Hang on, I thought it was four people, not one person? And isn’t saying you’ve had an email from one person even worse in terms of confidentiality: now that person knows that they, individually, have been left potentially exposed. (You can bet that journalists will now be tracking them down – and that they’ll find them.)

Does this woman have any inclination about what bullying is? If you run a confidential service and then make a public statement accusing the PM of bullying on the basis of a few telephone calls, what do you expect?
In fact what this debacle has shown is that Caroline Pratt should never be given responsibility for running any organization, never mind one which involves the public.

This (from Taiwanese TV) is brilliant:

http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/tobyyoung/100027067/how-gordon-browns-problems-are-being-reported-in-taiwan/

In fact what this debacle has shown is that Caroline Pratt should never be given responsibility for running any organization, never mind one which involves the public.

STOP the bullying, please.

Something tells me that if this woman had gone public with a statement that half a dozen enquiries had come from Goldman Sachs, she wouldn’t be being monstered by the leftist mob.

For sure, organizations like this should protect the identities of victims, but they should be free to name and shame the perps.

@5 I disagree, firstly an accusation of bullying is different to bullying taking place and secondly the calls are meant to be confidential. End of story.

This doesn’t seem a terribly seemly response:

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/bullying-row-charity-chief-a-prat-1907922.html

There is a whole lot of ‘bullying’ going on, I think some grown-ups need to be naming their way to my anti-bullying workshops to learn a) what it is and b) what it is not and c) why not to do it

Brown admits often shouting, losing his temper, swearing and throwing papers “down”. Because of “pressure”.

If a 15 year old, under the immense pressure of GCSE’s, did that in a classroom would he be allowed to get away with it?

If a footballer, under the pressure of a World Cup match, behaved like that on a football pitch, would he be allowed to get away with it?

If a Teesside steelworker, under pressure of recent redundancy, behaved like that in a Job Centre, would he be allowed to get away with it?

If BA Cabin Crew, under the pressure of an undermanned difficult flight, behave like that in the ‘plane, would they be allowed to get away with it?

If a Traffic Warden, Policeman, Nurse or Fireman, under the presure of their difficult jobs, would they be allowed to get away with it?

The first duty of a leader is to set an example.

Fail.

Not at all, you undervalue the pressures and responsibilities of that role by comparing it to incomparable jobs or situations.

You are expecting inhuman levels of behaviour and also, in some of your examples the answer is yes, they would, it is not a case of getting away with it, it is a case of a human needed to let off steam.

Hopefully not too often.

Lot of ivory tower nonsense by people on this subject matter of late.

@12

“incomparable jobs or situations”

Ah. And so what of the much-vaunted “fairness and equality for all”?

I’m sorry but you seem to be ascribing quotes and ideas to me that you have no idea whether I hold them or not.

And also your mis-apporiation of the idea of fairness and equality for all shows a transparent desperation to play gotcha with important ideas.

All jobs are not equal, neither are all humans, neither are how humans respond to the jobs they have.

These are truisms but ones that seem to have escaped you in your desperation to push your agenda.

‘All jobs are not equal, neither are all humans, neither are how humans respond to the jobs they have.’

Priceless.

@9

If a 15 year old, under the immense pressure of GCSE’s, did that in a classroom would he be allowed to get away with it?

Perhaps – I did, all those years ago, after a bollocking for smoking in the toilets too…

If a footballer, under the pressure of a World Cup match, behaved like that on a football pitch, would he be allowed to get away with it?/

Yellow card at the most.

If a Teesside steelworker, under pressure of recent redundancy, behaved like that in a Job Centre, would he be allowed to get away with it?

Yes.

If BA Cabin Crew, under the pressure of an undermanned difficult flight, behave like that in the ‘plane, would they be allowed to get away with it?

No. You’re on a plane, ferfuckssakes.

If a Traffic Warden, Policeman, Nurse or Fireman, under the presure of their difficult jobs, would they be allowed to get away with it?

Probably not, but the professions listed occupy a unique position in society in that they are s’posed to either protect the public or have been given the right to use physical force when deemed necessary by the State.

The key difference is that GB is accused of violence against the person, and none of your examples are drawing from that. Obviously if he’s proven to be a violent bully then he should face up to his actions, but losing his temper when under pressure is a different matter.

Hope that clears things up for you.

Balls, html fail. Hope it makes sense

you have to laugh at the very idea of the Prime Minister being under pressure. Maybe if the country were being invaded, there would be pressure but, let’s face it, in normal times the job is a doddle that any toddler could do. After all, we have just spend 3 days debating whether he is a bully or not….what massively pressurised decision-taking has been going on in the meantime?

Actually Shatterface, that’ll set you back £2.10

@14

Alfred J.

I was quoting what Brown himself has admitted: not what he is accused of.

@12

I didn’t know I had an agenda. Thanks for pointing that out for me.

Er… perhaps you could lt me know what it is.

Your overuse of the word “desperation” might suggest to some a certain kind of… desperation…?

* let

I’m no fan of Gordon Brown. At all. But hasn’t anyone picked up on the fact that if there’s someone who’s been bullied to fuck over the last two years, that person is Gordon Brown.

Literally, bullied to fuck. By the press at large. By the Blirites within the party. By Jeremy Clarkson, by Richard Littlejohn, by Andrew Marr, by one opinion column after the other.

Seriously, next they’re gonna go on about Gordon Brown’s bad breath or something.

Quite, Claude. The opposition have tried to portray him as mentally ill and THEY want an enquiry in to HIM being a bully. Fantastic.

I see more antagonism on the F word with Gordon Ramsey, that’s entertainment and no-one bats an eyelid. Rumours and comment and people continue the campaign that they’ve been following all year to assassinate a person’s character rather than their professional ability.

Can someone, please, remind whether Dr David Kelly’s death on 17 July 2003 was due to bullying?

And why was it, exactly, that Greg Dyke resigned as Director General of the BBC?

The Art of Spain:

We all have an agenda, denying you don’t have one here, when your personal prejudice is pretty transparent, it not getting you off on a good foot.

As for use of the word desperation, you read far too much into it.

@ 24

Er… Picasso’s Guernica, Daniel?

No.

I much prefer Get Your War On.

But that’s not the Art of Spain…

Indeed it is not.

Race Industry, Green Industry, Bullying industry. Better ex’s than M.P.’s. Lots of grants and a high moral ground.