, on minimum wage, with an elderly parent to care for as well, two teenage children, a chronic bad back and a clapped out car.

talkinpeace you should change your name to talkinsense .

Totally agree, what a brilliant idea. It should actually be mandatory. I'm not being facetious.

I would be quite happy to give him a bad back (with a sly kick)

Have to say, I am vaguely serious. I completely agree with the sentiment of the op. There is a massive disconnect between the governed and the guv'nors.

The class divide doesn't help either, I can never get the fact that there are more old etonions than women in government out of my head.

snoopdogg like it - though would rather send Cameron to Afghanistan...

my opinion is based on having read too much local government legislation written by London centric twonks who have never heard of Parish Councils family legislation written by 21 year olds schools legislation by people who cannot name their local state school and working consultants who were advising on economic strategy and thought 5 years was a long time

I did not develop economic common sense till my mid 30's

it should be barred for anyone to advise on it till they have lived in the real world