I have spent the past 48 hours without Internet, and only a vaguely French speaking Algerian and my own poor technical French to cure the problem. At 2 Euros an hour, it only cost me 120 euros to find that the problem was their fault – not mine.

I know, I know, I could send them an invoice, but if there is anything worse than grappling with a vaguely French speaking ISP help line, it is trying to extract money from a French company that is at fault – I am still trying to get back the 180 euros my French bank charged me when they ‘inadvertently’ sent me a bank statement with the last page missing. We are all agreed that it is their fault that I needed a copy of that page, we are all agreed that I should be refunded the charge forcibly removed from my account for sending me a copy, but can I get the money back into my account? Ask me again in six months and I will let you know what progress has been made. It’s only been four months, too soon to expect activity. You want to talk about bullying? Huh!

Whilst I was gone, it seems that those mad equality harpies, Harriet Harman, Vera Baird and Maria Eagle, have so indoctrinated the Equality and Human Rights Commission that they have been forced to issue a ‘clarification’ of their earlier report saying that ‘forcing’ schoolgirls to wear skirts could be damaging to any fledgling transsexuals amongst them, and that therefore everyone should wear a Chairman Mao type boiler suit Muslim girls should be allowed to break school rules and wear trousers, gay pupils should be allowed to break the school rules and wear their Mother’s cocktail dress, and in fact the only people who should have to abide by the rules, should be those who are not a member of any victimised single issue group. Like the children of parents who couldn’t afford to buy the bally uniform. No scrub that, they are suffering from child poverty so they are OK. That just leaves the children of law abiding hard pressed middle income families to abide by the rules…….

Meanwhile, Charlie Whelan’s Unite, surely the person best placed to recognised bullying when he sees it, has issued formal advice as to what constitutes bullying. It seems that you are a bully if you:

“use terror tactics, open aggression, threats, shouting, abuse, and obscenities towards [your] target”

So where does that leave Prescott jabbing his finger in the air, shouting, revealing details of an old employment tribunal, to say nothing of punching a member of the electorate.

Where does that leave Phil Woolas calling her a ‘prat of a woman’?

Remember Unite are quite clear that what constitutes bullying is ‘defined largely by the impact of the behaviour on the recipient, not its intention’.

Where does that leave Alan Sugar, arguably most famous for his hectoring confrontational treatment of contestants of his TV programme, who claims that this ‘is not bullying as far as I am concerned.’

So, Mrs Pratt is best qualified to decided whether her treatment at the hands of Mr Prescott constitutes bullying or not.

In the meantime – could they not have found anyone who doesn’t himself have a reputation as a bully to defend the Prime Minister? So far it has it has all the hallmarks of Hanibal Lector being called as a character witness for a man accused of eating his wife.

Now young Ms Pratt has called in the ultimate ‘champion of the bullied’ Max Clifford to field her corner. Has Labour accused her of being one of Tiger Woood’s mistresses?

One thing really bothers me about all this. A bully requires a victim, or someone prepared to act as victim. All the stories emerging in the papers of ‘emotional behaviour’, flying Nokia’s, and smashed computer screens evoke an image of people who, if not bullies, certainly behave as though they are superior to those they shout at, throw things at, heap abuse on, and make personal revelations about – I thought the Equalities unit was supposed to be ironing out all these hierarchies, I thought everyone was equal?

Not in Nu-Labour obviously. The class war is alive and well.

1
Saul February 23, 2010 at 15:47

Steady on with the picture…You’ll have Gloria swooning!

2
Anna Raccoon February 23, 2010 at 15:49

There is a worrying family resemblance isn’t there Saul?

3
Saul February 23, 2010 at 15:55

Worrying! Worrying?

It makes a Rotweiller chasing gambolling lambs look positively benign!

4
the shade of dr kelly February 23, 2010 at 16:19

we are going to need a truth and “reconcilliation” commission when we finally get these a——- out of office.

i want the new mob to pour out all of the secrets when they get in – the true debt of the nation, the amount of contracts for crap that we have signed up to, the decisions on military spending, the bullying, what really happened to david kelly etc etc.

i want all of the shit they have lied about to be brought into the open in one week so people can be thoroughly shocked. i want people to feel like the neighbour of josef fritzl.

hopefully they will never ever vote for labour again.

5
Saul February 23, 2010 at 16:37

Gordon Brown must love Ashley Cole……

6
Blink February 23, 2010 at 16:45

I’m going to have nightmares after seeing that picture, unlike yesterday’s which was a treat for an ageing and wisened old victim of the Tony & Gordon charm offensive :0(

7
The Slogger February 23, 2010 at 16:57

I think Christine Pratt’s task (should she accept it) is not to go for any walks in the woods while carrying a rusty fork.
I think Gordon’s is not to go before the Chilcot Sheep and start throwing things at them.
I think Mandy’s is to scuttle off back under the stone from which he so unwisely crawled following his brief spell as a member of Young Communist Boys for Great Big Russian Bears.

This is the first (and I hope, the last) time I shall be hoping that the grisly Maximus Cliffordam wins a contest.

And finally, I think we should start a Let’s Bounce Bercow Campaign – see http://nbyslog.blogspot.com/2010/02/bercow-accused-of-improper-use-of.html
Sorry Anna, please excuse flagrant plug….xx

8
Saul February 23, 2010 at 16:59

It would appear we have a new “Peoples Princess”

9
Vimes February 23, 2010 at 17:32

In fairness to Prezza, that particular member of the electorate fully deserved a smack in the gob – let he, who is without sin, cast the first egg, etc.

10
Gloria Smudd February 23, 2010 at 17:54

Swoon! Sigh! I’m in LURVE…

11
Anna Raccoon February 23, 2010 at 17:59

Flagrant plug understandable – I had trouble getting your GIFs unravelled – its up now!

https://www.annaraccoon.com/politics/stop-press-bercows-begging-bowl-stop-press/” rel=”nofollow”>HERE

12
Gloria Smudd February 23, 2010 at 18:01

Seriously though, this is all a bit ‘panto’ isn’t it?
Andrew Rawnsley: “He’s a bully”
Mandelson: “Oh no he isn’t!”
Christine Pratt: “Oh yes he is..”
John Prescott: “Oh no he isn’t!”
Callers to Bullying Helpline: “Oh yes he is..”
Jacquie Smith, Alistair Campbell, Anne Snelgrove: “Oh no he isn’t!”

13
Saul February 23, 2010 at 18:05

He’s behind you..

14
Gloria Smudd February 23, 2010 at 18:11

Oh no he isn’t!

15
Saul February 23, 2010 at 18:23

Wanna buy some magic beans?

16
Gloria Smudd February 23, 2010 at 18:36

Swap them for an old lantern I don’t want any more.

17
Saul February 23, 2010 at 18:45

If Gordon Brown is The Demon King, who is Mother Goose?

And who keeps laying the Duck eggs?

18
Gloria Smudd February 23, 2010 at 19:00

(I can hear a forehead being banged on a desk ..)

19
Saul February 23, 2010 at 19:11

Don’t you mean Fe Fi Fo Fum I hear the sound of a forehead banging………

20
Gloria Smudd February 23, 2010 at 19:15

I absolutely do now you’ve said it! How did I miss that one?

21
Saul February 23, 2010 at 19:25

Exits stage left….

22
Gloria Smudd February 23, 2010 at 19:39

.. pursued by a pantomine cow.