Kelly in the Cacky

[Naselus]

Yet another of Blair's cabinet is in the shit now, as Education Secretary Ruth Kelly personally allows convicted paedophiles and sex offenders to work in schools.

She's certainly not helped herself by telling one offender that he'd be 'a loss to teaching'. But I don't think that's the real issue at all.

This is just another example of the pathetic state of the education system. Teachers are in such short supply that they'll take anyone on, and the job's so unattractive that the vetting procedure has really gone out the window. As the Lib Dems pointed out, over a quarter of head teachers are temporary staff. The whole staff side of things has become a shambles to match the curiculum.

Should Kelly be fired, if not for the present scandal then at least for her complete failure to do anything about the laughable system as a whole? Her main task seems to be hanging around recieving a large wad of tax payer's money, waiting for Blair to tell her how to do her job. First the Jamie Oliver school meals fiasco, now this, and all she does is sit around, waiting for the PM to fix everything.

Personally, I'm all for it. Get rid of her, and get someone who actually has an agenda for Education into the job.

[modeski]

I'm not aware of the current scandal, but it seems ludicrous that kiddly fiddlers should be allowed into the teaching profession as a matter of policy. I reckon teachers get a really shitty deal in terms of pay and the status placed upon the profession, and Kelly doesn't seem to have done much to rectify the situation.

Can't think of anyone worthwhile in the current administration who'd to any better though

[Naselus]

I'm having quite a hard time of it thinking of anything that Ruth Kelly's actually done on her own initiative since she got the job. She's sorted out school meals, but that was at the prompting of Jamie Oliver and the entire nation. And even then it took her forever to finally clock that people weren't happy.

She's (nominally) responsible for the 'Academies' that have allowed religious fundamentalists and corporate vampires to teach our kids whatever they feel is right, but she can't even claim credit for this absurdity since it came down 'straight from the top'.

And now she's failed to do anything about this. Is Ruth Kelly simply trying to out-do Patricia Hewitt as most pointless cabinet member? She does nothing without orders signed in triplicate from above, which isn't exactly in her job description.

[ringmasterrob]

She should go, not just because of this particular row but because she's a very poor education secretary who seems to be incapable of doing anything without Tony's orders...

[HStorm]

The whole reason she's in the Cabinet is that she's one of the few committed Blairites left. That means Blair still has a couple of people who do everything he says without question, and if they have no mind and no ideas of their own, well, that's a small price to pay for retaining a few allies. Indeed, it's because people like Ruth Kelly have no mind of their own that they're malleable Blairites in the first place.

It's also the reason why Blair has immediately declared his full, unequivocal support for her before even offering any comment on the latest botch-up itself.

Of course she's useless, of course she should go. What a shame Estelle Morris chose to fall on her sword a couple of years ago. She wasn't brilliant, but she was fairly honest and was dedicated to the role in a way few of her predecessors had been. And look at the crap we've had to make do with since she went.

[HStorm]

Her overwhelmingly-futile-ness has today imposed a formal ban on all convicted sex offenders from being allowed to work in schools. Pity it took a furore on this scale to make it occur to someone in authority to come up with the idea.

[Naselus]

I'm still willing to bet it wasn't her who thought of it, though. I honestly wonder what Ms Kelly's itinery actually looks like.

7:00am. Get up. Have cup of tea. Eat toast.

9:00am. Get to office. Sit down and think of daisies.

10:00am. Meet Tony. Get told I am a good girl. Possibly get a biscuit.

10:10am Morning break. Play hopscotch with my friend Patricia Hewitt.

10:20am. Return to office. Think of daisies.

Noon. Bored of daisies. Think of spoons instead.

12:30pm. Play in sandbox.

1:00pm. Lunch. Get to eat scraps that Tony throws on the floor.

2:00pm. Office again. Draw a picture of a daisy next to a spoon.

2:35pm. Approve Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin, Rosemary West and Ed Gein to work as primary school teachers. Colour in picture.

3:00pm. Nap time.

4:00pm. Take testosterone tablet to enhance deep voice of eldritch command. Have cup of tea.

4:30pm. Collect weekly paycheck of £1255. Go home.

11:00pm. Wake up in cold sweat realising I've no idea what my job is, what it involves, or even if I'm going to the right building. Have glass of warm milk and feel better.


Fire her.