Thread 22. Sunak: Taxes, Truth and Tories

[pointythings]

The previous thread filled up fast, so here's another one with a reasonably topical title!

Quite honestly, no workplace culture is.

I don't think the civil service are some kind of magically tougher breed of people than those who work in the private sector or whatever.

'Who?' is the majority of the replies to his appointment, bodes well.

The bar for women being told they are aggressive or have an "unfortunate manner" is already much lower than the male bar. Its well studied that women are regularly given feedback about how they look/speak rather than what they do, in a way that doesn't happen for men

It's only a bit of bullying, like it was only a bit of cake.

The bar is set low

Those two examples would normally be dealt with via feedback from one of the private secretaries. It sound as though he enjoyed belittling officials.

If you worked in Whitehall you would know that the prevailing attitude is very much one of sucking up to ministers (then moaning about them behind their backs 😆). But making official complaints about them is really not at all common.

Alex Chalk is both sane and sensible and charming. Much better than Raab.

The extremely intelligent and dedicated Raab who’s deeply committed to things being right is same one that didn’t know how close Dover was to Calais and didn’t bother to read the GFA isn’t it?

I didn't say that though. What I would say is that what one person considers bullying, another might consider to simply be direct (or "frank and robust discussion", to use the parlance).

The fact is, someone was briefing about throwing tomatoes and shouting and swearing and all the rest of it. Either it did happen and those who experienced it have been pressured/felt pressured into not disclosing, or it was dodgy briefing. Either way is concerning, not least because Angela Rayner actually made the allegation on record in the HoC.

But isn’t that’s why there’s an inquiry. So that someone independent can weigh up the evidence and decide whether it was reasonable for the person to feel like they had been bullied.

Some posters on Twitter are going in meltdown because he apparently is a remainer

Alex Chalk is a good lawyer. And a capable politician since he knows to be charming gets a lot more out of people.

Raab was a very bad lawyer. And he had this coming. I have had the pleasure many times. I do not find these reports hard to believe. It may be relevant to note he was sacked by the Foreign Office many years ago based in part on his conduct. His antipathy to the Civil Service may well stem from that, though I don't think he did much better in private practice either.

His behaviour at the despatch box when facing Angela Rayner, that wink and his body language told me everything I needed to know about his conduct. If he felt he could behave like that in public, then how was he behaving towards those with little recourse?

When they show you who they are, believe them.

I applaud the civil servants who brought this out.

I actually thought he looked incredibly uncomfortable, and quite possibly for good reason.

The good reason being?

What was the good reason??

Apologies for the double question mark - fat fingers.

There’s another investigation report incoming to the PM and Parliament (and me as I asked for it) - into the appointment process of the BBC Chair. Who was very much involved and part of that process as the then Culture Secretary? Yes, Oliver Dowden …

twitter.com/LucyMPowell/status/1649404033856053250?s=20

That he had done those things!

Well the rape charge rate of 1.6% bloody well ought to make politician's feel uncomfortable. It's a disgrace.

Maybe all those comments about Angela Rayner flashing her legs in the Commons came from somewhere close to the dispatch box... a nasty way to be

That's an understatement

That's an excellent point.

I can't believe someone is saying bullying is in the interpretation of the victim.

There were 24 victims and an independent enquiry.

There was enough evidence to prove bullying.