DAME Laura Cox’s independent inquiry into the issue of bullying and harassment of staff in the House of Commons could hardly be more damning. That will be clear to anyone who takes even the most cursory glance at her report.
What emerges from its pages is a picture of “institutional failure over many years,” a failure which has led, Dame Laura suggests, to a culture in which “bullying and sexual harassment can thrive.” And, worse than that, abusive behaviour has been actively covered up as a result of institutional omerta..
This is an appalling state of affairs for “the Mother of Parliaments”. The Commons is an institution that has a very high opinion of itself at times. It is incumbent on it, then, to acknowledge its failures and deal with them quickly and effectively when it falls far short of its own self-regard.
That said, Dame Laura’s suggests that reform might be beyond the House’s current senior administration (she does not name names, but presumably the Speaker of the House can guess).
As the report points out, for all its fabled uniqueness, to those employed in service to MPs and Ministers, the Commons is still, in the end, a place of work. And if one cannot rely on our governors to act in a responsible manner towards their staff who can we rely on?
It is sadly no surprise to learn that women were often subject to the worst of behaviour by MPs and others. Dame Laura reports that female staff have been subject to comments on their appearance and their “physical attributes,” inappropriate touching and even repeated propositioning.
This is unacceptable in any workplace and is, quite frankly, an indication of just how sexist and backward-looking the Commons can still be.
Unfortunately, as many women in many different professions would be able to attest, there is nothing unique about this situation or this institution when it comes to sexism. But Westminster’s persistent “boys’ club” mentality remains a blight and needs to be challenged.
That has been said before, of course. What is needed now is a will to see change enacted and not merely paid lip service to. The House of Commons makes much of its storied past. It is time now for it to rewrite its future.
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