Grumpyhatlady and Chums

Dear Prime Minister David Cameron,

It appears you have a problem with elders of parliament, and your bullying behaviour witnessed by many today on the television means the evidence is there for all to see; for all time. This does not bode well for the company.

If I may just point out to you The Citizens Advice guide to Age Discrimination at Work where you will find some handy hints on how not to be breaking the law, written in very plain English, so you should understand it.

If I could firstly, just lead you towards this paragraph

your employer isn’t allowed to bully or harass you because of your age. They must also stop other colleagues, and in some cases clients or customers of the business, from doing this. For example, they must stop other people if they make offensive jokes about your age in the workplace

Now I know there are small technicalities around you not being Dennis Skinner’s employer and while you may not be fighting for the same team, you are most definitely colleagues working in the same or similar roles and in the same building for the same company (that’s us, the UK population, in case you didn’t know) and you have, on more than one occasion made offensive “jokes” about his age, in the workplace.

As the head of the government you should be setting a positive example to other MPs and indeed the entire country’s workforce. Instead you have shamed yourself and the UK, with your hysterical, bullying and downright impertinent responses to an elderly MP trying to do his job. In most cultures, elders are revered and respected, in Britain, the head of government bullies and puts down the elders. Complete lack of respect, class or manners. I do hope your mother kept the receipt for that expensive Eton education, it wasn’t fit for purpose.

As you don’t seem to pick on the age of (m)any other MPs, I’m assuming this behaviour towards Dennis Skinner is a targeted campaign of bullying and harassment, and I feel it important to highlight another paragraph from the CAB site:

your employer isn’t allowed to treat you worse than other colleagues at work because of your age, or the age they think you are, unless they have a very good reason

Small matter of not being the employer aside, you have absolutely no reason to treat Dennis Skinner worse because of his age. And with this in mind, it goes further:

your employer isn’t allowed to force you to retire or dismiss you just because you’ve reached a certain age, unless they’ve got a very good reason. If they do, you can ask a tribunal to decide whether you have been unfairly dismissed, and whether you have been discriminated against because of your age

Suggesting someone should “take his pension” and then say that you “advise him to do so”, after being asked a pertinent question during an official parliamentary debate, is in my laypersons mind akin to pushing retirement and discrimination. It is definitely workplace bullying and according to the Equality Act 2010 is against the law. I should also point out there is a health and safety at work issue, should your continued bullying behaviour cause the recipient stress or mental ill health.

You may be the Prime Minister but you are not above the law. Some legislations may be suspended by the privilege of parliament but I’m not entirely sure whether or not this does (or even should) extend to workplace legislation or equality legislation. You, just as any other worker in the UK should be held accountable for your behaviour while at work and to be caught on camera being so blatantly arrogant and disrespectful to a colleague, does not please your employer.

David Cameron, in my capacity as one of your employers, I am dismissing you with immediate effect from your role as Prime Minister, due to your demeritorious behaviour and for bringing shame upon the company that is the UK.

I am also dismissing your party (including the LibDem turncoats) from their role in government for general incompetence, inability to perform the duties expected of them to an acceptable standard and for causing huge offense to our customers, who also happen to be your employers.

With the above in mind, you better’ hope Mr Skinner doesn’t see fit to take you to court over your illegal behaviours. God knows I’d be happy to put a few quid in the litigation fund to see that happen.

Absolutely no love whatsoever,

Grumpyhatlady and Chums