Can we throw Michael Gove in prison for his cocaine use?

[AlaskanOilBaron]

I mean seriously, this fella was Justice Secretary- i.e. responsible for sending people to prison for using cocaine - and he's used cocaine?

What a complete twat. He tied himself in a pretzel on Andrew Marr trying to talk his way out of it, how he was 'fortunate' and so on - THAT'S EXACTLY THE POINT. He got lucky because he's white, because he's middle class, and so on -so sod the poor fools who haven't been so lucky?

I do hope this is the end of his career.

Gove - and most of the other leadership candidates - obviously believe they can break any law they like and lie about it.

Breathtaking hypocrisy and entitlement of the ruling class.

So why assume they didn't continue to take drugs as MPs

In fact, are we sure that none of them were celebrating Saturday night with a few lines just hours ago ?

Gove lied about drugs when filling in his US visa application

Isn't that lying a criminal offence in the US

- he'd need to be PM if he wants to visit again, so he has diplomatic immunity

Presumably the same for any other drug using Tory leadership candidate who has been to the USA

I don't care what other people put into their bodies
I do care when those who make the laws, those who can ban teachers etc for life, are such disgusting hypocrties

We ought to lock all M.Ps up. They're all thieving liars.

I feel that some are missing my point.

I’m not at all po-faced about drugs. I just can’t tolerate a politician who has argued for more stringent drug laws, chastised people for taking drugs, serves as the Minister for Justice where he actually has influence on such things... taking drugs.

*served not serves

Don’t be so ridiculous! Who gives a shit? It was twenty years ago.

Presumably they had to use it while being teachers, not ever used it

Nope. He wanted to ban anybody who’d ever caught it possession of class A drugs from teaching for life. So surely this should apply to him and he should be banned from serving as a politician?

Nope. He wanted to ban anybody who’d ever caught it possession of class A drugs from teaching for life. So surely this should apply to him and he should be banned from serving as a politician?

How did he live with himself, knowing he’d done just this?

Absolute cunt

But isn’t the ban that he introduced for teachers who are using cocaine whilst employed as teachers? Not teachers who used cocaine 20 years ago before they were teachers?

Surely we would all agree that we don’t want anyone currently using cocaine to be responsible for the safety and well-being of our children for several hours every day? You wouldn’t choose a babysitter who you knew to be a cocaine user.

It’s completely different to his situation.

It says here in this interview with him that the ban applies to teachers “caught using drugs during their professional life”. Nothing about their pre-teacher days:

www.tes.com/news/gove-defends-overseeing-teacher-drug-bans

@BritWifeinUSA

Yes I’m sure AS WELL AS banning people who are caught in possession of drugs from ever teaching he also banned those caught whilst teaching.

It was part of their pre employment checks. If they’d ever been caught in possession of class A drugs they’d be banned

Of course, the biggest supporters of the War on Drugs are people whose livelihood is selling drugs. After all they'd go bust in a week if drugs were legal.

Which does make you wonder where some money propping up all the politicians who are so anti-drugs comes from

Luckily we know from the US experiment that prohibition is the perfect way to prevent the public access to undesirable substances whilst eliminating bribery and corruption. Otherwise the whole "War on Drugs" thing might seem to be a complete waste of time, money, lives and respect for the law.

Late to the thread but as LarkDescending spotted on the Andrew Marr programme.

MG: Hmmm... well if I was Prime Minister they’d have to let me in, right?

Err, no actually. The ESTA questions are asked for a very good reason and Homeland Security don't like to be messed about with. Might make opening a negotiation of any UK-US trade deal a might tricky.

Lets not forget that this is the same arsehole that wanted to be able to fire teachers if they did anything outside of school hours that parents didn't like.

Lets not forget that this is the man that changed the education system so that at least 20% of the pupils are unable to even access it.

Lets not forget that this is the man that rewrote the syllabus of one subject so badly that the teachers (the blob) had to rewrite it so that it was usable.

And lets not forget that this is the man that refused to listen to any advice not just from teachers but his own advisers.

I hope this is the end of his career. At least his family including his kids will know what a druggy father they have.

MG: Hmmm... well if I was Prime Minister they’d have to let me in, right?

Well as a customer of one of the success stories of the US business empire built on the "War on Drugs" they'd have to be pretty hypocritical not to.

The regulations in the notice above require;

"Governing Bodies to check that any person to be appointed to work as a teacher is not subject to a prohibition order issued by the Secretary of State for Education."

Surely, you would have to be a teacher to receive a prohibition order issued by the Secretary of State for Education - i.e. following a professional conduct hearing? Teachers change schools all the time - they would be subject to 'pre-employment checks' at every school they apply to, not just the first school they work in.

@romanyqueen
He’s hardly a druggy.

@laminateanecdotes
Well said.

If he did want to ban teachers who have used cocaine from educating for life; he's a nasty person.

Supposing you were an excellent teacher, tragic life events trapped you into a cycle of addiction, you recognised the error of your ways , sought help and we're then told you were banned from your profession for life ? Surely that would put you off ever seeking help.

I'm of the belief that any profession that demands utter perfection from its employees is inadvertently creating a dangerous situation; as people have far too much to lose to seek help.

But generally speaking no, I don't think taken in isolation, decades old recreational cocaine use should stop somebody being a teacher or PM.

Being MG should automatically and permanently disqualify you from both.

Well, it could be worse, he could have fucked a pigs head.
Is it just Conservatives or are all MP's a bit bloody weird.
I blame inbreeding

Someone offers you a line at a party

Yeah, I guess that would work: on a technicality.

You are also naive if you think that taking cocaine is unusual, in professional circles

Well if it's in 'professional circles' then that's absolutely fine then. It's those dreadful lower class types that we need to criminalise to show the peasants they can't just do what they want with no consequences.

I'm pretty sure that people do not go to prison for possession of cocaine, unless they have a large quantity that would indicate that they are supplying the drug. If he took cocaine once or twice then he probably would have had a very small amount of it on him at any one time, and even if he was caught possessing it then he would not have gone to prison for such a small quantity. Prisons are overcrowded as it is. If people were imprisoned for simple drug possession of small quantities, they'd need an awful lot more prisons.