One of the worst aspects of the Priti Patel debacle is the effect it must be having on all the staff who have been at the receiving end of her alleged bullying. To have been given a glimmer of hope that she would be forced to resign and to then see those hopes dashed, by a Prime Minister who initially ignores and then dismisses the report which says she broke the ministerial code, must be shocking and upsetting.
Bullying is something that affects many people in all walks of life. Twitter is alive with people sharing difficult memories from their school days and sadly those who bully other children do not always grow out of that behaviour. My own experiences of bullying in the workplace include being asked why there had been so many complaints about my work, this being within a couple of days of returning from a 3-month period of sick leave following a mental breakdown. That was in the public sector – I left that job shortly after that interrogation - but I have experienced equally aggressive behaviour from a manager in a private sector company.
Hardly a week seems to go by without a story in the news about people being physically, sexually or emotionally bullied whether it is in politics, sport, the entertainment world or wherever. And sadly, much of this sort of behaviour has worsened during the pandemic lockdowns with instances of domestic abuse being on the rise.
So to have a Prime Minister effectively condoning bullying is deeply depressing and extremely worrying for us as a society and for the individuals who have had, and continue to have, their lives wrecked by bullies. And to now see all these Tory MPs lining up to sing Ms Patel's praises makes one wonder how many are speaking freely and how many have been bullied into posting these messages.
Welcome to Brexit Britain 2020.
