Gordon Brown, temper like...

[_Hypnotoad_]

Ah yes, that certainly justifies the use of the phrase 'no smoke without fire' forever.

No, just in this case. Calm down old chap.

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

How can a maxim apply in one case but not another?

[biggytitbo]

BBC News - PM staff 'called bully helpline'

Several people in Gordon Brown's office have contacted an anti-bullying charity, its boss has told the BBC.

Christine Pratt said "three or four" calls had been made to the National Bullying Helpline in recent years.

Hang on, it's not very professional to reveal that is it?

[Still Not George]

No, just in this case. Calm down old chap.

Um, no, in this case there's fire. Fuck the smoke, it's not important. "No smoke without fire" is the argument of a twat. Don't be a twat forever, eh?

[_Hypnotoad_]

BBC News - PM staff 'called bully helpline'Hang on, it's not very professional to reveal that is it?

Maybe, but the nasty shit is lying through his teeth, as is Mandelson, from supposed positions of trust.

It was always going to be people outside of his circle of fear who would expose him.

[_Hypnotoad_]

Don't be a twat forever, eh?

pfft, better men than you have been refused that request, love
x

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

Surely if it's that few calls, they should be able say whether it was 3 or 4.

[biggytitbo]

Maybe, but the nasty shit is lying through his teeth, as is Mandelson, from supposed positions of trust.

True but they lie so often and about so much I doubt this is going to go very far.

[Ambient Sheep]

Oh I have no doubt whatsoever that the allegations are very probably true.  Having read his column every week since it started (until I stopped reading the Grauniserver a couple of years ago), and seen how much of it turns out to be correct, Rawnsley's sources generally seem to be impeccable.

He's a cunt for doing it this close to a general election though, and as Backstage said, Rawnsley's tone in his self-justificatory article was utterly nauseating.  You can find a rant from me in the comments if you look.

There was a time when he was a great guy, but he's been heading for complete tooldom for a good few years now, and this just confirms it.

I've heard he's just wierdly eccentric is all.  In further revalations tomorrow it's revealed that he insists on cabinet meetings being held in the nude, likes Sarah to dress up as Dr Finlay's housekeeper during sex play and only eats eggs on a full moon.

Someone on the Guardian website keeps posting a comment (which usually gets removed) to the effect that apparently Cameron gets his kicks from watching his butler do the dusting in the nude.  Sounds preposterous, but apparently "it's a well known thing" about him in political circles.  Since I don't really follow all that shit any more, has anybody else heard of this?

[noembed]
BBC News - PM staff 'called bully helpline'

Hang on, it's not very professional to reveal that is it?
[/noembed]

Well one would have thought not, but there you go.  You just can't get the staff.  _{^{<insert your own joke about Gordon's staff running away; I can't seem to get mine just right>}}

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

Surely just letting everyone know he has a butler would be damaging enough.

[biggytitbo]

Consverative politician likes to watch nude butler? STOP THE FUCKING PRESSES!

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

Okay, so the radio stations are claiming the charity has recently been contacted, but the internet story says that the calls have been made in recent years. They either need to be a little clearer on the details or drop it, as it currently smells a bit fishy...at best malicious recycling of old news. There's no real development to this story unless an individual comes forward. At the moment it's 'A number of calls we don't know how many exactly were made to us in the past few years from Gordon Brown's office, but we aren't calling Gordon Brown a bully', which isn't very clear or informative and just seems like a smear.

[biggytitbo]

I don't understand why a bullying charity is discussing confidential calls with the press. Completely out of order.

[Talulah, really!]

Consverative politician likes to watch nude butler? STOP THE FUCKING PRESSES!

AND SWITCH OFF THE FUCKING TROUSER PRESSES!

(might get a nasty burn if you're not careful)

I don't understand why a bullying charity is discussing confidential calls with the press. Completely out of order.

If I were cynical I'd suggest they're jumping at the chance of some nice free publicity.

[Ambient Sheep]

If I were cynical I'd suggest they're jumping at the chance of some nice free publicity.

Publicity that warns me never to touch them with a bargepole if I actually wanted to report anything.

Nice one.  Arseholes.  (Not you, obv.)

[rudi]

Who gives a fuck what politicians are like? This thread is a pull-out section in The daily Mail.

[biggytitbo]

Publicity that warns me never to touch them with a bargepole if I actually wanted to report anything.

Nice one.  Arseholes.  (Not you, obv.)

Absolutely, its just baffling that they thought that was an ok thing to do.

[biggytitbo]

It matters because workplace bullying is unacceptable, it's not a political thing, there's plenty of reasons to hate Brown politically beyond this.

Although presumably him bullying his staff was a global problem, that started in America and spread to the UK.

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

It would suggest that-

1) the people complaining probably didn't do so very recently, as claimed in the media
2) the people complaining aren't working there any more
3) there's a high staff turnover or quite a lot of people working in the PM's office

If not, then they're truly irresponsible fucks.

edit- they still aren't saying whether it's 3 or 4 phone calls

[_Hypnotoad_]

Who gives a fuck what politicians are like? This thread is a pull-out section in The daily Mail.

Quite a few people in here, anyone who's watching and taking notice of the news reports.

So a few I'd say. Not you, obviously. But you don't speak for everyone of course.

Unless you do, I admit I haven't read any post for a few days,

[rudi]

OK, perhaps I should rephrase it to why do people care what a politician is like? I couldn't give a toss who my local friendly plumber votes for, where he drinks, how nice he treats his kids as long as he fixes and maintains my boiler.

[biggytitbo]

It would suggest that-

1) the people complaining probably didn't do so very recently, as claimed in the media
2) the people complaining aren't working there any more
3) there's a high staff turnover or quite a lot of people working in the PM's office

If not, then they're truly irresponsible fucks.

edit- they still aren't saying whether it's 3 or 4 phone calls

The woman from the charity is on the news, she's horrible and the outfit doesn't look very professional. Well they aren't judging by this.

[biggytitbo]

After 13 years of plumber Brown tending to it, the boiler has exploded. And he's a cunt.

[rudi]

At least he shits indoors.

[Zero Gravitas]

:|

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

OK, perhaps I should rephrase it to why do people care what a politician is like? I couldn't give a toss who my local friendly plumber votes for, where he drinks, how nice he treats his kids as long as he fixes and maintains my boiler.

More personality politics innit. I'm like you, I don't really care -to a point. If anything's going to get stressful and heated it's going to be politics so bullying isn't surprising- regretful maybe, but something which can be sorted out in-house. If he was using corporal punishment or having civil servants bumped off it might be different.

[biggytitbo]

More like he shits his pants from what I've heard.

Looks like this woman from the bullying helpline came forward because she was angry about Mandleson's denials - http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/gordon-brown/7286639/Gordon-Brown-criticised-by-anti-bullying-head.html

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

Christine Pratt said she had ''seen red''

Oooh, temper-temper.

But I am appalled at the outright denial that is going on without due process being followed

Coming from Mrs. Confidentiality.

[Dusty Gozongas]

But I am appalled at the outright denial that is going on without due process being followed

Coming from Mrs. Confidentiality.

I can't see the problem with that. To put it in another possible context, if my kids were being bullied at school and felt the need to call an external agency only for the school to later deny that there was any bullying then I would be grateful to hear that somebody from the outside agency had something to say on the matter.

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

You're not talking about children though, you're talking about adults who may not necessarily want their personal life laid bare by a charity who they specifically confided in.