24 November (Part 5) - Holier than thou
I was sent a sort of crossword puzzle anonymously, full of cryptic clues and
it ends with “you may have heard this story already”.
Without a return email address how do I tell the sender I have heard it before except by writing a fifth
Sunday blog? Maybe I can be similarly cryptic?
Between 30 and 40 years ago I managed a large outfit that actually employed more people than Bexley Council
although even allowing for inflation my pay was less than half what the Council
pays its Chief Executive. (But enough to incur the envy of millionaire Jeremy Corbyn.)
As such I sometimes had to deal with disciplinary matters. In the most serious
cases other managers would be present to see fair play. In Bexley Council terms
it was a Code of Conduct Committee.
I felt that those of us who served on that ‘Committee’ had to be; am I allowed to say this in 2019? Whiter than white. I’m
not sure what my colleagues did but I made absolutely sure no one would ever
find a pen or perhaps cutlery at my home with the company logo on it. At the
other extreme I took the view that a senior male manager should never work his way
through all the available and amenable females. (“Guess who I was with last
night.’ "Is he any good?" “No.” It doesn’t bear thinking about.)
Imagine the embarrassment if a junior employee was able to turn the tables at a disciplinary
interview by producing evidence to the ‘committee’ of any wrong doing because they were not beyond reproach. (†)
As a member of that ‘committee’ I would feel compelled to own up to the indiscretions and at the
very least resign from my position on that ‘committee’.
Anyway, Mr. Anonymous, I do know a little of who does what to whom at Bexley Council but thanks for
telling me which hotel was involved. That was new to me.
† Just before I retired my boss was caught out in that exact way and was forced into
a premature resignation. Served him right!
One of the most memorable sackings was for gross dishonesty by a certain Bernie Grant who went on to be the David Lammy
of his day in Parliament. Feted by the Left but some of us knew better.