What kind of fucked-up, dysfunctional workplace is our government operating in?

[noblegiraffe]

Downing Street and the Houses of Parliament? Can't get through the day without a suitcase of wine in Downing Street, drugs everywhere in Parliament? Subsidised bars on work premises?

I guess the fact that they tried to make an exemption for the bars in the Houses of Parliament when introducing a curfew for pubs should have been a warning sign that there's far too much reliance on alcohol in our ruling classes.

There was a lot of talk about standards in public life during the Owen Paterson scandal. Surely not being pissed or high on the job is a basic standard?

Aside from the issue that they couldn't even stop having massive piss-ups during lockdown, AIBU to think that something needs to be done to introduce basic rules like 'If you're not safe to drive, you're not allowed to vote in new laws'?

If you wouldn't be happy with a teacher teaching your kids half-cut and would expect rules to prevent this, why should we tolerate our government ruling the country while making their way through the contents of the wine fridge?

People have been posting 'oh yes, it's always been like this'.

Well it shouldn't be in future.

you start numerous anti-Tory threads.
And then Clav tries to turn them into anti-Labour ones.

At my state school, we don't even get water at parents' evening any more.

@noblegiraffe

To the teachers? While they were doing appointments?

God, how the other half live.

Teachers, parents, sixth formers had a glass of wine, yes.

@noblegiraffe Boris clearly has the poor work ethic the Tories like to accuse people on benefits as having. Perhaps we should pay him the universal credit going rate? See how he finds foodbanks and the cost of heating

@MrsHamlet you don't even get water? Can you not get a glass, use a tap?

Teachers, parents, sixth formers had a glass of wine, yes

I can only imagine the headlines if that was shown to have come out of a state school budget.

Sixth formers?!

Again, the private sector very different to the public sector!

I guess if the private schools are grooming their kids for top jobs and being PM, they have to get them hooked early.

[quote roarfeckingroarr]@MrsHamlet you don't even get water? Can you not get a glass, use a tap?[/quote]
We have appointments every 5 minutes for 3 hour. Start at 4.30, finish at 7.30. No break.

This is how parents evenings work.

Teachers, parents, sixth formers had a glass of wine, yes.

No doubt to set the scene for a working life as a senior person in government or the city where the majority are privately educated.

I would have thought it might be a bit exclusionary for any place where there was a significant number of Muslims - but no doubt no thought was given to that.

@noblegiraffe I'm surprised this is shocking you so much. There were trays of wine glasses, canapés for while you're walking around.

I did then go to work in government. Maybe you're right.

I have taught for 22 years. State schools. Never has alcohol been served on premises. We couldn’t even bring in a bottle for end of term do’s as it’s written into policy.

[quote roarfeckingroarr]@noblegiraffe I'm surprised this is shocking you so much. There were trays of wine glasses, canapés for while you're walking around.

I did then go to work in government. Maybe you're right. [/quote]
“Canapés”.

Fucking hell. So out of touch with state Ed.

@daimbarsatemydogsbone no one was forced to drink. This was also in Surrey, all girls, no pupil or staff member wore hijab, it wasn't exactly diverse.

It's fairly common in private sector. It's not like I was at Eton/Harrow for obvious reasons.

Didn't mean to derail anyway, sorry.

It’s not even as though Johnson is popular with the Tories at the moment. They don’t think he is a true Conservative, and those that were against restrictions are furious that he appears to have enforced them without believing them necessary.

He has made unforced error after unforced error.

Every job I've worked in (government, communications) has had a drinking culture, drinks at lunch, during meetings sometimes,

We don't deal with kids, medicine, vulnerable people.

[quote roarfeckingroarr]@daimbarsatemydogsbone no one was forced to drink. This was also in Surrey, all girls, no pupil or staff member wore hijab, it wasn't exactly diverse.[/quote]
it wasn't exactly diverse.
You surprise me.

[quote roarfeckingroarr]@MrsHamlet you don't even get water? Can you not get a glass, use a tap?[/quote]
Face to face parents' evening in the hall - no breaks. Kitchen closed after lunchtime. Nearest tap with potable water in another room.
Online parents' evening in my classroom - same issue except I can schedule a break.
The point is rather more that whilst some people paid from the public purse get "wine time Friday" my school is in such dire straits financially that we can't even buy the staff a bottle of water or MsAD them a cup of tea any mors.

Didn't mean to derail anyway, sorry.

Normal people being shocked at the excess in the private sector seems perfectly on topic.

@roarfeckingroarr

Every job I've worked in (government, communications) has had a drinking culture, drinks at lunch, during meetings sometimes,

We don't deal with kids, medicine, vulnerable people.

It's hugely exclusionary for anyone who doesn't drink.

A few bottles of wine and a bit of food is hardly excessive. Given the cost of the fees, the least they could do was put on a spread!

Our head teacher brings us round a Kit Kat and a cup of tea during the parents evening when the heat has gone off and we're nearing the end.

@noblegiraffe On the "wine at private school parents' evenings" thing, you'll never get those who move in those circles to accept or understand that it's not normal in a workplace, though. (At least, not the workplaces most of us work in, not in the 21st, post-COVID workplace.)

And as others have said, it isn't just alcohol that our current shower of "people's representatives" seem to need to even function - though along with the bred-in contempt of the lower orders, it does explain a heck of a lot about their decision making.

I've not seen or read Starmer's reasoning (yet) behind holding one bottle of what looked like beer in the photo I have seen, but even without that, at least he's had the guts and common sense to appear in public.

I'm willing to be swayed on my opinion of him if it'll get these monsters out; maybe he has been playing the medium to long game after all. And if Angela Raynor would just learn to moderate some of her language a bit, as many of those of us from a grim Northern upbringing have had to learn to do over the years in order to get anywhere in a Southern-dominated UK, she'd definitely provide the fire socialist Labour used to be famous for.

(Meanwhile, as on Bosworth Field at the eleventh hour, we'll wait for the Lib Dems to decide which side they're on this time...)

And as a side note, given how many of these photos are evidently taken with long range and/or zoom lenses from journalists doing what so many journalists do best, which is hide in the bushes, you really would think politicians had learned by now to put the blinds down at work meetings, and/or do a sweep of the bushes beforehand!

@daimbarsatemydogsbone it's not. Many people didn't partake - driving, not big drinkers etc - and soft drinks, tea/coffee were also offered

Sigh. *21st century

(Anyone ever told mumsnet about edit functions?! I hear even content management systems have them these days...)