Just how close are these three?
And what motivates their interest in our education system?
I put the following timeline together in a few minutes earlier today. I’m sure I’ve missed plenty of key things out, so I reserve the right to add to it, but it makes interesting reading as is, I think you’ll agree. I leave you to draw your own conclusions...
6 May 2010
The last General Election took place. No party gained enough seats to form a government. After negotiations the Conservative/Lib Dem coalition was formed and on 11 May David Cameron becomes Prime Minister. On 12 May he appoints Michael Gove as Secretary of State for Education.
19 May 2010
Gove has first of 7 meetings with his ex-employer, Murdoch, including two dinners in June 2011: http://www.newstatesman.com/blogs/the-staggers/2011/07/murdoch-news-education
12 September 2010
The Guardian reports concerns at plans to give News International an academy school to run: http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2010/sep/12/rupert-murdoch-academy-schools
2 March 2011
Toby Young gets go ahead from Gove to set up West London Free School: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-12622055
24 May 2011
Murdoch makes speech declaring that News Corp are to set up an education arm: http://www.newstatesman.com/blogs/the-staggers/2011/07/murdoch-news-education
27 July 2011
Mail publishes story showing that cabinet ministers, including, Gove, have met senior News International officials almost one hundred times since the general election. The Mail describes the relationship between the cabinet and News International as “cosy”: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2019009/Rupert-Murdochs-chiefs-met-ministers-100-times-Osborne-Gove-list.html
6 August 2011
Independent publishes story stating that, despite the hacking row, Gove is pressing on with his plans to give Murdoch an academy to run: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/education/education-news/murdoch-presses-on-with-academy-plan-despite-hacking-row-2332667.html
Friday Oct 14 2011
Murdoch makes speech saying education is an untapped market worth $500 billion in the US alone: http://motherjones.com/mojo/2011/10/rupert-murdoch-compares-us-education-system-third-world-countrys
10 January 2012
The Fulham and Hammersmith Chronicle reports that Toby Young's West London Free School is to set up a primary school opening in 2013: http://www.fulhamchronicle.co.uk/fulham-and-hammersmith-news/2012/01/10/west-london-free-school-announces-primary-plans-82029-30095909/
15 February 2012
Toby Young uses his Telegraph column to defend Gove against what he calls a “hysterical attack” by the respected journalist Seumas Milne: http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/tobyyoung/100137539/left-wing-journalist-gets-almost-every-fact-wrong-in-hysterical-attack-on-michael-gove/
21 February 2012
Gove attacks the Leveson enquiry which is, of course, closely examining the behaviour of the Murdoch press and says that it is creating" a chilling atmosphere towards freedom of expression" http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2012/feb/21/leveson-chilling-freedom-speech-gove?newsfeed=true
23 February 2012
Toby Young announces that he is leaving the Telegraph and going to work for Murdoch at the Sun on Sunday: http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/tobyyoung/100139238/the-last-post/
26 February 2012
Toby Young uses his first column in the Murdoch owned Sun on Sunday to suggest that Gove should be our next Prime Minister: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/smartphonecolumnists/article4153909.ece
The Guardian publishes this article by investigative journalist David Leigh examining the close ties between Murdoch and Gove, and what might motivate those ties. A Gove spokesperson declines to comment on the article: http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2012/feb/26/schools-crusade-gove-murdoch?newsfeed=true
25 April 2012
The Guardian reports that Murdoch's witness statement to the Leveson enquiry reveals that, while plans to establish a News International academy school had fallen through, the company had begun looking in to setting up a free school: http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2012/apr/25/rupert-murdoch-michael-gove-free-schools
29 May 2012
Gove uses his appearance at the Leveson enquiry to praise Murdoch, calling him "one of the most impressive and significant figures of the last 50 years": http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2012/may/29/michael-gove-rupert-murdoch?CMP=twt_gu
In the same appearance at Leveson Gove gave a clear signal that he was about to allow profit making by free schools: http://politicalscrapbook.net/2012/05/michael-gove-free-school-profit/ http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2012/may/29/michael-gove-open-state-schools-profit?newsfeed=true
Very good. Well done.
ReplyDeletethat Gove should be our next Prime Minister. Oh Fuck.
ReplyDeleteA talentless shit, as Toby Young is,gets a school to play with. Is he looking higher up the chain?
ReplyDeleteThat Mail article doesn't say that Gove met NI officials 100 times, but that cabinet ministers met NI officials 100 times.
ReplyDeletePaul - quite right - will correct.
ReplyDeleteMurdoch is the sort of evil genius that would understand that the education system is a great channel for his propaganda and Gove is the perfect toadying foil. And Toby Young is a great mouthpiece for the things Gove can't (yet) say as a public official.
ReplyDeleteIf Leveson/Hackgate hasn't convinced people Murdoch has no business near our children I don't know what will.
They are so blatant, and arrogant. Great bit of timeline research. Gove should answer because he is meant to be a public servant, although we know that isn't true don't we.
ReplyDeleteGreat post - I've been thinking along similar lines (eg http://followersoftheapocalyp.se/govekleinmurdoch-ii-how-they-are-related ). There is a potentially huge story in here somewhere. Let's hope we see Gove in front of Leveson.
ReplyDeleteGod, that's so scary. A great timeline, and one that needs reporting more often. I hope we're all following www.twitter.com/govewatch?!
ReplyDelete