National Bullying Helpline - don't they have to meet DATA PROTECTION laws?

[morningpaper]

I'm not fecking ringing them, the blabbermouths

Interesting links JJ.

I have to say when I read the paper this morning I was very at a helpline revealing information like this.

Those links make very interesting reading. It's beginning to look like very sloppy reporting and a complete lack of research on the part of the BBC. Has anyone looked at the charity's own website? It's a complete nightmare of purple colour and reams and reams of type. I lost the will to live about half-way through the home page.

The BBC have responded here:

www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/nickrobinson/2010/02/helplines_invol.html

Here is Anne Snelgrove MP, PPS to Gordon Brown, hosting the launch of the National Bullying Helpine. [http://www.swindonlink.com/php_article_show.php?id=282]

www.swindonlink.com/php_article_show.php?id=282

SHE IS SHOCKING ISNT SHE!

It is WEIRD coverage, I agree

And seriously, who gives a feck? GB is an angry moody bastard to work for - so what? What do people want, a nice insipid prime minister who sits around dipping biscuits into his tea all day and nodding sympathetically? Feck off

It's WEIRD how so many people suddenly become apologists for bullying behaviour.

Would you still view things the same way had the allegations been made about a Tory?

Well Tories do more interesting things like have indecent sex lives with interesting colleagues

IF Chrstine Pratt (or Andrew Rawnsley, Lance Price or Peter Watt, for that matter) have libelled/slandered Brown - where are the libel writs?

All we see is an attempt to change the issue by using the breach of confidentiality argument to attack and smear Christine Pratt.

Pratt merely confirmed that complaints about bullying within No.10 had been received - contradicting the denials issued yesterday by No.10.

I would imagine that working for No. 10 is one of the most horrifically stressful jobs in the country

Why the feck would anyone assume otherwise? It's not a sitcom

i agree with MP
i liek a bit of "oooh angry Gordon"

does he turn green when he gets angry..

But she works for a helpline that speaks to people in confidence.

Do you honestly think that those people who are aledged to have called this helpline would still have felt comfortable doing so if they knew that the helpline would have confirmed it to the press?

If the people in question wanted the press to know they were being bullied, then they could probably have gone to them themselves and been paid for the privilage, rather than wasting time calling a confidential helpline and waiting for them to do it on their behalf.

The two issues are separate. If people in GB's office are being bullied then there will be a procedure to deal with that that they can follow. But Christine pratt had no place speaking to the press.

Nah... he just pulls people out of their chairs and throws printers and mobile phones around, waves his fist at people, jumps across tyhe desk and grabs people by the lapels to yells in their faces... I'm amazed at how many of you seem to think this is completely acceptable behaviour. Would you feel the same if a manager in private industry behaved in this way?

I also think it's a fallacy to equate bullying behaviour with strong leadership. It usually suggests the exact opposite as it betrays a lack of self-confidence and makes it difficult (if not impossible) for ideas to be freely exchanged, making it more likely that bad decisions will be made.

Look, not everyone can be Tony Blair you know

So what's the big issue here? Gordon Brown's character - especially in light of the imminent General Election - and the apparent lies issued from Downing Street in his defence?

Or a possible alleged breach of confidence? Was Hansard "breaching confidences" when it reported on official investigations into bullying and harassment within Brown's office on no fewer than three previous occasions?

Don't start me on Tony Blair.....

I think the big issue is that (if the story is true then) a confidential bullying helpline has massively MASSIVELY shafted people who have come asking for help for what one can only assume are political motivations.

Having worked for a similar helpline, there is NO WAY ON EARTH that you would divulge information about IP addresses / telephone conversations without getting permission from the individuals concerned. It is totally unprofessional at best. I hope they are investigated by the charity commission.

Interesting twist now:

Patron resigns

I suspect they receive funding from major Conservatives.

IMO this will backfire, they've breached confidentiality and this is politically motiviated.

It's not news to me that politicians are bullies - in a previous job two councillors from different parties used to ring up every day for the special purpose of shouting at my boss, and I thought they were both horrible.

But I'm shocked by the confidentiality issues, I think it brings any anti-bullying campaign/organisation into disrepute. My dp is a union official and he's quite shocked too.

I think it's fairly clear that GB has a temper problem, at the very least. The Rawnsley extract in the Obs had loads of corroborating stories - too many for them all to be Tory smears.

Of course the NBH woman was completely out of order.

but she said that no specific complaints had been made against GB. So why is she even involved in this whole story?

erm, they didn't release the name of the complainant though did they? so the person that called them did not have their privcy breached.

and frankly, to release a statement saying 'we're one big happy 10 Downing St family' was so obviously false and dismissive of a serious allegation i don't think they were being that unreasonable to go public with it.

an employer should treat this seriously, investigate and resolve any issue it finds - not say 'we're all tickety boo here'.