Calls for formal investigation into States of Guernsey bullying allegations
The independent assessor of government complaints is being urged to launch an investigation into allegations of bullying which came to light during last week's States sitting in Guernsey.
During the - currently adjourned - confidence vote into the Policy & Resources Committee, several politicians claimed they had witnessed or heard stories about members' poor behaviour.
Deputy Lester Queripel said he "heard reports of P&R bullying colleagues" but had never witnessed it himself.
Other States members went further. Deputy Adrian Gabriel revealed: "Some of the behaviours I’ve witnessed in meetings have been nothing short of deplorable. I’m at pains to discuss them publicly but we are where we are.
"The behaviours I’ve witnessed have no place in our society and certainly do not show the leadership that I was expecting. Table thumping, aggression and machismo that all seem to play right out of a late 1980s TV boardroom drama."
The most damning testimony came from Deputy Lindsay de Sausmarez, who alleged she - and other politicians - had been "subjected to... viscerally aggressive, sometimes abusive" behaviour.
Quoting an email sent to the States Assembly & Constitution Committee, she read: "The abuse was once so bad that I had to leave that meeting in tears.
"I was really shaken – and as you know, that is not like me. I’m particularly concerned about officers who are poorly treated, as in reality, they have even less recourse to solutions than we do. There are other deputies who I know have been the victim of this behaviour.
"I’ve also witnessed officers being bullied or harassed and there are plenty of officers who have witnessed this behaviour in, I imagine, multiple settings, at least one of whom I know has also complained, about the treatment meted out to me rather than them, but again nothing can be done, it seems."
Audio from Deputy de Sauzmarez speaking in the States on Friday 24 November
Those comments were challenged by P&R's outgoing Treasury Lead, Deputy Mark Helyar.
He told ITV News: "There is no specific evidence that's been provided about anything, nothing, there is no evidence... Standing up and saying 'I have been bullied' is not evidence."
Deputy Peter Ferbrache also denied the P&R Committee was toxic, saying: "I think it's a shame and I think if people have had these concerns before I am hearing them for the first time. I have never heard them before, I am hearing them in a public forum.
"I would've expected them to speak to me well before now and tell me what these concerns were."
Now the Channel Islands' Commissioner for Standards is being called on to launch an investigation into the allegations against the Policy & Resources Committee.
The campaign group Women in Public Life Guernsey has written to Dr Melissa McCullough "to draw her attention to the debate" and the comments made during it.
The group aims to inspire women to stand for public office, but in a statement published on Tuesday 28 November, it said it had "deep concerns" following the debate.
It said: "It appears that, by inspiring people to stand for the States, we may be encouraging them to take up employment in a workplace that could be detrimental to their wellbeing.
"We have a duty of care to those we encourage to stand, so it is important for us - and for potential candidates - to know whether these allegations are true, and if so, what is being done to rectify the situation."
The group says its concerns apply to male politicians and civil servants as much as well as female States members and candidates.
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