It's been said he will pack his cabinet with Euroskeptics like Hammond and Fox. So, onward toward irrelevancy for the UK.

The joke about Cameron is he says he is all for encouraging business coming to the UK but his continual threat to leave the EU is just frightening business away and a layman like myself should not have to explain this nonsense but I feel I have to because he is such a buffoon .... but then the support away from the Tories must be that serious that he feels the need to keep appealing to UKIP and the far right by pretending to be anti-Europe to win back voters.
If he just focused on what he really believes in rather than pander to his poll ratings he would be respected more by everyone including me but more importantly by his own party and economic and business leaders in Europe and around the world.
He is danger of making himself look like a laughing stock.

What do you mean in danger? He's been a laughing stock for a while.

The anti-EU stuff is just to distract from the miserable failure his coalition has been since in office. Foreign scapegoats are always easy to produce.

It is absolutely certain that the cabinet will be packed with Eurosceptics. If it is to be re-elected, the Tory party needs to get back the votes it 'lent' to UKIP. Unfortunately, the governments of the rest of the EU have had enough of a semi-detached UK failing to engage in the partnership. They are unlikely to make concessions sufficient to divert the British public from a view of Europe based on myths of 'straight bananas', 'mince-pie ban' and 'mushy pea abolition'.
The prospect, Putin, is not just one of irrelevancy for the UK; it is one of economic ruin, abolition of protection for consumers and ever-deteriorating standards of safeguards for employees.
Let us not rejoice too soon in the departure of Mr Gove. His ideological purity guaranteed the construction of 'Free' Schools in places without pupils at the expense of the provision of buildings for pupils without schools.
His conception of a modern curriculum adapted to the needs of children growing up in the 19th century was securing the votes, not just of teachers, but of anyone with an understanding of the education service. Securing votes for the Labour Party, that is.
Some of us are old enough to remember 1962.
"Greater love hath no man than this, that he lay down his friends for his life." That was said by Jeremy Thorpe of the MacMillan "Night of the Long Knives" in which the age imbalance of the then Cabinet was only partly redressed. This time, the gender imbalance is being slightly redressed.
The lesson of history is that, in 1963, the Tories lost the election.

@thomas - how old are you exactly? Thx for providing the above quote though, hope that is picked up by news channels.

I see we Tory sporting a beard in the cabinet for the first time since 1905. About time bearded people were given full recognition. I miss robin cook.

I'm surprised that media are using the term, male, pale and stale. Would they use the term ' shadowy' or 'dark' if there was an influx of black or Asian MPs?

Has the UK had an issue with mono-racially black cabinets dominating British politics recently? And by recently I mean ever?

It's baffling that even supposedly progressive British people just don't give a flying fig about racial or gender representation in government and will use any excuse to nurse white grievance when it's brought up.

black, whack and talking smack. That was the BBC yesterday describing the South Sudanese government

Putin33 - I absolutely want to see cabinet being more representative of the population. This means that white men who at the moment are over represented will give way. I was just surprised by the term. It is used because it rhymes. Sloppy journalism I think. If white middle aged men are being replaced, say white middle aged men are being replaced.

Still happy that Gove has gone .......

Me too. The teaching unions are celebrating a victory even though they haven't actually won anything, he has achieved a huge amount (and only made a few errors), and the new person will have a clean slate.

Also he will have more time to dedicate to the election fight.

Yes, I hope he does for the Conservative election campaign what he has done for Education .... that's what happens when you are a great success in the Cameron cabinet, you get demoted :-)

And the tributes for his fabulous work have been pouring in on twitter .... brilliant.
"Champagne corks are popping!"
"People of the UK, feel free to breed again, #Gove will not be involved in the education of your children"
"If you've got kids I wouldn't send 'em to school tomorrow... all the teachers will be hungover... #Gove #reshuffle
"Good job to get Gove away from teachers before they all leave."
"THANK GOD!!! Only hope the damage he's inflicted can be repaired. He's made teaching a misery."
""As if millions of voices suddenly cried out in terror and were suddenly silenced." - it's over teachers, Gove has gone."
"That hissing sound you can hear is millions of teachers and parents breathing sigh of relief."

Michael Gove tries to sneak quietly out the back door of Downing Street https://vine.co/v/MxLIuIhg9lD

I can't wait to see Gove spearheading Camerons general election campaign ... it is the very least that Cameron deserves :-)

oh no .... and look who they have replaced him with

http://www.nickymorgan.org/

Yes, that is not a disguise ...... she actually looks like that :-)

By way of contrast, if you're the most successful PM Labour have ever had you can look forward to eternal hatred and vilification from your own party. Politics is a funny old game :p.

A nice little reshuffle as these things go. Go to see the representation of women at the top level approach the natural level for the party. Lots of experience freed up for the election fight. It's a shame to see Ken go, and I'll miss Hague saying "Benghazi", but you can't have it all.

"A nice reshuffle" ..... never a truer word spoken Octo, educated people are dancing in the streets, well done David C ...... I'm still laughing !!!

You're seriously mocking her because of the way she looks, Nigs? Why don't you bugger off over to the misogyny thread?

Octo - No, I was mocking her to wind you up, I'm sure she will be much better than Gove even if she achieves absolutely nothing in the next 10 months, I think I'm gonna grow to love her :-)

Ah, gotcha. Like when you tell racist jokes and you're not actually being racist, this is a sexist comment where you're not actually being sexist. Like the old saying goes "if it looks like a twat and it smells like a twat, it's Nigee trying to be funny"

Octo no need to be rude just because Gove has been sacked. The Tory 'economic miracle' has started to unravel, the chickens are coming home to roost and reality has begun to bite.
Don't blame me for your despondency, I have been trying to tell you the truth for ages but you are so blinded by your own bull***t you can't see the proverbial wood for the trees.
No point calling me names, Gove has failed the country and has been sacked before he loses the election for Cameron, I know it's tough to hear but don't shoot the messenger, you should be thanking me for educating you, something Gove has failed to do for the last 4 years ...... hence the sacking !! ......I'm still laughing.

In Camerons re-shuffle did you notice how many BME MPs he has promoted .... obviously none, because he is desperate to win back right-wing voters so he cannot be seen to be supporting non-whites.
But is he Racist NO, bigoted NO, sexist NO, desperate YES !!

I'm glad you see it as an economic miracle, Nigs, but I don't see any signs of unraveling. I am, as I said, quite happy with the reshuffle. I am quite happy with the job Gove has done, for that matter. God knows the teaching profession needed a shaking up. Now that's been achieved a bit of smoothing over is required and Gove is not suited to the job. You can crow and spin as much as you like, you can mock Morgan for her looks and mock Pickles for his size, but it changes nothing.

Cameron on Gove
Asked if the change represented a "punishment" for Mr Gove's recent spat with Home Secretary Theresa May, Mr Cameron said: "I can tell you, if you are prime minister, the chief whip is one of the most important jobs in government.

"I wanted one of my big hitters, one of my real stars, one of my great brains, someone who has done extraordinary things for education in this country, to do that job, to deliver the government's programme, to help secure the future for our country.

"I am pleased that he is doing that job. He will do it brilliantly."

Cameron I think he doth protest too much, he is spinning the situation out of all control ...... just tell it how it is David, we already know the truth, he is an election liability so you have sidelined him to prevent him using his position to launch a bid to oust you and become the next Tory leader post-2015.

Octo you Tories are getting a bit rattled and defensive .... interest rates going up at the end of the year, oh dear !!
It will have to be a giveaway budget by Osborne, you will always see the Lazy Tories get off their arses when it is their own job they are trying to protect.

bye bye Gove ..... you have failed and no you can't re-sit, you are out !!

You see interest rates starting a slow climb back to normal levels as a bad thing? Sometimes I think you genuinely believe the crap that comes out of your mouth. Methinks you've been playing this game too much

"I am quite happy with the job Gove has done"

Which part are you happiest with? The tripling of education fees or the doubling of the number of children in class sizes of more than 30? Or perhaps the scrapping of the school renovations program? Perhaps the skyrocketing of the drop out rate and the elimination of the EMA?

You must either not be a millennial and/or really hate anybody who is under 30 years of age if you think Gove has done a good job. Remind me to apply to whereever you're working if you think that's an example of good performance.

The funny thing is if Labour has this poor of a record you'd be destroying them but part tribalism always takes precedence right.

*party tribalism

"You see interest rates starting a slow climb back to normal levels as a bad thing?"

It's going to hurt consumer spending. But considering you apparently believe making education worse is a good thing I wouldn't be surprised if suppressing consumer spending is also considered a good thing.