Gordon Brown is a bully

[TopGun]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8527170.stm

 

Apparently the PM has been sharp with people.

 

And some quango boss in charge of the Anti Bullying Helpline has chosen to go public with the grievances she has received.

 

Go make your own decisions...

Edited 21 February, 2010 by TopGun

[Big John]

They (MP's) are ALL bullies, as they themselves are being bullied by wealthy men. We are all ****ed.

 

Don't vote, you are only encouraging them.

[saintbletch]

I like the fact that the government machine is now trying to bully the anti-bullying charity into proving that they were contacted by Downing Street staffers.

 

That said, something smells a bit fishy about these allegations (calling the anti-bullying line, not that Brown is a bully - I can believe that).

[SO16_Saint]

who cares? He's probably just being firm, like most bosses.

 

Bet people in sales like myself thinks they're being bullied.

 

Surely she's broken confidentiallity rules or whether she's asked permission to release these facts

[andysstuff]

BBC reporting that directors of the anti-bullying charity are tory MPs.

 

Starting to smell like spin to me.

[ecuk268]

BBC reporting that directors of the anti-bullying charity are tory MPs.

 

Starting to smell like spin to me.

 

Also the husband of the charity woman runs a legal advice company who (for a small fee) will take up your case. Callers to the helpline are referred to them.

 

On Radio 4 this morning, John Humphries was tying her in knots about this.

[Hatch]

This Story might have had some legs until this anti bullying woman went public.

 

She's killed it stone dead because people are now questionning her motives and her breaking confidentiality on who calls the 'hotline'

[Sergei Gotsmanov]

You are falling for the spin yourselves. Everybody knows what GB was like to work for because it has been coming out for some time- why do you think people call him the Prime mentalist. You have to remember that Labour have a pretty serious team again with Alistair Campbell, Mandy doing their spin again. They are doing a pretty good job at defending the indefensible in this case. Classic hatchet job on an award winning journalist and a charity worker.

[dune]

Big lol at anyone being bullied by a one eyed mong with a deformed mouth.

[Causer]

List of all the allegations against Brown.Doubt they are all made up, the attacks on the charity's motives is classic spin. Are they that politically biased if they receive funding from Labour-linked trade unions including Amicus, Unison, NASUWT and the TUC.

 

 

1 Calling senior aides c***s

 

 

Gordon Brown was so incensed at the media coverage of the so-called "snub" of the Prime Minister by President Obama while on a visit to the UN in New York last year, that he bawled out his senior political adviser, the mild-mannered Stewart Wood.

 

Brown was furious that his spin doctors had "allowed" the story to get legs. Sitting naked in his hotel room he allegedly screamed at Wood: "You're a c***", and proceeded to abuse another member of staff, calling him an "even bigger c***".

 

 

2. Hitting an aide

 

 

“He is alleged to have reacted angrily when he was intercepted by an aide who asked him to attend to another matter. “According to one account, he punched the male official to get him out of the way” (Daily Mail).

 

 

3. Throwing a secretary out of her chair

 

 

“The Prime Minister's temper is said to have snapped when the secretary failed to keep up as he dictated a memo to her. He reportedly pulled her from her seat and sat at the computer keyboard himself, bashing out the memo”

 

 

4. Being rude at a dinner party with US politicians

 

 

Peter Watt wrote of a dinner party he attended at 10 Downing Street hosted by Gordon Brown:

“My wife Vilma and I were invited with three other couples – the lobbyist Jon Mendelsohn and his wifel Louis Susman – a Democratic fundraiser who was soon to become US Ambassador in London – and his wife; and another American couple. “Arriving at the flat, we were ushered into the drawing room and there was stilted small talk over aperitifs. While Sarah pottered around getting the meal ready, Gordon began showing people to their seats but was interrupted by one of the No10 staff, saying he had an important phone call. He disappeared, leaving Vilma and two others seated, and the rest of us awkwardly milling about. After a few minutes, we all started to feel a bit silly, so decided just to sit ourselves down. When Gordon finally reappeared he was aghast to find us all at the table. “I didn't sit you all down,” he exclaimed angrily. It was hugely embarrassing and some of the guests started mumbling about getting up again. ““No, no, you might as well stay where you are,” he replied huffily. He sat at the end of the table and swivelled in his chair, so that he almost had his back to everybody, and leaned his head on his arm. For the rest of the meal he was monosyllabic, sulking because he had lost control of the seating plan. “The plates had not even been cleared when suddenly, without saying anything, he just got up and left. As Sarah had also disappeared by then, we all showed ourselves out. “He's bonkers,” Vilma whispered, as we trooped out. I wanted to disagree but she was right. The whole evening had been utterly bizarre” (Peter Watt – Inside Out))

 

 

5. Shouting at Blair: ‘You’ve stolen my ****ing budget’

 

 

“When Tony Blair announced on a Sunday breakfast show that the Government would like to see health spending rise to the European average, Brown was so furious with the Prime Minister that he shouted at him: ‘you’ve stolen my ****ing budget.’” (The Observer, 10th of September 2000).

 

 

6. Not telling Tony Blair about the details of his budget

 

 

Tom Bower, in his biography of Gordon Brown, wrote about the process behind the 2003 budget: “Two days before his [Gordon Brown’s budget] speech, Tony Blair invited the chancellor to outline his proposed budget. The routine had become familiar. Every year, Blair’s staff would furtively seek information from Treasury officials about the budget. Sometimes they were fortunate and an informant, disobeying the chancellor, would reveal a nugget. On other occasions Brown had worked on his personal laptop to prevent any leak to the prime minister. There was no precedent for such conduct in Britain’s entire history. On this occasion, the chancellor arrived with a senior official. The atmosphere was frosty…To each question Blair asked about the budget he remained impassive until he either nodded to the official to disclose the details, or shook his head. Little was said. Thankfully the prime minister, pre-occupied by the war, did not seek a confrontation.”

 

 

7. Stapling his own hand

 

 

“There is an apocryphal story that Brown, assembling the notes he takes into prime minister’s questions, does his own stapling. One Wednesday morning, he apparently worked himself into such a nervous state that he drew blood when he accidentally stapled his hand. ” Sunday Times, February 24th 2008

 

 

8. Using mobile phones and office equipment as missiles

 

 

“The prime minister, 58, has hurled pens and even a stapler at aides, according to one; he says he once saw the leader of Britain’s 61 million people shove a laser printer off a desk in a rage. Another aide was warned to watch out for “flying Nokias” when he joined Brown’s team.” (Bloomberg, 24 April 2009) On one occasion, Brown upset his driver when, in a temper, he picked up his mobile phone and hurled it across the car (Mail on Sunday, 13th April 2008).

 

 

9. Having bad news broken to him with a ‘News Sandwich’

 

 

“One staffer says a colleague developed a technique called a “news sandwich” -- first telling the prime minister about a recent piece of good coverage before delivering bad news, and then moving quickly to tell him about something good coming soon.” (Bloomberg, 24 April 2009)

 

 

10. Kicking a desk over in rage

 

 

In November 2007, when he was told that two data discs containing the details of 25 million people had gone missing from HM Revenue and Customs, Gordon Brown ‘was supposed to have been so furious that he kicked the nearest desk, and indeed kicked it so hard that he kicked it over’ (Sue Cameron, Dispatches, 9th of June 2008.

 

 

11. Making top aide and good friend Spencer Livermore cry

 

 

After Brown bottled the 2007 election, it was reported that he was in such a rage that he made one of his top aides, Spencer Livermore, burst into tears. Livermore left five months later (Daily Mail, 9 December 2007).

 

 

12. Spending four hours googling for a quote by Shadow Cabinet member Dominic Grieve

 

 

“The stories are seeping out from No. 10. The other day, Gordon Brown was convinced that Dominic Grieve, the shadow Home Secretary, had made such a strong attack on 42-day detention as to impugn his commitment to national security. Although Downing Street advisers trawled and Googled, they could not find the quote. Their boss expressed gratitude for their efforts in the way that a sergeant-major would thank a recruit for a speck of dust on his rifle. Mr Brown then stationed himself at a terminal. For the next four hours, he sat there unavailingly, emanating gloom and rage. The non-psychiatric interpretation of his behaviour is termed “the playing politics with national security syndrome”. ” (the Brute, The Independent, 28 July 2008)

 

 

13. Flinging his trousers out of the room in an attempt to find his wallet

 

 

Tom Bower’s biography of Brown featured a recollection from an aide from around 1994: “An aide walking late at night along the corridor in Millbank heard grunts and groans from Brown’s office. Suddenly a pair of trousers flew out the door, then there was a crash. Brown was scrabbling through a bag, throwing socks and books onto the floor. “I can’t find my wallet,” he shouted. “I need money for a cab fare to the airport.” His personal disorganisation prompted potential sympathisers to question his ability to lead the party. ” (Gordon Brown by Tom Bower)

 

 

14. Throwing computers onto the floor

 

 

“His private tantrums, culminating once in a computer thrown onto the floor…” (Gordon Brown by Tom Bower). What others have said about working with him. “It’s disgusting...It’s the ghastly macho culture in there. It’s all willy-waving.” (A female minister in The Spectator, 11 June 2009). “He’s morally bankrupt...If you think you can’t win the argument on substance you end up falling back on political fixes and smears. ” (A cabinet minister in The Times on 5th June 2009). “Publicly, Gordon talks about values and his moral compass, but actually the way he conducts himself behind the scenes is anything but that — it’s brutal....That’s what he does. The last ten years is littered with people who’ve been cast aside. ” (Peter Watt in The Times, 11th May 2009). “Brown has never been known for his composure under pressure. He throws things - telephones, mugs, anything to hand. He screams at people. In short, he loses it and, if your staff are never sure when they might need to duck, they are not going to give you their best advice. And Brown needs all the advice he can get.” (Lance Price, former Labour spin doctor in The Mail on Sunday, 3 May 2009). “The trouble is that Gordon is basically mental. Perhaps he already was, but he is getting worse. He is constantly on the phone and won't leave ministers alone to get on with the job. ” (A Cabinet Minister in The Express, 25 April 2008)

[dune]

Cheers Causar. I always knew Brown was a weirdo, but from reading those testaments is quite clear the bloke is completely bonkers.

[Hatch]

I think i can forgive him for the accidently stapling his own hand.

Hardly a yardstick to measure someones emotive state.

[INFLUENCED.COM]

Hardly a yardstick to measure someones emotive state.

 

In a position of such imense pressure I think some of the stories are quite moderate, Ive kicked objects, had scraps with colleagues, broke phones, threw pens and f()cks around certainly called plenty c**** but never, never, stapled my own hand !

People are far too sensitive these days and it is clearly from the top down, perhaps we should have some stories told of those who went through apprenticeships in years past or was the 'new' person in other work places, certain behaviour could not be condoned but equally it needs to be in perspective, if I f()cked up I expected an earful !

Its almost as if certain bodies wish to remove accountability from the workplace

[ecuk268]

I think i can forgive him for the accidently stapling his own hand.

Hardly a yardstick to measure someones emotive state.

 

I stuck a meat skewer through my hand when I was trying to make a hole in my conkers.

[Thorpe-le-Saint]

A person under immense pressure getting 'sharp' with people, who would have thought it!?

[RedAndWhite91]

Gordon is a moron.

[Sergei Gotsmanov]

I think there is sharp and then there is razor sharp. This graph provides insight into just how sharp sharp is!!

 

http://order-order.com/

[bridge too far]

Interestingly, the 'charity' hasn't named GB as the bully. Indeed, the suggestion now is that an enquiry was requested by no. 10 into bullying BY civil servants ON civil servants.

 

It also appears that the charity's director is married to a lawyer to whom she directs cases of bullying.

[Thorpe-le-Saint]

Gordon is a moron.

 

Did you see him at the bus stop?

[RedAndWhite91]

Did you see him at the bus stop?

 

Yeah, and guess who was with him? Yeah, Julie. And they were both laughing at me...

[miserableoldgit]

I stuck a meat skewer through my hand when I was trying to make a hole in my conkers.

:shock::shock::shock:

[dune]

A person under immense pressure getting 'sharp' with people, who would have thought it!?

 

If he can't handle the pressure what is he doing running (or should that be ruining) the country?

 

The sooner we get him and the rest of the Socialist mutants out the better.

[bridge too far]

If he can't handle the pressure what is he doing running (or should that be ruining) the country?

 

The sooner we get him and the rest of the Socialist mutants out the better.

 

..

[miserableoldgit]

Quite interesting on 5Live this morning. Anti Labour people all believed that Brown was a bully and Pro Labour said that he was just a strong leader and didn`t believe the story. The actual truth in this story actually comes second to electoral spin so in that respect it is a non-story.

[miserableoldgit]

If he can't handle the pressure what is he doing running (or should that be ruining) the country?

 

The sooner we get him and the rest of the Socialist mutants out the better.

Yes, because when Cameron and his Bullingdon Club clique get in they will be miles better won`t they?? Virtually all politicians are self-serving shysters whose only interest is in clinging to, or craving, power and the trappings that go with it. You and I and our quality of life come way down their list of priorities.

[saintfully]

List of all the allegations against Brown.Doubt they are all made up, the attacks on the charity's motives is classic spin. Are they that politically biased if they receive funding from Labour-linked trade unions including Amicus, Unison, NASUWT and the TUC.

 

 

1 Calling senior aides c***s

 

 

Gordon Brown was so incensed at the media coverage of the so-called "snub" of the Prime Minister by President Obama while on a visit to the UN in New York last year, that he bawled out his senior political adviser, the mild-mannered Stewart Wood.

 

Brown was furious that his spin doctors had "allowed" the story to get legs. Sitting naked in his hotel room he allegedly screamed at Wood: "You're a c***", and proceeded to abuse another member of staff, calling him an "even bigger c***".

 

 

2. Hitting an aide

 

 

“He is alleged to have reacted angrily when he was intercepted by an aide who asked him to attend to another matter. “According to one account, he punched the male official to get him out of the way” (Daily Mail).

 

 

3. Throwing a secretary out of her chair

 

 

“The Prime Minister's temper is said to have snapped when the secretary failed to keep up as he dictated a memo to her. He reportedly pulled her from her seat and sat at the computer keyboard himself, bashing out the memo”

 

 

4. Being rude at a dinner party with US politicians

 

 

Peter Watt wrote of a dinner party he attended at 10 Downing Street hosted by Gordon Brown:

“My wife Vilma and I were invited with three other couples – the lobbyist Jon Mendelsohn and his wifel Louis Susman – a Democratic fundraiser who was soon to become US Ambassador in London – and his wife; and another American couple. “Arriving at the flat, we were ushered into the drawing room and there was stilted small talk over aperitifs. While Sarah pottered around getting the meal ready, Gordon began showing people to their seats but was interrupted by one of the No10 staff, saying he had an important phone call. He disappeared, leaving Vilma and two others seated, and the rest of us awkwardly milling about. After a few minutes, we all started to feel a bit silly, so decided just to sit ourselves down. When Gordon finally reappeared he was aghast to find us all at the table. “I didn't sit you all down,” he exclaimed angrily. It was hugely embarrassing and some of the guests started mumbling about getting up again. ““No, no, you might as well stay where you are,” he replied huffily. He sat at the end of the table and swivelled in his chair, so that he almost had his back to everybody, and leaned his head on his arm. For the rest of the meal he was monosyllabic, sulking because he had lost control of the seating plan. “The plates had not even been cleared when suddenly, without saying anything, he just got up and left. As Sarah had also disappeared by then, we all showed ourselves out. “He's bonkers,” Vilma whispered, as we trooped out. I wanted to disagree but she was right. The whole evening had been utterly bizarre” (Peter Watt – Inside Out))

 

 

5. Shouting at Blair: ‘You’ve stolen my ****ing budget’

 

 

“When Tony Blair announced on a Sunday breakfast show that the Government would like to see health spending rise to the European average, Brown was so furious with the Prime Minister that he shouted at him: ‘you’ve stolen my ****ing budget.’” (The Observer, 10th of September 2000).

 

 

6. Not telling Tony Blair about the details of his budget

 

 

Tom Bower, in his biography of Gordon Brown, wrote about the process behind the 2003 budget: “Two days before his [Gordon Brown’s budget] speech, Tony Blair invited the chancellor to outline his proposed budget. The routine had become familiar. Every year, Blair’s staff would furtively seek information from Treasury officials about the budget. Sometimes they were fortunate and an informant, disobeying the chancellor, would reveal a nugget. On other occasions Brown had worked on his personal laptop to prevent any leak to the prime minister. There was no precedent for such conduct in Britain’s entire history. On this occasion, the chancellor arrived with a senior official. The atmosphere was frosty…To each question Blair asked about the budget he remained impassive until he either nodded to the official to disclose the details, or shook his head. Little was said. Thankfully the prime minister, pre-occupied by the war, did not seek a confrontation.”

 

 

7. Stapling his own hand

 

 

“There is an apocryphal story that Brown, assembling the notes he takes into prime minister’s questions, does his own stapling. One Wednesday morning, he apparently worked himself into such a nervous state that he drew blood when he accidentally stapled his hand. ” Sunday Times, February 24th 2008

 

 

8. Using mobile phones and office equipment as missiles

 

 

“The prime minister, 58, has hurled pens and even a stapler at aides, according to one; he says he once saw the leader of Britain’s 61 million people shove a laser printer off a desk in a rage. Another aide was warned to watch out for “flying Nokias” when he joined Brown’s team.” (Bloomberg, 24 April 2009) On one occasion, Brown upset his driver when, in a temper, he picked up his mobile phone and hurled it across the car (Mail on Sunday, 13th April 2008).

 

 

9. Having bad news broken to him with a ‘News Sandwich’

 

 

“One staffer says a colleague developed a technique called a “news sandwich” -- first telling the prime minister about a recent piece of good coverage before delivering bad news, and then moving quickly to tell him about something good coming soon.” (Bloomberg, 24 April 2009)

 

 

10. Kicking a desk over in rage

 

 

In November 2007, when he was told that two data discs containing the details of 25 million people had gone missing from HM Revenue and Customs, Gordon Brown ‘was supposed to have been so furious that he kicked the nearest desk, and indeed kicked it so hard that he kicked it over’ (Sue Cameron, Dispatches, 9th of June 2008.

 

 

11. Making top aide and good friend Spencer Livermore cry

 

 

After Brown bottled the 2007 election, it was reported that he was in such a rage that he made one of his top aides, Spencer Livermore, burst into tears. Livermore left five months later (Daily Mail, 9 December 2007).

 

 

12. Spending four hours googling for a quote by Shadow Cabinet member Dominic Grieve

 

 

“The stories are seeping out from No. 10. The other day, Gordon Brown was convinced that Dominic Grieve, the shadow Home Secretary, had made such a strong attack on 42-day detention as to impugn his commitment to national security. Although Downing Street advisers trawled and Googled, they could not find the quote. Their boss expressed gratitude for their efforts in the way that a sergeant-major would thank a recruit for a speck of dust on his rifle. Mr Brown then stationed himself at a terminal. For the next four hours, he sat there unavailingly, emanating gloom and rage. The non-psychiatric interpretation of his behaviour is termed “the playing politics with national security syndrome”. ” (the Brute, The Independent, 28 July 2008)

 

 

13. Flinging his trousers out of the room in an attempt to find his wallet

 

 

Tom Bower’s biography of Brown featured a recollection from an aide from around 1994: “An aide walking late at night along the corridor in Millbank heard grunts and groans from Brown’s office. Suddenly a pair of trousers flew out the door, then there was a crash. Brown was scrabbling through a bag, throwing socks and books onto the floor. “I can’t find my wallet,” he shouted. “I need money for a cab fare to the airport.” His personal disorganisation prompted potential sympathisers to question his ability to lead the party. ” (Gordon Brown by Tom Bower)

 

 

14. Throwing computers onto the floor

 

 

“His private tantrums, culminating once in a computer thrown onto the floor…” (Gordon Brown by Tom Bower). What others have said about working with him. “It’s disgusting...It’s the ghastly macho culture in there. It’s all willy-waving.” (A female minister in The Spectator, 11 June 2009). “He’s morally bankrupt...If you think you can’t win the argument on substance you end up falling back on political fixes and smears. ” (A cabinet minister in The Times on 5th June 2009). “Publicly, Gordon talks about values and his moral compass, but actually the way he conducts himself behind the scenes is anything but that — it’s brutal....That’s what he does. The last ten years is littered with people who’ve been cast aside. ” (Peter Watt in The Times, 11th May 2009). “Brown has never been known for his composure under pressure. He throws things - telephones, mugs, anything to hand. He screams at people. In short, he loses it and, if your staff are never sure when they might need to duck, they are not going to give you their best advice. And Brown needs all the advice he can get.” (Lance Price, former Labour spin doctor in The Mail on Sunday, 3 May 2009). “The trouble is that Gordon is basically mental. Perhaps he already was, but he is getting worse. He is constantly on the phone and won't leave ministers alone to get on with the job. ” (A Cabinet Minister in The Express, 25 April 2008)

 

Are you a tory by any chance ? Do you work for a PR company/tory head office ? What a lot of time you have on your hands to compile that list - for one website - what do you do ? I wonder how many other forums its been pasted on to ?

 

Serious questions by the way.

[badgerx16]

Who cares ?

[AndyNorthernSaints]

If he can't handle the pressure what is he doing running (or should that be ruining) the country?

 

The sooner we get him and the rest of the Socialist mutants out the better.

 

Please don't use the word 'Socialist' when referring to this Labour government.

[AndyNorthernSaints]

So a woman called 'Pratt' who runs a confidential help line breaks confidentiality? and refers people to her husband when they need help.

 

Think we are going to see alot more of this in this election year :-(

[bungle]

If he can't handle the pressure what is he doing running (or should that be ruining) the country?

 

The sooner we get him and the rest of the Socialist mutants out the better.

 

Obviously didn't read the article in Weekend Guardian about Cameron in his PR days.

[bridge too far]

Obviously didn't read the article in Weekend Guardian about Cameron in his PR days.

 

For those that didn't:

 

http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2010/feb/20/david-cameron-the-pr-years

[Channon's Sideburns]

Oh dear..

 

Makes you think how Gordon would handle running Pompey....haha.

[Pugwash]

For those that didn't:

 

http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2010/feb/20/david-cameron-the-pr-years

 

No real surprises there, the guy's totally false.

 

Back to Gordon: whatever your political persuasion, it can't be good to have someone so nervous, stressed and impulsive apparently in charge of the country. But then I guess that's the job of the Civil Service anyway...

[derry]

Sanity was never a required qualification for running a country.

[Causer]

Are you a tory by any chance ? Do you work for a PR company/tory head office ? What a lot of time you have on your hands to compile that list - for one website - what do you do ? I wonder how many other forums its been pasted on to ?

 

Serious questions by the way.

 

I am a conservative supporter at the moment. I do not work for the tory party or a pr company. I did not compile the list it came from http://iaindale.blogspot.com/ and I thought it was relevant to the issue we were discussing so i reposted it.

 

I have not pasted it anywhere else as this is the only forum I use.

[Mao Cap]

List of all the allegations against Brown.Doubt they are all made up, the attacks on the charity's motives is classic spin. Are they that politically biased if they receive funding from Labour-linked trade unions including Amicus, Unison, NASUWT and the TUC.

 

 

1 Calling senior aides c***s

 

 

Gordon Brown was so incensed at the media coverage of the so-called "snub" of the Prime Minister by President Obama while on a visit to the UN in New York last year, that he bawled out his senior political adviser, the mild-mannered Stewart Wood.

 

Brown was furious that his spin doctors had "allowed" the story to get legs. Sitting naked in his hotel room he allegedly screamed at Wood: "You're a c***", and proceeded to abuse another member of staff, calling him an "even bigger c***".

 

 

2. Hitting an aide

 

 

“He is alleged to have reacted angrily when he was intercepted by an aide who asked him to attend to another matter. “According to one account, he punched the male official to get him out of the way” (Daily Mail).

 

 

3. Throwing a secretary out of her chair

 

 

“The Prime Minister's temper is said to have snapped when the secretary failed to keep up as he dictated a memo to her. He reportedly pulled her from her seat and sat at the computer keyboard himself, bashing out the memo”

 

 

4. Being rude at a dinner party with US politicians

 

 

Peter Watt wrote of a dinner party he attended at 10 Downing Street hosted by Gordon Brown:

“My wife Vilma and I were invited with three other couples – the lobbyist Jon Mendelsohn and his wifel Louis Susman – a Democratic fundraiser who was soon to become US Ambassador in London – and his wife; and another American couple. “Arriving at the flat, we were ushered into the drawing room and there was stilted small talk over aperitifs. While Sarah pottered around getting the meal ready, Gordon began showing people to their seats but was interrupted by one of the No10 staff, saying he had an important phone call. He disappeared, leaving Vilma and two others seated, and the rest of us awkwardly milling about. After a few minutes, we all started to feel a bit silly, so decided just to sit ourselves down. When Gordon finally reappeared he was aghast to find us all at the table. “I didn't sit you all down,” he exclaimed angrily. It was hugely embarrassing and some of the guests started mumbling about getting up again. ““No, no, you might as well stay where you are,” he replied huffily. He sat at the end of the table and swivelled in his chair, so that he almost had his back to everybody, and leaned his head on his arm. For the rest of the meal he was monosyllabic, sulking because he had lost control of the seating plan. “The plates had not even been cleared when suddenly, without saying anything, he just got up and left. As Sarah had also disappeared by then, we all showed ourselves out. “He's bonkers,” Vilma whispered, as we trooped out. I wanted to disagree but she was right. The whole evening had been utterly bizarre” (Peter Watt – Inside Out))

 

 

5. Shouting at Blair: ‘You’ve stolen my ****ing budget’

 

 

“When Tony Blair announced on a Sunday breakfast show that the Government would like to see health spending rise to the European average, Brown was so furious with the Prime Minister that he shouted at him: ‘you’ve stolen my ****ing budget.’” (The Observer, 10th of September 2000).

 

 

6. Not telling Tony Blair about the details of his budget

 

 

Tom Bower, in his biography of Gordon Brown, wrote about the process behind the 2003 budget: “Two days before his [Gordon Brown’s budget] speech, Tony Blair invited the chancellor to outline his proposed budget. The routine had become familiar. Every year, Blair’s staff would furtively seek information from Treasury officials about the budget. Sometimes they were fortunate and an informant, disobeying the chancellor, would reveal a nugget. On other occasions Brown had worked on his personal laptop to prevent any leak to the prime minister. There was no precedent for such conduct in Britain’s entire history. On this occasion, the chancellor arrived with a senior official. The atmosphere was frosty…To each question Blair asked about the budget he remained impassive until he either nodded to the official to disclose the details, or shook his head. Little was said. Thankfully the prime minister, pre-occupied by the war, did not seek a confrontation.”

 

 

7. Stapling his own hand

 

 

“There is an apocryphal story that Brown, assembling the notes he takes into prime minister’s questions, does his own stapling. One Wednesday morning, he apparently worked himself into such a nervous state that he drew blood when he accidentally stapled his hand. ” Sunday Times, February 24th 2008

 

 

8. Using mobile phones and office equipment as missiles

 

 

“The prime minister, 58, has hurled pens and even a stapler at aides, according to one; he says he once saw the leader of Britain’s 61 million people shove a laser printer off a desk in a rage. Another aide was warned to watch out for “flying Nokias” when he joined Brown’s team.” (Bloomberg, 24 April 2009) On one occasion, Brown upset his driver when, in a temper, he picked up his mobile phone and hurled it across the car (Mail on Sunday, 13th April 2008).

 

 

9. Having bad news broken to him with a ‘News Sandwich’

 

 

“One staffer says a colleague developed a technique called a “news sandwich” -- first telling the prime minister about a recent piece of good coverage before delivering bad news, and then moving quickly to tell him about something good coming soon.” (Bloomberg, 24 April 2009)

 

 

10. Kicking a desk over in rage

 

 

In November 2007, when he was told that two data discs containing the details of 25 million people had gone missing from HM Revenue and Customs, Gordon Brown ‘was supposed to have been so furious that he kicked the nearest desk, and indeed kicked it so hard that he kicked it over’ (Sue Cameron, Dispatches, 9th of June 2008.

 

 

11. Making top aide and good friend Spencer Livermore cry

 

 

After Brown bottled the 2007 election, it was reported that he was in such a rage that he made one of his top aides, Spencer Livermore, burst into tears. Livermore left five months later (Daily Mail, 9 December 2007).

 

 

12. Spending four hours googling for a quote by Shadow Cabinet member Dominic Grieve

 

 

“The stories are seeping out from No. 10. The other day, Gordon Brown was convinced that Dominic Grieve, the shadow Home Secretary, had made such a strong attack on 42-day detention as to impugn his commitment to national security. Although Downing Street advisers trawled and Googled, they could not find the quote. Their boss expressed gratitude for their efforts in the way that a sergeant-major would thank a recruit for a speck of dust on his rifle. Mr Brown then stationed himself at a terminal. For the next four hours, he sat there unavailingly, emanating gloom and rage. The non-psychiatric interpretation of his behaviour is termed “the playing politics with national security syndrome”. ” (the Brute, The Independent, 28 July 2008)

 

 

13. Flinging his trousers out of the room in an attempt to find his wallet

 

 

Tom Bower’s biography of Brown featured a recollection from an aide from around 1994: “An aide walking late at night along the corridor in Millbank heard grunts and groans from Brown’s office. Suddenly a pair of trousers flew out the door, then there was a crash. Brown was scrabbling through a bag, throwing socks and books onto the floor. “I can’t find my wallet,” he shouted. “I need money for a cab fare to the airport.” His personal disorganisation prompted potential sympathisers to question his ability to lead the party. ” (Gordon Brown by Tom Bower)

 

 

14. Throwing computers onto the floor

 

 

“His private tantrums, culminating once in a computer thrown onto the floor…” (Gordon Brown by Tom Bower). What others have said about working with him. “It’s disgusting...It’s the ghastly macho culture in there. It’s all willy-waving.” (A female minister in The Spectator, 11 June 2009). “He’s morally bankrupt...If you think you can’t win the argument on substance you end up falling back on political fixes and smears. ” (A cabinet minister in The Times on 5th June 2009). “Publicly, Gordon talks about values and his moral compass, but actually the way he conducts himself behind the scenes is anything but that — it’s brutal....That’s what he does. The last ten years is littered with people who’ve been cast aside. ” (Peter Watt in The Times, 11th May 2009). “Brown has never been known for his composure under pressure. He throws things - telephones, mugs, anything to hand. He screams at people. In short, he loses it and, if your staff are never sure when they might need to duck, they are not going to give you their best advice. And Brown needs all the advice he can get.” (Lance Price, former Labour spin doctor in The Mail on Sunday, 3 May 2009). “The trouble is that Gordon is basically mental. Perhaps he already was, but he is getting worse. He is constantly on the phone and won't leave ministers alone to get on with the job. ” (A Cabinet Minister in The Express, 25 April 2008)

 

Funny thing is, all this stuff kind of makes me want to switch my vote from Lib Dem to Labour (or NuBliarBore, as I believe their official title now is in "the blogosphere").

 

Who'd have thought it, GB's a f*cking badass!

[Sour Mash]

List of all the allegations against Brown.Doubt they are all made up, the attacks on the charity's motives is classic spin. Are they that politically biased if they receive funding from Labour-linked trade unions including Amicus, Unison, NASUWT and the TUC.

 

 

1 Calling senior aides c***s

 

 

Gordon Brown was so incensed at the media coverage of the so-called "snub" of the Prime Minister by President Obama while on a visit to the UN in New York last year, that he bawled out his senior political adviser, the mild-mannered Stewart Wood.

 

Brown was furious that his spin doctors had "allowed" the story to get legs. Sitting naked in his hotel room he allegedly screamed at Wood: "You're a c***", and proceeded to abuse another member of staff, calling him an "even bigger c***".

 

 

2. Hitting an aide

 

 

“He is alleged to have reacted angrily when he was intercepted by an aide who asked him to attend to another matter. “According to one account, he punched the male official to get him out of the way” (Daily Mail).

 

 

3. Throwing a secretary out of her chair

 

 

“The Prime Minister's temper is said to have snapped when the secretary failed to keep up as he dictated a memo to her. He reportedly pulled her from her seat and sat at the computer keyboard himself, bashing out the memo”

 

 

4. Being rude at a dinner party with US politicians

 

 

Peter Watt wrote of a dinner party he attended at 10 Downing Street hosted by Gordon Brown:

“My wife Vilma and I were invited with three other couples – the lobbyist Jon Mendelsohn and his wifel Louis Susman – a Democratic fundraiser who was soon to become US Ambassador in London – and his wife; and another American couple. “Arriving at the flat, we were ushered into the drawing room and there was stilted small talk over aperitifs. While Sarah pottered around getting the meal ready, Gordon began showing people to their seats but was interrupted by one of the No10 staff, saying he had an important phone call. He disappeared, leaving Vilma and two others seated, and the rest of us awkwardly milling about. After a few minutes, we all started to feel a bit silly, so decided just to sit ourselves down. When Gordon finally reappeared he was aghast to find us all at the table. “I didn't sit you all down,” he exclaimed angrily. It was hugely embarrassing and some of the guests started mumbling about getting up again. ““No, no, you might as well stay where you are,” he replied huffily. He sat at the end of the table and swivelled in his chair, so that he almost had his back to everybody, and leaned his head on his arm. For the rest of the meal he was monosyllabic, sulking because he had lost control of the seating plan. “The plates had not even been cleared when suddenly, without saying anything, he just got up and left. As Sarah had also disappeared by then, we all showed ourselves out. “He's bonkers,” Vilma whispered, as we trooped out. I wanted to disagree but she was right. The whole evening had been utterly bizarre” (Peter Watt – Inside Out))

 

 

5. Shouting at Blair: ‘You’ve stolen my ****ing budget’

 

 

“When Tony Blair announced on a Sunday breakfast show that the Government would like to see health spending rise to the European average, Brown was so furious with the Prime Minister that he shouted at him: ‘you’ve stolen my ****ing budget.’” (The Observer, 10th of September 2000).

 

 

6. Not telling Tony Blair about the details of his budget

 

 

Tom Bower, in his biography of Gordon Brown, wrote about the process behind the 2003 budget: “Two days before his [Gordon Brown’s budget] speech, Tony Blair invited the chancellor to outline his proposed budget. The routine had become familiar. Every year, Blair’s staff would furtively seek information from Treasury officials about the budget. Sometimes they were fortunate and an informant, disobeying the chancellor, would reveal a nugget. On other occasions Brown had worked on his personal laptop to prevent any leak to the prime minister. There was no precedent for such conduct in Britain’s entire history. On this occasion, the chancellor arrived with a senior official. The atmosphere was frosty…To each question Blair asked about the budget he remained impassive until he either nodded to the official to disclose the details, or shook his head. Little was said. Thankfully the prime minister, pre-occupied by the war, did not seek a confrontation.”

 

 

7. Stapling his own hand

 

 

“There is an apocryphal story that Brown, assembling the notes he takes into prime minister’s questions, does his own stapling. One Wednesday morning, he apparently worked himself into such a nervous state that he drew blood when he accidentally stapled his hand. ” Sunday Times, February 24th 2008

 

 

8. Using mobile phones and office equipment as missiles

 

 

“The prime minister, 58, has hurled pens and even a stapler at aides, according to one; he says he once saw the leader of Britain’s 61 million people shove a laser printer off a desk in a rage. Another aide was warned to watch out for “flying Nokias” when he joined Brown’s team.” (Bloomberg, 24 April 2009) On one occasion, Brown upset his driver when, in a temper, he picked up his mobile phone and hurled it across the car (Mail on Sunday, 13th April 2008).

 

 

9. Having bad news broken to him with a ‘News Sandwich’

 

 

“One staffer says a colleague developed a technique called a “news sandwich” -- first telling the prime minister about a recent piece of good coverage before delivering bad news, and then moving quickly to tell him about something good coming soon.” (Bloomberg, 24 April 2009)

 

 

10. Kicking a desk over in rage

 

 

In November 2007, when he was told that two data discs containing the details of 25 million people had gone missing from HM Revenue and Customs, Gordon Brown ‘was supposed to have been so furious that he kicked the nearest desk, and indeed kicked it so hard that he kicked it over’ (Sue Cameron, Dispatches, 9th of June 2008.

 

 

11. Making top aide and good friend Spencer Livermore cry

 

 

After Brown bottled the 2007 election, it was reported that he was in such a rage that he made one of his top aides, Spencer Livermore, burst into tears. Livermore left five months later (Daily Mail, 9 December 2007).

 

 

12. Spending four hours googling for a quote by Shadow Cabinet member Dominic Grieve

 

 

“The stories are seeping out from No. 10. The other day, Gordon Brown was convinced that Dominic Grieve, the shadow Home Secretary, had made such a strong attack on 42-day detention as to impugn his commitment to national security. Although Downing Street advisers trawled and Googled, they could not find the quote. Their boss expressed gratitude for their efforts in the way that a sergeant-major would thank a recruit for a speck of dust on his rifle. Mr Brown then stationed himself at a terminal. For the next four hours, he sat there unavailingly, emanating gloom and rage. The non-psychiatric interpretation of his behaviour is termed “the playing politics with national security syndrome”. ” (the Brute, The Independent, 28 July 2008)

 

 

13. Flinging his trousers out of the room in an attempt to find his wallet

 

 

Tom Bower’s biography of Brown featured a recollection from an aide from around 1994: “An aide walking late at night along the corridor in Millbank heard grunts and groans from Brown’s office. Suddenly a pair of trousers flew out the door, then there was a crash. Brown was scrabbling through a bag, throwing socks and books onto the floor. “I can’t find my wallet,” he shouted. “I need money for a cab fare to the airport.” His personal disorganisation prompted potential sympathisers to question his ability to lead the party. ” (Gordon Brown by Tom Bower)

 

 

14. Throwing computers onto the floor

 

 

“His private tantrums, culminating once in a computer thrown onto the floor…” (Gordon Brown by Tom Bower). What others have said about working with him. “It’s disgusting...It’s the ghastly macho culture in there. It’s all willy-waving.” (A female minister in The Spectator, 11 June 2009). “He’s morally bankrupt...If you think you can’t win the argument on substance you end up falling back on political fixes and smears. ” (A cabinet minister in The Times on 5th June 2009). “Publicly, Gordon talks about values and his moral compass, but actually the way he conducts himself behind the scenes is anything but that — it’s brutal....That’s what he does. The last ten years is littered with people who’ve been cast aside. ” (Peter Watt in The Times, 11th May 2009). “Brown has never been known for his composure under pressure. He throws things - telephones, mugs, anything to hand. He screams at people. In short, he loses it and, if your staff are never sure when they might need to duck, they are not going to give you their best advice. And Brown needs all the advice he can get.” (Lance Price, former Labour spin doctor in The Mail on Sunday, 3 May 2009). “The trouble is that Gordon is basically mental. Perhaps he already was, but he is getting worse. He is constantly on the phone and won't leave ministers alone to get on with the job. ” (A Cabinet Minister in The Express, 25 April 2008)

 

I've never been a massive fan of Gordon Brown, but he's definitely gone up in my estimation reading that. And anyway, its hardly a surprise, aren't all scots mentalists?

[solentstars]

BBC reporting that directors of the anti-bullying charity are tory MPs.

 

Starting to smell like spin to me.

 

agree it seems like some people have agendas hence her resigning

[saintfully]

I am a conservative supporter at the moment. I do not work for the tory party or a pr company. I did not compile the list it came from http://iaindale.blogspot.com/ and I thought it was relevant to the issue we were discussing so i reposted it.

 

I have not pasted it anywhere else as this is the only forum I use.

 

Cheers for clearing that up.

 

My guess is that those who support the tories will see this as evidence of the unsuitability of GB to be PM whereas those who support GB will either ignore it, or thier admiration will increase as his behaviour is rationalised as 'action' or 'passion'.

 

Those who are indifferent will continue not to really give a sh.it.

 

Personally, (I will vote LibDem FWIW), it makes me wonder... if this is the worst the Conservatives can say about GB then they havn't got much of an idea about how to really bring him down - I don't think this mud will stick. Also, I think if anything it makes him look more authentic. In comparison, Cameron looks like a phoney wet fart (much like Nick Clegg sadly).

[SuperMikey]

Well, try running a country and maintaining a perfect persona at the same time. Of course he's going to get angry sometimes, he's got one of the most stressful jobs in the entire world and he's under a lot of media scrutiny as well, especially as we didn't actually elect him as our Prime Minister.

 

As for the sulk at the dinner party, Brown has never had good social skills. His infamous grimacing smile is an indicator that he's a very withdrawn bloke and also very serious. IIRC, he went to Oxford aged 16 and spent something like 10 years studying there. That's certainly not a normal thing to do. He was moved out of his age group at school at a tender age and supposedly never really fit in with anyone.

 

FWIW, i'm a supporter of the Lib Dem party, so no Labour 'follow our leader' bias from me. I just think people are way too harsh on somebody who is doing a far better job at running the country than some snobby journalist could.

[Wade Garrett]

If the election was in the bag for the Tories they wouldn't be stooping so low as this.

 

Maybe there is hope, and we won't have to put up with Cameron and his toffy-nosed tw*ts running the country.

[RedFear]

he sounds hard as ****

 

..hes got my vote

[bridge too far]

If the election was in the bag for the Tories they wouldn't be stooping so low as this.

 

Maybe there is hope, and we won't have to put up with Cameron and his toffy-nosed tw*ts running the country.

 

And the polls are shortening too - desperate moves from a desperate man, if you ask me.

[Wilko]

Another smear campaign by the nasty party. It's all so transparent. Rather have grumpy Gordon in charge than Cameron's horrible lot.

[Barney Trubble]

We all know he's an odious and disgusting excuse for a human being, they can spin all they want and try to undermine the integrity of the charity. I don't doubt any of the allegations, it's about time he did the decent thing. A nasty bully boy without a doubt.

 

I don't care less about the confidentiality issue, it's only right that he was exposed, mind you, Christine Pratt looks like a rabbit caught in the headlights, hence easy prey for the labour spin merchants, I think she's been naive but I don't doubt the allegations one bit.

 

The world will keep on spinning and this country will still fail to have a decent mainstream party come the next election, regardless of who wins. I should vote labour but I'd rather just give my vote to a minority party out of pure spite. The sooner that fringe parties get a lot more votes, then the sooner the major parties will be forced into changing the way they treat us and how they conduct themselves.

 

Ordinary people have no faith in the mainstream parties and I predict massive gains for ****-pot parties at the next election.

 

It's a shame but we are all expected to act whiter-than-white when we are at work, there is policy after policy fall onto my desk, week in and week out, I have to manage myself and others within those guidelines, so I fully expect politicians, who are generally those that think up most of these nonsense policies to actually abide by them themselves.

[bridge too far]

^

 

I've never read such a load of tripe in all my life!

 

'We all know he's an odious and disgusting excuse for a human being'. Do we? Do you? How on earth can you possibly draw such a conclusion without actually knowing the man? Or do you just believe what you read in the gutter press?

 

Oh, and BTW, the woman who runs the charity (conveniently housed two doors away from Conservative Central Office) didn't say Gordon Brown was a bully. I suggest you read respected journalists' takes on the issue.

[Causer]

Those who are saying this is a smear campaign by the tories are speaking rubbish. Andrew Rawnsley the journalsit who brought up many of the allegations writes for the Guardian,so he is hardly a tory puppet.

[dune]

^

 

I've never read such a load of tripe in all my life!

 

'We all know he's an odious and disgusting excuse for a human being'. Do we? Do you? How on earth can you possibly draw such a conclusion without actually knowing the man? Or do you just believe what you read in the gutter press?

 

Oh, and BTW, the woman who runs the charity (conveniently housed two doors away from Conservative Central Office) didn't say Gordon Brown was a bully. I suggest you read respected journalists' takes on the issue.

 

Since when has Conservative Central Office been in Swindon?

 

Everyone bar the most ardent Socialists can see Brown and his snakelike sidekick (Mandelson) for the ****s that they are.

[bridge too far]

Since when has Conservative Central Office been in Swindon?

 

Everyone bar the most ardent Socialists can see Brown and his snakelike sidekick (Mandelson) for the ****s that they are.

 

Sorry - my mistake. It's the local Conservatives they're next door to.

 

North Swindon Conservatives Unit 17, Dorcan Business Village, Murdock Road, Dorcan, Swindon, SN3 5HY

 

National Bullying Helpline: 15 Dorcan Business Village. Murdock Road. Swindon. SN3 5HY

[derry]

FFS forget the politics, apart from world wars has this country ever been in a bigger mess? Printing money, incredible debt, uncontrolled immigration, political correctness gone mad, hospitals - centres for catching diseases not curing them, etc, time for a change I think.