The Bullying Business

Prince William seems to have thrown himself into National Stand Up To Bullying Day (sic), "warning that unrelenting torment isn't just confined to the playground".  It's an odd one, isn't it?  Aside from places like prison or street-life in various unsalubrious neighbourhoods where the threat of physical violence is real, or in sordid workplaces where the threat of instant loss of livelihood is a serious prospect, how could grown adults be susceptible to bullying?  Well they are, and it's a striking phenomenon.

I suffered very little from bullying at school: we were a rugby-playing outfit, and everyone knew that however big a 16-year old would-be tyrant thought he was, there were any number of First-XV prefects who could mallet him effortlessly if he overstepped the mark.  Being beasted at Sandhurst was tough, but never personal.  It came as a shock, therefore, to find myself suffering under a bully in my first regimental posting: it was the CO, a petty tyrant whom I rapidly learned to avoid.  (It was because he was thick, had never been to university or Staff College, knew he was never going any higher, and had a mile-wide inferiority complex.)  I learned just how easily heavy-duty brow-beating comes to a certain type of overbearing individual, and how effective it can be even with people who are not of a particularly nervous disposition, and who'd ordinarily reckon to be able to fend for themselves without difficulty.

Having come under the thumb of this bastard, I vowed there and then never again to succumb.  One knows perfectly well that in most everyday environments there is absolutely no prospect of physical violence; and while you can perhaps be threatened with the sack etc, in reality it's almost always just bluster, however genuinely unpleasant.

This resolution has served me just fine, in the military and as a civvy: indeed the issue never seemed to arise again.  That was until in business I ran into a well-known commmercial negotiator from another oil company, we'll call him Jim (because it's just possible he hasn't succumbed to the ulcers he was obviously due).  His reputation went before him - "nobody ever stands up to Jim" - but somehow our paths hadn't crossed: until one day in a new job I found myself across the table from him.  Our two companies had a minor commercial tiff and Jim, contemptuous of the efforts of his underlings in the dispute, had decided to take the matter into his own hands.  I invited them to our offices, and there they were, six of them under Jim's glowering leadership.

Only Jim spoke (the rest - all grown adults, of course, lawyers and negotiators alike - looked utterly in thrall to him).  He started softly:  there must, he presumed, have been a fundamental misunderstanding on my part, obviously I was new etc etc; but I had thwarted him which was completely unacceptable.  He was here to have me reverse my position on the spot, publicly.  I politely demurred:  the exchange of correspondence between us that I had on the table in front of me clearly supported chapter-and-verse my position, which I proposed to maintain.

He raised his voice, his face blackened, and I could see his people sinking into their chairs.  Those who dared to flash a glance in my direction were clearly imploring me to concede in my own best interests.  He thumped the table, told me my company had once been good to do business with but was now beyond the pale; that it was entirely my fault; and that he would be taking the matter directly to my CEO.

I stood up and told him I was leaving, but that he and his crew were welcome to continue using the conference room if they wished.  I said that the CEO's office was on the second floor, if he'd like to call in afterwards; and bad them good afternoon.

Needless to say, a couple of days later a written apology arrived in the post; the misunderstanding was his & he hoped we could move forward etc etc.  And so we did.

But Jim generally prevailed, and made a lot of mileage for his company and himself using the bullying tactic elsewhere, before and since.  When one reads about the behaviour of the Fred Goodwins ("he manufactured fear") and the Bernie Madoffs ("people were afraid of Bernie"), one is in no doubt that they rose to great pinnacles in their respective callings by the same means.

Bullying adults?  It's real, right enough.

ND

Congress readies 90% punitive taxes on bonuses

The Americans have begun moves to introduce probably the most socialist tax ever seen in their history. A 90% tax on bonuses for companies that have had a taxpayer bailout . The tax would apply to bonuses paid to high earning employees at companies that have received at least five billion dollars in aid from the US government. The measure comes after it was revealed that more than 160 million dollars were paid in bonuses to top AIG executives in the past week. The Democratic tax would apply to employees whose total annual pay exceeded 250,000 dollars at firms that received more than five billion dollars in government rescue funds.

So

Should it be done here in the UK?
Could it be done here?

Should Sir Fred get the 'Public opinion tax,' threatened in a moment of opportunistic populism by Harriet Harman a few weeks ago?
And if it were unveiled could a socialist government, desperate for funds, resist not putting that particular genie back inside the bottle.

Probably the only factor preventing what would be seen as a vote winning, anti Tory, anti capitalist, pro worker, debt reducing, equality, strong government policy, is that if it could be done for bankers, could it not apply to regulators? Or legislators? Or the guardians of the public finances? Or civil servants? Or Public sector workers? Or Quangos? Or Union Leaders?
Or MP's ....

Why only 90%

"We figured that the local and state government will take care of the other 10 percent," quipped Democratic Representative Charles Rangel, chairman of the tax-writing House Ways and Means Committee.

Its my Right, said Fred

Weekend fun.

Sir Fred Goodwin has plenty of time, and money, to enjoy his retirement in the sun. What will be on his MP3 play list as he waits for the now boarding sign.
{open pics in new windows for sound}

RIGHT SAID FRED - "DEEPLY DIPPING" - "I'M TOO SEXY FOR MY SHARES" - or maybe






RICH ASTLEY'S "NEVER GONNA GIVE IT UP" ?





-THE SATURDAYS COVER OF DEPRESSED MODE's - "JUST CAN'T GET ENOUGH" perhaps the new RBS theme?

Who else might have some appropriate hits in their ears?


Ed Balls might have - PINK's "SO WHAT"?



Or Lord Ahmed GUNS AND CRONIES "SWEET TRIAL OF MINE" with the superb guitar solo and chorus of "where did he go now?"

Lord Mandelson may have BRYAN HYLAND's "SEALED WITH A LEATHAL KISS?"

What sounds have been downloaded by this week's news makers?

1. Gordon Brown
2. Alistair Darling
3. Barack Obama
4. Robert Peston
5. Stephen Hester
   
6. Vince Cable
7. Jack Straw
   
8. George Osborne
9. Jacqui Smith
10. Sir Allen Stanford

Conspiracy central: Peston covers for Brown?

Watching the news cycle today BQ and I have decided it has all worked out nicely for Gordon today. A huge news day, RBS having yet another bail-out and Lloyds to come tomorrow.

But what is the big story - Peston's Fred Goodwin RBS debacle. Amazingly too, letters from Paul Myners have come to light tonight too. It has all the hallmarks of a Mandelson type honey-trap.

Interestingly, Peston posted soon after the FSA yesterday had said that Brown was to blame for the light touch regulation that has got us into this mess.

As we know, Peston has a direct line to No10 and No11. I agree that Sir Fred is a ghoulish figure at the moment; a Karen Matthews for the banking classes. it is also a non-story in the sense that Goodwin has no legal reason to have to hand the money back.But today there was a lot of Government mess to get through, yet all the bad news fro the Government barely made the end of the broadcasts and will be buried well in the papers tomorrow.

How convenient.

Rewardng failure

Peston has a great story here. Sir Fred Goodwin, the man who may well turn out to have bankrupted a bank and a country - has at 50 been able to retire on £650,000 a year.

Talk about rewarding failure, RBS have done a Jack Welch. The Government will make noises about how they want to 'claw' back money; but it is highly unlikely to be able to do so.

Sir Fred is laughing all the way to the bank...given what he knows do you think he still banks with RBS?