A bully surrounded by cowards

It is not just the revelations about Gordon Brown’s bullying behaviour towards his staff which mark him out as a failed leader; it is his hypocrisy.

It is not just the revelations about Gordon Brown’s bullying behaviour towards his staff which mark him out as a failed leader; it is his hypocrisy. No government in history has committed itself so firmly to standing up for suffering employees and, as Rod Liddle points out on page 19, this noble aim has often resulted in overbearing legislation. We have had employment acts which make it an offence for a boss not to make allowance for people’s desire to pray at work, and laws which forbid firms from advertising for a ‘postboy’ on the grounds that it might discriminate against women and older people. We have had anti-bullying helplines and whistleblower schemes. Employers found by a tribunal to have failed to stop bullying face huge compensation payouts.