Gillian Keegan: how’s the ‘hot mic’ thing gone down with you?

[Crinklycut]

For my part, I don’t think it was very ministerial, and I do wonder how No. 10 all talk to each other these days (do they just swear all the time?) BUT she is a bit right, isn’t she?

The DfE have finally acted to make the public aware that their children are not safe in school. That’s more than anyone else in the Conservative party has done since they cancelled ‘Building Schools for the Future’ in 2010 and during their 13 years of government.

So how’s it gone down with you?

As teachers would probably be sacked/disciplined if they were caught swearing like that, perhaps she should try and set a better example. I thought she did it deliberately though.

I agree @blackwych . It undermines our profession.

Well, they ramped up school building and rebuilt a lot of schools, so if they run to form, they will do the same again. The tories, however, cut that budget dramatically almost from the day Cameron got in, and Sunak cut it again after specifically being told of the new dangers, so we are now many new schools behind where we would have been.

Yes, this.

looking at it again, I think you're right. Interesting that the thing that bothered her was not being praised enough herself ( WTF for, may I ask?) , rather than the effect of the crisis on kids, parents, and teachers, and the possible dangers to kids and all school staff.

@BlueMongoose I hope you are right.

It was exactly the day that they got in that they pulled Building Schools for the Future. Gove knew what he was doing and what he wanted to cut.

Does Bridget Philipson?

What will she do on the day they get in?

She's just trying to make this schools fault and not hers/her shitty governments. No time for it.

It's widely thought that the School Funding Cuts campaign and website went some way to costing Theresa May her majority. It was certainly hotly discussed on here at the time.

The problem was known about in the 1990's and was never addressed, at least it is now.

Err Labour have been banging on about the lack of action on the schools rebuilding cuts for years, i think their spokesperson has asked over 120 parliamentary questions on the subject recently.

TBH what the xxxx has it got to do with Labour right now? they wont be in power (if at all) for another 14 months or so, are we all expecting the Tories to do SFA over the next year or so?

This RAAC issue is throughout 100s of public buildings not just schools and possibly private buildings too, anything with a flat roof really.

Sorry for the swearing but its in the spirit of the subject.

Really wish we had a government that cared about education....and health.

Given that Sunak promised us integrity, professionalism and accountability in his first day in office I think we all know the answer to that.

Sorry for the swearing but its in the spirit of the subject.

What swearing?

You could have said 'Fucksake Gillian Keegan, the sooner you and your fucking useless shower of shit colleagues are out of a job, the better for everyone'.

That's allowed on MN.

Laughed my arse off. What a twit.

Full Thick of It government end times. Completely out of puff. Can't wait never to see any of them again.

I just thought she's fucking right.

It looks very deliberate, so that people will be frothing at the mouth at an person's appalling use of vocabulary, rather than the Tory party's ineptitude and their appalling way to run a government. Taking one for the team, is it? Well done, Gilly 🙄

Well, anything actually, apart from their own self promotion.

To be fair they care deeply about enriching themselves and their mates, at our expense.

I find it hard to believe that someone of her age and experience dosnt accept that the buck stops with her, as head of education.

twenty years ago I recall telling my daughter, when she took up her first senior managerial position, that she should be aware that no one ever comes to the boss to tell them everything is going swimmingly. They come to you when things go wrong. The higher up the greasy pole you go, the more catastrophic the reasons why people come to you.

she's either very naive, very stupid or very entitled.

Keegan showing us all who she really is. Arrogant, self-absorbed, buck-passing smug bitch. In the words of Malcolm Tucker ”Who was it that did your media training, Myra Hindley?" Couldn't have happened to a nicer person.

This.

It’s completely ‘The Thick Of It’ isn’t it? Honestly that interview today could just have been lifted from an episode.

The government have been aware of this issue for quite a while, even the schools without crumbling concrete are in a dire state of repair. Gillian Keegan is just irritated that her holidays have been interrupted and really does not give a fig about the kids and families affected. My DCs school has leaking roofs, broken windows, toilets constantly out of service, heating that doesn't work or stays on 24/7. They wear coats in certain classrooms and melt in others, have buckets collecting leaks and equipment that doesn't work. Teachers say 'there's no budget'. How is this an education system fit for purpose?

But… this is true?

The questionnaire itself was only sent out because some LAs and academies weren’t supplying the information and/or acting on it.

I’m not surprised she’s frustrated.

The questionnaire itself was only sent out because some LAs and academies weren’t supplying the information

If you want to know whether a school contains RAAC then the thing you should be sending is a buildings surveyor, not a surveymonkey.

In the 5 years since the ceiling collapsed in Kent they could have certainly organised that.