Bullying in House of Commons

[PinkCatInATree]

Watched the news after a day out yesterday and saw the bullying in the House of Commons

Like Rachel Reeves or hate her, to pick on her and snark away at her when she is visibly upset is intolerable. Bullying at its most basic.

In any other workplace it would have been a disciplinary offence.

AIBU to want better behaviour (sadly I no longer expect it)? What a deplorable bunch and shame on the media reports for not calling out the bullying but instead for adding to it.

Really...the tories...please look back at prime minister's questions when truss was in charge...they are as bad as each other, most consider it a game to score of each other. When you look behind the scenes most get on with one another.

So true. Every week. And this time 'she won't be' was more of the same jeering she'd be out of a job. He's such a bully he can't answer and the markets notice it.

kerstina · Today 11:19
i thought exactly the same. Bullying ,straightforward bullying . Kicking someone when they are at their absolute lowest and kicking them even more but what do you expect from the Tories

I felt sorry for Rachel Reeves, but nonetheless I think if it had been a female Tory politician then she would’ve been on the receiving end of just as much both in the HofC and online hate from Labour supporters.

It's rubbish pantomime and steeped in public school bullying.

I completely agree with this.

And if everyone does this to vulnerable members of staff, there'll be even MORE people off work through mental health problems, and the welfare bill will be even higher!

Not to mention that if only tough insensitive people are employed, customer service will go down.

Well, I remember more than a few instances when she laughed hysterically at completely inappropriate comments (not even going down the vile policies she intended to unleash on the most vulnerable on society). Why is she special and should receive special treatment?

You’ve hit the nail on the head perfectly. The behaviour is straight out of a 19th Century Public School. The people inhabiting the HoC have little or no experience of how the majority of people they ‘govern’ have to live. It is no wonder the country is deteriorating so rapidly.

Yanbu.
We were just talking about this at work. Badenoch overstepped the line. We said we'd be hauled in front of HR if we were that rude. She should have ignored Reeves crying.

I said to DP at the time if I was Rachel Reeves I would probably feel like I was back at school - it’s like having the confident bitchy girl humiliating you in front of the whole class.

Really? That is Starmer but a bullying boss every week.

I think this shows Kemi Badenoch up for the absolute vile bully that she is. She's my MP. I didn't vote for her (voted Labour) and don't like her one little bit. If only Labour had just managed to get 3k (something like that) of extra votes this time last year then she would have lost her previously rock solid safe Tory seat and we wouldn't be having to watch her bullshit right now.

True that Reeves has had many controversies and not come up smelling of roses either, but the same can be said for most of them. I actually did feel sorry for Reeves yesterday.

We'll probably never know really what it was about. Kemi won't know either but she put the boot in anyway because that is the sort of person she is. She has had an empathy bypass. The best thing she could have done yesterday was to have left Reeves alone and just continued her quizzing of Starmer. She just couldn't resist though. Nasty!

Personal matters as Reeves later said could mean anything from whether or not she would keep her job to an argument at home or a family bereavement. She doesn't have to reveal if she doesn't want to.

Exactly.
Politics aside, she was obviously upset, not putting it on, and kicking her then was just plain nasty.

This. The House of Commons is not fit for purpose. And the adversarial attitude it maintains is an embarrassment to this country.

This is supposed to be how our country is run and yet a debate seems to consist of each side shouting abuse at the other. Time we built a new parliament, changed the electoral system and elected some grown ups who understand they may have different ideas but sometimes you should work together as adults.

Examples please.

HoC is renowned for its bullying. Part of that’s the tribal atmosphere, part the long hours, part the power dynamics (self-important MPs, young staff). So many documented cases, Bercow, etc.

I knew a few people who worked there as MPs assistants, they all said it was worse than you could imagine.

That is a really foolish and unpleasant comment. There will come a time when you live to regret it as you find yourself in thr same situation. We all do when we least expect it.

It's only PMQs and part of the 'rules of engagement' with a 'gloves off' approach that most front benchers of any political stance, wade into and give and take the barbs on the chin.

Reeves was only quietly weeping on the sidelines; it's not like she was reduced to tears by standing up and being vollied from the other side.

It might actually have been a 'set play' to reduce any meaningful news reporting on the actual Questions of the Day? Oh gow on Rach, if you have a little cry, that's all the peeps will talk about. Think of the team Rach, think of the team.

Probably not, but may as well be the true really.

The funniest thing about the HoC is that some fairly mild insults are forbidden because they are not parliamentary. Like, once the Speaker made Tom Watson withdraw a statement because he'd called Michael Gove a pipsqueak, and apparently this is a prohibited word. Likewise, any overt suggestions that someone has lied or been dishonest. (Or implied, see, "Dodgy Dave".)

I wish she hadn't cried though - it just reinforces (some) mens' opinion that women are hysterical, feeble and can't handle high office. Can you imagine Ken Clarke or Gordon Brown weeping on the front bench? It just looks cringily unprofessional. If I'd been her and I really hadn't been able to help it in the moment, I would have faked a sneezing fit or something!

Exactly! Who wants somebody like that running the country. I certainly don’t. Nasty.