Well it’s official, bullying is now sanctioned by the government. Not only does an enquiry confirm a minister bullied staff, but there was an attempt to bully the man carrying out the enquiry. Fortunately, he at least has some honour and pride, he stuck to his principles and quit. Strike one.
Obviously there was a lame excuse, ‘I wasn’t told I was bullying’ or words to that effect. Maybe they’ve made the mistake of claiming that the minister wasn’t told about her attitude. Though perhaps on this occasion the Tories at the top have bitten off more than they can chew as there is a wrongful dismissal case pending in which this topic will probably be raised. As we all know from Yes Minister, it’s not wise to tangle with top civil servants. The way they operate, there will be diary entries or memos highlighting the occasions when the minister crossed the line and was told about it. Strike two.
What makes it worse is the fact that Tory MPs have now been told to support the perpetrator. Is that more bullying (whips have been up to it for ever)? One might have some sympathy if Boris had given her a bollocking, suspended her for a week or two, but he did nothing. She has apologized though. Good for her. Strike three.
We all know that bullying goes on and who knows how many millions of pounds have been invested in training teachers and long-term campaigns to dig out and eradicate bullying in schools. More money down the drain. You can hear it now, ‘Well Johnny, we know you’ve been bullying your classmates, don’t do it again there’s a good chap. Off you go, pop back to your gang, they’ll look after you.’
Interestingly, ‘We will continue to help teachers tackle bullying, including homophobic bullying. No child should be bullied on account of who their parents are or where they come from’ is a direct quote from the 2019 Conservative manifesto. Obviously, again, you can’t bully in school, but it’s fine in the workplace. What a wonderful example we are setting today’s youth. More government double standards where us plebs have to toe the line while the Cabinet clique can do what they want. Perhaps they should practice what they preach, no, it will never happen.