This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2015/jun/23/one-gove-lets-get-together-and-feel-alright

The article has changed 2 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 0 Version 1
One Gove: let's get together and feel alright One Gove: let's get together and feel alright
(about 7 hours later)
He nodded hard towards the opposition. He checked his reflection in the shine of his shoes to work on the sincerity and nodded harder still towards the opposition. When Michael Gove is going out of his way to be likeable, alarm bells start ringing. Giving an inch isn’t generally his style: he’s normally as dogmatic on policy as he is on grammar. The go-to Tory attack dog. He nodded hard towards the opposition. He checked his reflection in the shine of his shoes to work on the sincerity and nodded harder still towards the opposition. When Michael Gove is going out of his way to be likable, alarm bells start ringing. Giving an inch isn’t generally his style: he’s normally as dogmatic on policy as he is on grammar. The go-to Tory attack dog.
Step forward the new Mr Nice Gove. Maybe a spell on the sidelines as chief whip in the last parliament has taught him humility. Maybe there always was a wishy-washy liberal inside him, pleading to be let out. Either way, the lord chancellor now seems to be as anxious to reform himself as he is the justice system. He might even be taking the idea of One Nation Conservatism rather more seriously than some of his colleagues would like. One Gove, One Love.Step forward the new Mr Nice Gove. Maybe a spell on the sidelines as chief whip in the last parliament has taught him humility. Maybe there always was a wishy-washy liberal inside him, pleading to be let out. Either way, the lord chancellor now seems to be as anxious to reform himself as he is the justice system. He might even be taking the idea of One Nation Conservatism rather more seriously than some of his colleagues would like. One Gove, One Love.
When asked how his promise to do away with a Two Nation justice system that favoured the well-off squared with the ongoing cuts in legal aid – the most recent of which he himself pushed through last week – Gove had a ready answer. “We are going to ask the very richest in the justice system to do a little bit more,” he insisted. “One thing that struck me is that there are people in senior solicitors’ firms and in our best chambers who are not doing enough, given how well they have done out of the legal system, to support the very poorest. They need to do more.”When asked how his promise to do away with a Two Nation justice system that favoured the well-off squared with the ongoing cuts in legal aid – the most recent of which he himself pushed through last week – Gove had a ready answer. “We are going to ask the very richest in the justice system to do a little bit more,” he insisted. “One thing that struck me is that there are people in senior solicitors’ firms and in our best chambers who are not doing enough, given how well they have done out of the legal system, to support the very poorest. They need to do more.”
This didn’t go down too well with those of his own backbenchers who treble their salaries by moonlighting as barristers and solicitors. What did that upstart Gove think they were? Public servants? Pro bono was for losers. Or maybe, just occasionally, for publicity. Understandably, the Labour benches didn’t quite share One Gove’s touching faith in the best-paid members of the legal profession reaching out to help the little people and tried to direct his attention back to the cuts in legal aid.This didn’t go down too well with those of his own backbenchers who treble their salaries by moonlighting as barristers and solicitors. What did that upstart Gove think they were? Public servants? Pro bono was for losers. Or maybe, just occasionally, for publicity. Understandably, the Labour benches didn’t quite share One Gove’s touching faith in the best-paid members of the legal profession reaching out to help the little people and tried to direct his attention back to the cuts in legal aid.
“We are committed to reviewing the reforms to legal aid,” said One Gove, spreading his arms wide in a gesture of open-mindedness. “But I have to stress that it was the Labour party’s former justice spokesman who made it clear during the last parliament that levels of spending on legal aid were unsustainable under the last government and we needed to reform.”“We are committed to reviewing the reforms to legal aid,” said One Gove, spreading his arms wide in a gesture of open-mindedness. “But I have to stress that it was the Labour party’s former justice spokesman who made it clear during the last parliament that levels of spending on legal aid were unsustainable under the last government and we needed to reform.”
If it had been left to him, every minor criminal would still be guaranteed a top brief, but he had listened to Labour and changed direction. For them. The Little party. One Gove is that kind of guy. Labour MPs looked a bit bleak. When you ask for cuts, you can’t complain too much when you get them.If it had been left to him, every minor criminal would still be guaranteed a top brief, but he had listened to Labour and changed direction. For them. The Little party. One Gove is that kind of guy. Labour MPs looked a bit bleak. When you ask for cuts, you can’t complain too much when you get them.
Like any good preacher spreading his love, One Gove made sure his message was so vague as to be all-inclusive. Or meaningless. Having a British bill of rights wouldn’t conflict with the European court of human rights because ... it just wouldn’t. Changing the Freedom of Information Act was merely homage to Tony Blair, patron saint of Kazakhstan; it was only reasonable for ministers to be unreasonable when it suited them.Like any good preacher spreading his love, One Gove made sure his message was so vague as to be all-inclusive. Or meaningless. Having a British bill of rights wouldn’t conflict with the European court of human rights because ... it just wouldn’t. Changing the Freedom of Information Act was merely homage to Tony Blair, patron saint of Kazakhstan; it was only reasonable for ministers to be unreasonable when it suited them.
It was all very disconcerting. Was One Gove for real or a temporary apparition? Yet, for now, One Gove had spoken and the people had listened. Some harder than others. The equalities minister, Caroline Dinenage, seems to have spent too much time working on the dispatch box style of a QVC shopping channel presenter and not enough time considering her brief. In 2013, she voted against same-sex marriage. In her One Nation, some are more equal than others.It was all very disconcerting. Was One Gove for real or a temporary apparition? Yet, for now, One Gove had spoken and the people had listened. Some harder than others. The equalities minister, Caroline Dinenage, seems to have spent too much time working on the dispatch box style of a QVC shopping channel presenter and not enough time considering her brief. In 2013, she voted against same-sex marriage. In her One Nation, some are more equal than others.