Bullying and Bullies

The revelations - or more accurately the allegations made about bullying at 10 Downing Street have opened up an interesting debate about the issue. While it is clear that bullying in any environment is entirely unacceptable, allegations need to be based on sound evidence and those who make false allegations need to be held accountable for making bogus complaints which are often made for personal gain.

I was recently involved in a bogus bullying allegation made by the previous Town Clerk for Morley Town Council. The allegation made was closely examined by an Employment Tribunal Judge and found to have no substance what so ever and her claim on this aspect was dismissed. Indeed the Judge commented that the previous Town Clerk was prone to hyperbole (which means obvious and intentional exaggeration) and took a combative approach to dealing with Councillors. This allegation made by the former Town Clerk was a pile of purulent pap and was backed by a previous Tory Town Councillor whose signed affidavit was rejected and whose evidence (and I use the word loosely) was dismissed as inaccurate.

The final outcome of this bizarre claim was that the Town Clerk received a payoff which - after clearing her legal bills - left her with a very small fraction of her original claim of £325,000.

And what about our own No show Nazis - the Beverley Councillors on this issue? Well Chris backed her claim by attending the Employment Tribunal and sitting in her interview room during the hearing. His wife refused to support putting a legal defence - presumably because she wanted to bankrupt the Town Council and pay out the £325,000 claimed on a bogus allegation! Of course this doesn't stop our BNP buddies making similar allegations at every opportunity, pretending that the claim cost a lot more than it really did. Perhaps the Town Clerk is not the only person who suffers from hyperbole - that is obvious and intentional exaggeration.

I generally have little sympathy for Gordon Brown whose judgement on many issues - Iraq, Afghanistan, the Banking Crisis should legitimately be questioned but many of these allegations seem to lack substance or evidence and are are being used as a political weapon for those politicians who have a clear political axe to grind. Ill watch with interest to see how this develops. Perhaps Ill pass on the details of the solicitor who was used to successfully dump the bogus allegations made against certain Town Councillor and suggest Gordy gives him a ring!