Sue Gray's report said “The excessive consumption of alcohol is not appropriate in a professional workplace at any time."

I don’t think alcohol should be in the workplace, also no mobile phones on , until lunch breaks and out of the office. It is extremely rude and how can you be doing your job properly?

They work in a museum of a building with out of date rules and regulations and the prices on their food and drinks menus are in line. Starters all under £4, mains under £10, spirits between £3 and £4. Nice work if you can get it.

That’s a good point Aspen. Ludicrous to have subsidised booze
This is the same over privileged lot who voted to cut the £20 uplift to UC. Also, to have people employed in hospitals pay to park their cars at work
Shameless

Absolutely agree Iam64 MPs are there to do a job like any other employee yet they are given so many privileges - why ?
Shameless is the right word for such entitled behaviour.

Allsorts

I don’t think alcohol should be in the workplace, also no mobile phones on , until lunch breaks and out of the office. It is extremely rude and how can you be doing your job properly?

Many people need their mobile phones to do their work. I wonder what sort of work you are assuming all these people are doing. Life is changing, has changed; we need to change with it.

(But they don't need to drink to do their job)

Allsorts

I don’t think alcohol should be in the workplace, also no mobile phones on , until lunch breaks and out of the office. It is extremely rude and how can you be doing your job properly?

Not sure how I'd have coped without my mobile phone at work.

Working in the CS it was invaluable for the job I did.

Before mobile phones a chore would take 10-15 minutes gazing at aperture cards and maps.

Mobile phones had. the answer in less than a minute.

Marvellous boon to the office.

I can see immediate pluses to closing down the subsidised bars, etc.

Firstly, unless they are entertaining for the sake of the country - not them, not their party - they should be able to claim an amount back. This will provide business for restaurants and sandwich shops locally and hopefully save money.

Secondly, we are always being told that there is not enough office space in the HoP. Closing bars and dining rooms would free up extra space.

I expect there are more.

Bars should be closed. Only because as I mentioned earlier, all government departments around the country had an alcohol ban.

We used to drink like fish. Not me, don't really like it. But lots of unhappy people and we couldn't understand why the HoC still had their bars.

Agreed, DaisyAnne.

Mobile phone use is not appropriate in all jobs, but these people aren't on a production line, or serving customers in a shop, and I don't see the harm in it, really. A lot of the conversations will be about car parking in a constituency miles away or something else not relevant to them. Is it not a better use of the time to check emails from their own constituents, or similar, rather than sitting about feigning a polite interest in something they have no influence over?

I don't know why people always assume that employees of any description need close supervision to prevent skiving and 'taking advantage', when most people can work at home or be in charge of a smartphone without doing either. The way to deal with it is to punish abusers, not make life difficult for everyone.

They shouldn't be allowed to drink when 'on duty', or be able to be in the HoC under the influence, though. Given that they are usually miles from home, and need to have conversations that can't be overheard by journalists and so on, however, I can't see the harm in having a bar or restaurant on the premises - but neither should be subsidised, IMO.

House of Commons drinks menu.

Nanna 8, I am totally in your corner on this. x

Nanna 8, I am totally with you on this matter! x

The problem is that business spills over into social life in many situations, an example is the Covid party situation where a birthday glass of wine in No 10 was breaking the rules. After a evening session in the HoC they retire to the bar to discuss the topics of the day and lobby others, no doubt banter the opposition as well.

It’s normal socializing which is OK until someone goes too far, for example calling someone “stupid” is OK but if you say “stupid woman” (or man) that’s sexist and a resigning issue. That’s the sort of non PC slip up that happens when you’ve had a couple of drinks.

The Rayner debacle probably has its roots in the bar where male MPs were sexualising her, she may even have been playing up to them, it only takes a look or a wink, there is more to it than what was alleged in the commons.

Lets face it, if I or any of us turned up late for work, didn't turn up at all, turned up at work drunk, watched/used a mobile phone through a meeting with our boss, fell asleep at work. We would ALL face disciplinary action even dismissal. Stop making excuses for these people

Exactly JaneJudge.
Katie59. We don’t ‘slip up’ and make sexist or other offensive remarks because we had a couple of drinks. Those things are said because the person believes them, alcohol lowered inhibitions, it didn’t cause a change in belief systems

Iam64

Exactly JaneJudge.
Katie59. We don’t ‘slip up’ and make sexist or other offensive remarks because we had a couple of drinks. Those things are said because the person believes them, alcohol lowered inhibitions, it didn’t cause a change in belief systems

Plenty of us believe “stupid man”

Katie59

The problem is that business spills over into social life in many situations, an example is the Covid party situation where a birthday glass of wine in No 10 was breaking the rules. After a evening session in the HoC they retire to the bar to discuss the topics of the day and lobby others, no doubt banter the opposition as well.

It’s normal socializing which is OK until someone goes too far, for example calling someone “stupid” is OK but if you say “stupid woman” (or man) that’s sexist and a resigning issue. That’s the sort of non PC slip up that happens when you’ve had a couple of drinks.

The Rayner debacle probably has its roots in the bar where male MPs were sexualising her, she may even have been playing up to them, it only takes a look or a wink, there is more to it than what was alleged in the commons.

Katie59
she may even have been playing up to them, it only taes a look or a wink, there is more to it than what was alleged in the commons.

When will these unsubstantiated attacks on another women stop? Gossip, and that is all this is, ruins lives.

What has happened is that the Tories have succeeded in making Rayner look strong and they have given her a platform.

She has gained considerably from this episode.

So all women are totally innocent, we all know that isn’t true.

There is a lot more to the story than than crossing legs in the HoC.

In any case gamesmanship, women 1, men 0.

The Sue Parish Tango defence wtte My husband wouldn't have been watching porn if women didn't make it. (Do we even know who he was watching?)

Please provide evidence that there is a lot more to the Rayner story.

Katie59

So all women are totally innocent, we all know that isn’t true.

There is a lot more to the story than than crossing legs in the HoC.

In any case gamesmanship, women 1, men 0.

So, as far as I am concerned, this is a lie you are determined to repeat. If you can show one iota of evidence that Angela Rayner is culpable and that this wasn't just the right-wing press trying to save Johnson's bacon, then please let us know.

Otherwise, stop repeating the lies or I will report the posts and ask GNHQ to remove the fake news you seem determined to spread.

It isn’t a question if women always being entirely innocent. It’s the impact of male dominated culture

The idea that not all women are 'totally innocent' so all women must be treated as guilty comes from the Garden of Eden myth which has been used to oppress women for thousands of years.

Katie59. I am delighted that the character assassination of Ms Rayner has backfired on the Conservative Party. Not because I am a Labour supporter but because I am a woman and abhor the male sexist behaviour that they have been getting away with since time immemorial.
How can you defend them?

I’m not defending men, what happened I have no idea but the sort of male banter that I hear regularly, could easily lead to that situation. It’s what men do and I’m happy to return the banter in equal measure, doesn’t bother me one jot.