At Westminster, where anti-bullying legislation emphasises dignity and respect, actions rarely seem to live up to words, writes Catherine Deveney.
Isn’t it heartening, during anti-bullying week, to see Rishi Sunak take allegations of bullying in parliament seriously?
Asked about accusations that Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab was guilty of bullying behaviour, Sunak adopted the slightly pained expression of a man whose too small Armani suit was pressing rather tightly in somewhat delicate places.
“I was not,” he said, “aware of any formal complaints about Dominic’s behaviour. But I would say if people do have concerns, whether it’s about any individual, that they should come forward and talk to people about those.”
People should talk to people? Roughly translated, I think this Yes Minister speak means: “If your people who have concerns would like to talk to my people who don’t have any concerns whatsoever, my unconcerned people and your concerned people can agree that your people’s concerns are of no consequence whatsoever. And then we can all do nothing about it. Agreed, people?”
At least Raab was only accused of throwing slices of tomato – allegations he denied – from his Pret a Manger salad and not, say, something like a whole tub of vinegary KFC coleslaw, which would, obviously, be REALLY disgusting and take said allegations to whole new bullying levels.
Sunak’s judgement is in question here, having also denied knowledge of accusations surrounding Gavin Williamson when he appointed him. Williamson resigned days later over sweary, intimidating behaviour which, obviously, he denied was actual bullying.
Bullying behaviour is rife at Westminster
This is not auguring well for Sunak’s new government is it? To misquote Oscar Wilde in a context that I’m sure Oscar Wilde would approve of being misquoted in: once is unfortunate. Twice is carelessness.
The thing about powerful people is that they don’t want to be bothered with the fact that other powerful people treat less powerful people badly. They’d rather it just went away, really, and bothered someone less busy.
They make policies, but fail to translate them into the reality of what is hitting them in the face. Just as people do with mental health. We’ve removed “the stigma”, apparently, until someone behaves erratically in their actual workplace, thereby getting on everyone’s nerves, at which point they become a loony tune who it is necessary to complain to the boss about.
So, the first thing is to actually recognise what’s going on. At Westminster, where all those anti-bullying bits of legislation that emphasise dignity and respect are passed, there is little doubt what’s happening.
Sunak seems in danger of tolerating and concealing. And what about the rest of us?
Four years ago, Dame Laura Cox published a report about bullying in Westminster that made shocking reading. It outlined a culture, “from the top down, of deference, subservience, acquiescence and silence, in which bullying, harassment, and sexual harassment have been able to thrive and have long been tolerated and concealed.” Little seems to have changed.
Sunak seems in danger of tolerating and concealing. And what about the rest of us?
Matt Hancock has become a convenient scapegoat
Here’s a question. Is Matt Hancock the worst reptile in the Australian jungle?
Personally, I thought he was a pompous, ineffectual politician who made a disgraceful mess of PPE supplies during Covid, pretending to protect the vulnerable while allowing care homes to become dumping grounds of infection, in which people were left isolated, distressed and dying, while he broke the rules he was part of imposing. Gosh, writing that sentence felt almost like therapy.
Can I shock you? Matt Hancock’s constituents are furious pic.twitter.com/XEP7t6YAEh
— Ed Campbell (@edcmpbl) November 15, 2022
But, he wasn’t solely responsible – the collective government was. While the Conservative Party’s behaviour means they are not getting my vote before hell freezes over, I wouldn’t vote every night for Hancock to do trials in the Australian jungle either. Why? He just ain’t powerful anymore.
By all means, say what you feel. But celebrities smiling at him in camp, then demolishing him in private to the cameras, and the public picking on him night after night feels remarkably like bullying behaviour. Though, I must say, if he had given the same focus to his job that he’s giving to eating ostrich anus, he wouldn’t have made such a pig’s ear of everything.
Rishi Sunak must stop sticking his head in the sand
Boris Johnson came close to being forgiven after five minutes of standing in the naughty corner because, the public seem to think, he is “a character” while – crucially – Hancock is like the easily-bullied boy in class whose pencil case gets continually hidden behind the loos.
The social inadequate whose eyes dart round his jungle camp mates trying to work out what you do to show “having fun”, while singing Sweet Caroline. Oh, right… arm up… pump the air… ooh, eyes darting again… belt it out… small jump. SWEET CAROLINE! One of the gang, now.
Such intense scrutiny should be aimed at those still in power, because bullying is all about power imbalance. We need collective responsibility, not scapegoating.
If Sunak would like to make some serious contribution to anti-bullying week, he should clean up Westminster and stop sticking his ostrich head in the sand. Especially since Matt Hancock might just come along and bite the bit that’s sticking in the air.
Catherine Deveney is an award-winning investigative journalist, novelist and television presenter, and Scottish Newspaper Columnist of the Year 2022
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