Bully Tactics at No. 10

When is a confidential helpline not helpful?

When the head of a confidential anti-bullying charity goes public with details of their callers who - you'd assume - wish to remain anonymous there's obviously something amiss. In my experience confidential helplines are only helpful if they are confidential.

Christine Pratt (a name that may well have given rise to some bullying in the school playground) has got into hot water for going public with enough details to identify some of the people who sought advice from her confidential helpline.

But the real headline is the office in question - it's none other than Number 10 Downing Street. Yup, this thing goes right to the top and Gordon Brown has become embroiled in an episode which will forever be known as 'Bullygate'.

But with Christine facing accusations of using the helpline to recruit clients for her other business - advising victims of bullying on how to handle disputes with their employer - and with the helpline now suspended, the whole thing seems to have backfired a bit.

Conspiracy theories abound when you learn that the expose has been well timed to coincide with a new book by political journalist Andrew Rawnsley, with accusations of - you guessed it - Gordon's 'volcanic rages' and how one unlucky aide got grabbed by the lapels..

The Chancellor Alistair Darling got dragged into it too, having spoken of his own side unleashing 'the forces of hell' against him when he admitted we were heading into the worst recession in 60 years. However he has categorically denied Brown did any bullying.

In his defence Brown has said "I never hit anybody". Hmm… because anything up to actually whacking someone you work with is fine by him. Whatever the allegations and denials it's all terribly bad timing (or good timing, if you're batting for the other team) what with the election coming up in May.

But for anyone who's seen The Thick Of It none of this should come as a surprise. Sure, the award winning TV drama is meant to be a work of fiction. But it's also all too believable. In the corridors of power no one could be a bigger bully than Malcolm Tucker, the foul mouthed, foul tempered enforcer of the party line - aka 'Director of Communications'.

Many of Malcolm's best lines are too overwhelmed with expletives to print on a family website. So, if you haven't already, I strongly advise you to watch the programme - or the film version, In the Loop - to get the idea. And you'll have a jolly good laugh while you're at it. It'll certainly put this whole bullying thing into perspective.

Football Fans Not Welcome at Zoo

The director general of London Zoo, Ralph Armond, has written to Camden Council objecting to plans to turn Regent's Park into a 'fan zone' during the World Cup this summer amid fears over animal welfare. The Greater London Authority has put in an application for the Fan Fest on Gloucester Green in Regent’s Park, adjacent to the zoo, from 11 June to 3 July 2010. But with 20,000 supporters expected daily throughout the tournament, Mr Armond is worried that alcohol-fuelled footie fans spell trouble for the furry creatures (the zoo animals, that is).

Love Live the Memory of McQueen

One of the UK's most famous fashion designers, Alexander McQueen, passed away this month in tragic circumstances, just days before London Fashion Week was due to start. The shocking revelation that he committed suicide was met with a deluge of tributes pouring in from the fashion and film worlds. British Fashion Council chairman Harold Tillman marked his passing by beginning London Fashion Week with a minute's silence. Praising McQueen's talent, he said: ''He proved that this industry and this city is one of opportunity."

Who's Hot on the Red Carpet

Oh the glamour! This month we had not just LFW but the BAFTAs too. The film stars gracing the red carpet in all their finery included Kate Winslet, Joely Richardson and Carey Mulligan - the young star of An Education. But it was her co-star Olivia Williams who one most revealing outfit of the night - an honour usually reserved for Jordon aka Katie Price. Clearly the Catherine Walker dress left little to the imagination: "She did not appear to be wearing any underwear," The Telegraph was at pains to point out.

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