Michael Gove should not surround himself with yes men

The Education Secretary must stop fighting 'The Blob' and listen to education experts, says Sir David Bell

Michael Gove
(Image credit: Getty Images)

AS THE OLD saying goes, there is only one thing more useful in politics than having the right friends. That’s having the right enemies.

The Education Secretary, Michael Gove, has been highly skilled in defining his school reforms against what he calls The Blob – an amorphous, bloated education establishment opposing him at every turn; a mass of bureaucrats, unions and academics who eschew rigour for a left-wing, child-centred, progressive agenda.

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