Williamson typical of Tory education secretaries

Rafael Behr seems to think that the incompetent Gavin Williamson is unusual among Tory Education Secretaries because "his only known expertise in the field is that he once went to school himself", and because not only is he "despised by teachers" but has "alienated even the moderate wing of the trade unions" (Williamson: how can he be this inept and still have a job? 06/01/21). In my 40+ years of teaching, there wasn`t one Tory Secretary of State for Education, and very few from Labour, who had the necessary relevant experience in education, and who furthermore didn`t incur the wrath of teachers in the state sector for one reason or another. Indeed, many of the assessment problems faced today result from the unnecessary reforms made by Gove, in a job where the display of a total disregard for teachers` expertise and experience is an absolute prerequisite. It is not entirely Williamson`s fault that teachers are hugely underpaid and undervalued, or that concerns for safety and welfare are blamed on "militants" in the profession. That too many schools are underfunded and understaffed, that too many face recruitment problems, and that most state schools are over-inspected by an unsympathetic Ofsted, cannot all be attributed to one man`s lack of ability or principles. His predecessors did nothing to prevent our so-called top universities being dominated by pupils from private schools, or to ensure all higher education institutions adopt contextual admissions procedures. Of course, Williamson should have provided "laptops for remote learning", but if the Tories are so concerned about the education of disadvantaged pupils as they now claim, shouldn`t they have provided the necessary technology years ago? Perhaps their preference for grammar schools, ending the Education Maintenance allowance for sixth formers, and watching as underfunded SureStart centres closed, took precedence?