How many of us reward our bosses and employers with generous gifts?
If we did choose to do so, would it be out of choice, or would it be because we were coerced into doing so by those of our colleagues who were 'higher up the food chain'?
Only I have to ask after I felt that it was at least of mild interest to the local electorate that the Sutton Conservative group shelled out the minimum of thirty pounds each to send their leader Councillor Paul Scully on a holiday to Italy.
Buying lavish holidays for those higher ranking than oneself used to at one time be the sole preserve of the Italian American Mafiosi. Now it would seem that such sycophancy and excessive tokens of respect have also reached the London Borough of Sutton's shadow opposition.
This peculiar "gift" was co-ordinated by Councillor Tony Shields, who is also Scully's Deputy Leader of the Conservative group. Shields sent out an email to the other Conservative Councillors claiming that Commandant Scully was "overworked and underpaid" and that he "would be collecting thirty pounds off of everyone" so that Scully could go for a family holiday in Rome.
This justification does sound a little bit bizarre to say the least. Scully has a Monday to Friday job working within Portcullis House at the Houses of Parliament where he holds the position of Office Manager (such a position usually has remuneration of £25-30k per annum). On top of this salary he also receives an income of £10k per year as an elected Councillor, whilst receiving an additional £10k per year for being the leader of the shadow opposition party of the London Borough of Sutton Council.
Living in London can at times be very expensive especially for those only receiving the national minimum wage, but surely Commandant Scully is in receipt of a sizable combined income and more than capable of paying for his own holidays? This can surely be taken as fact, especially when you consider the possibility of a spouse's income being added to the family household. It would be fair to assume that Commandant Scully would certainly not be impoverished. So why the need for such grandiose gestures towards one's boss?
I understand from speaking to various people that there were a number of Conservative Councillors who were reluctant to part with what they considered to be an overly generous sum of money, especially after Scully's appalling treatment of Eleanor Pinfold and his successful attempt to topple her then parachute himself into her leadership position. Furthermore Scully then then selected an obedient jury to have Eleanor thrown out of the Conservative party (the bid to wrest power from her grasp was indeed successful, the campaign to have her thrown out of the party has achieved it's objective in the first instance, pending an appeal).
I understand that most of the Conservative councillors who did object to paying out for 'Don' Scully to take his sabbatical to a sunnier peninsula did eventually capitulate as they did not wish to fall out of favour with the new hierarchy and thus find themselves ex-communicated a-la Eleanor Pinfold. Hence the vast majority dutifully coughed up the requested minimum 'donation' with fear being the primary motivational factor for a significant number of contributors.
Let us be clear about he significance of this latest incident. What has taken place is not illegal, nor is it against the rules of office. However it is rather unusual behaviour, especially when you consider that such requested donations for lavish gifts are usually only bestowed upon prolific leaders, campaign managers or electoral agents AFTER a hard fought election campaign. Yet the only campaign that Scully had masterminded up to that point was the overthrowing of his predecessor!
I did also hear that Councillor Scully took the opportunity to visit the villa of one Benito Mussolini whilst he holidayed in "the Boot". Given Scully's past ruthlessness and dictatorial leadership style one can only speculate as to whether this visit was planned out of historical interest, or was it due to 'Don' Scully's own admiration for a man who clearly possessed many of the same personality traits.
"El Duce" is an obvious choice of hero to those now fronting the Sutton Conservative hierarchy...
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27 comments:
Scullduggerywatch. I take it that you were NOT one of those who contributed?
This is a very interesting story indeed and one that should be further investigated.
No, Councillor Pickles. I was NOT one of the people who helped to pay for Scully's jolly jaunt.
I have to say that I do feel it is rather a stupid question for you to have asked.
Whilst you do not actually know my identity surely you would have been able to deduce by now that my disdain for the Scully regime is so very great that I would rather have a hot needle shoved through my foot rather than send Commandant Scully on a foreign beano.
Next stupid question?
scullduggery watch. I take offence to your above comment. My comment was meant lightheartedly and not for one moment do I think that you contributed to this "fund". As you appear to be a current member of the tories (presumably at 48 Benhill Ave), can you not furnish us all with more details of this "holiday" to which you refer? And it would be helpful if you could at least give us some clues as to who the hell you really are.
Whom I am is none of your business, Councillor Pickles.
You seem preoccupied with filling this blog with constant questions and references as to who I could possibly be.
The fact of the matter remains that Councillor Paul Scully is lauding his authority over his fellow colleagues in an unprescedented manner. Such conduct has never before witnessed by the Sutton Conservative party.
Not even the previous Tory PPC, who it has to be said was quite prolific in his campaigning and helped to make the Sutton Conservatives more electable, received such a generous gift even AFTER he helped enormously to ensure we took the Lib Dems to a hair's breadth of losing their controlling majority of council seats at LE 2006.
In fact, I do recall that the said former PPC only received a Worcester porcelain figurine which cost a fraction of the price of Scully's jolly jaunt to Rome. It was quite a nice little 'thank you' gift I might add, but this was to a person who helped to achieve an excellent election result.
What has Scully achieved thus far to warrant such a grandiose gesture from his senior staff?
If his inner circle feel that Scully deserves being treated as a demi-God then so be it, but why should the other Conservative Councillors have felt pressured into contributing to such a slush fund just so that they did not end up being ostracised by the new Sutton Tory hierachy?
Was the "Godfather" one of your favourite films?
You certainly have all the terminology.
What about the props?
Horses head perhaps?
Chainsaw?
Cotton wool for your cheeks so you can do Marlon Brando impersonations..
Give it a rest Numbscull.
What has it got to do with anyone how people spend their money.
Perhaps i could ask where you went on holiday in the last 12 months and how you managed to fund it?
Hello Aardvark
So you do accept that all of the above is true then?
Thank you so very much for your objection, I do like it when you inadvertently put your cloven hoof right in it!
Commandant Scully and his toadies are to all intents and purposes elected representatives. Therefore I would say that it is of general interest to the local electorate if all you mugs feel pressured into coughing up 30 sovs just to send the Dear Leader off to the boot before he has achieved any electoral gains.
In answer to your question I usually pay for my own vacations abroad. Unlike Commandant Scully I do not require a team of flunkies, train bearers and punkawallahs to fund my foreign excursions.
Just out of curiosity, how much of your own money did you put into Scully's slush fund?
Ten grand
SLURP...SLURP...SLURP
(Far be it for me to call you a brown nose)
How interesting. Can someone furnish me with further details on this, or can I apply for a "free" holiday on the basis that I'm doing much more work now for UKIP than I ever did for the Tories!
Dear oh Dear - it's all coming out of the woodwork now isn't it?
So let's get this clear. Firstly Scully collars double money for ousting the previous leader, then he gets his cronies close to him, rewarding them (in some cases) with extra bunce. Then he works so hard (poor thing) during the recent Cheam by-election that he is exhausted and has to have a holiday! But Lo! there's more! Taking into account the council salary, his wife's possibly earnings and the money he gets from Parliament, all of a sudden he finds he can't afford one. Then the sycophants come to his aid with a "whip-round" and......abracadabra.....one free holiday courtesy of the brown noses. Oh to be a politician!
Cllr Pickles
Well thats not difficult.
You must be getting quite fit now...
Why does it matter if people had a whip round?
What does it prove?
I would have thought that life is far too short for you Mr Scullduggery to carry on this vendetta.
You are obviously talented in the area of prose and could do a lot better on other subjects.
Come on time to forget whatever is eating you up and put it to bed.
Hand of History - very amusing. If you'd done half the work I did in the past then you'd have a right to comment in that fashion. Remember that when your bin gets emptied every week.
Think of Cllr Pickles every time your bin is emptied ==== interesting way to be remembered
So, what's clever about that remark then Simon? I remember the "wheelie-bin fiasco" as though it were yesterday, and if it hadn't been for the said Cllr Pickles then the borough and it's residents would be suffering now. And what forward thinking to oppose fortnightly collections back in 1998 when this disgusting government is imposing them on countless millions now. Of course no-one would expect people like you who have achieved nothing for the residents of Sutton to be remotely different to the type of person you are.
(The Watchman is waiting for one of Scully's minions to fire back at Pickles asking him whether he personally empties the bins of Sutton residents, blah blah blah zzzzzzzzzz!)
If life was too short to carry on a vendetta then why didn't Scully practice what you preach and not stab Eleanor Pinfold in the back?
We all know his desires to have her chucked out of the Conservative party were inspired by his incorrect belief that doing so legitimised his campaign to wrest the leadership from her grasp. That and the fact that he found Eleanor to be a threat to his own tenure in the leader's seat.
Besides, this blog is most certainly not a vendetta. I am in fact a public service broadcaster, informing the local electorate of the dastardly deeds of Councillor Scully and his little band of merry sycophants.
I would love to know which other subjects Aardvark feels that I should be focusing on. Would those be the subjects that do not shine a torch into the deepest darkest recesses of Commandant Scully's regime?
Just to let everyone know:
Councillor Paul Scully has imposed moderation on his blog as of 11:30am today.
So much for democracy.
Isn't this the second time in two months that he has chosen to do so?
Freedom of speech (Just watch what you say).
I will be extremely interested to hear just what his excuse will be this time...
Scullduggery - it's probably time to bury the hatchet. I presume that Cllr Scully is referring to you as the individual, but moderating a blog can cause all sorts of problems not least for the blog owner.
Can I suggest you apologise and try to keep topics to political ones?
Apologise to Councillor Scully for what, Councillor Pickles?
...and when have my posts NOT been relating to political subjects?
If the cut and thrust of debate is too much for Commandant Scully then may I suggest the sensitive soul gets the hell out of politics?
He certainly did not mind one jot when he was the one 'dishing it out' to Eleanor Pinfold...
Yes scullduggery watch - you are correct there. Scully didn't mind "dishing the dirt" when it came to stabbing loyal colleagues in the back. I think Cllr Pickles was trying to make the point that because Scully has been forced to moderate, it might be a good idea for you to be "amenable" on his blog and that way you can get your views across there.
Dear Mr Hughes
Would Scully care to point out the part of my posting that were not in fact "amenable"?
I love the fact that Scully has opted to impose moderation on our national day!
Coincidence? You be the judge.
April 23rd! St George's Day! The day we celebrate our saint slaying that nasty dragon (...also the day that Commandant Scully took his famous knife and stabbed democracy through the heart, stifling freedom of speech once again by imposing moderation on his blog. What a true democrat Paul Scullduggery must be...)
What goes around comes around eh.
You ensored posts last week so why shouldnt anyone else do it.
Double standards seem to be your stock in trade.
Give up.
As David Cameron said today about GB and which applies to you.
"You are a loser not a leader"
Aardvark
I am interested to hear that you have changed gender and are now calling yourself "Maggie". Did Scully's deputy give a fresh order to cough up another thirty quid so that you could get the 'chop' done privately? I understand that 'medical tourism' is a growing industry. If Scully can get a foreign holiday bought and paid for then why can't you indeed?
If I were Scully I would have imposed moderation in response to your comments. Perhaps you too would like me the impose moderation in order to balance the treachery of your master? Sorry old chum, that just is not going to happen!
I am interested to see that Scully's brown-nose has referred to me as being "a loser not a leader".
However, Aardvark is in fact a blind follower of a very devious local politician...so just what sort of loser does that make him?
why is that maggie t chatting about double standards when scully complains bout council spending money like water yet his deputy gets a 6 grand pay rise which a bloke in his position never got before. they are the ones that sound like hypocrites if you ask me
Hughes-mungous - I simply made a comment about it being an interesting way to be remembered. And do not lecture me about what I may or may not have done for the residents of Sutton. I have given enough of my life and soul for this country. As a former military engineer, I stumbled across this site whilst researching some project, the basis of which was SUDS - sustainable urban drainage system. How I got to this site is a mystery, but search engine threw this up - the content is a clue. I now realise that it was a mistake becoming involved in any comments. Quite clearly you are not rational, you are quite clearly one and the same of a number of posters here and I leave you to what is quite obviously your only source of amusement or contact with the real world.
scullduggery is no doubt receiving treatment for a variety of ailments at present. Having read some of these posts it is quite clear that this blog is about as serious as the crazy gang and carries about as much political weight as a pin head. I would urge other readers to give up on the site, the owner is quite clearly dillusional, has a very spiteful manner and indeed practices his own version of moderation.
"I stumbled across this site whilst researching some project, the basis of which was SUDS - sustainable urban drainage system." -Simon
So you stumbled across this site, you do not know Paul Scully and you have no connection at all with the Sutton Conservatives? Is that why you are a regular poster on Commandant Scully's blog as well, Simon?
"I would urge other readers to give up on the site" -Aardvark/Anon
Aardvark: We know you would love to suppress everything that is bad in the world of Scully & Co. but unfortunately for you this blog will continue to transmit the truth. Nobody is forcing you to spend your time here and you are free to leave as soon as you feel that the pressure is starting to get to you!
Isn't it incredible how Scully's Conservatives have the gall to say one thing and do another? The comments I made on Commandant Scully's blog were certainly critical however they were communicating political facts. The result? The Watchman's posts were removed and moderation brought into effect by Nanny Scully. If everyone promises to play nicely and Scully does not receive anymore criticism then he MIGHT remove the moderation and allow us to post freely once again. Now, wouldn't that be a privilege?
Yet Aardvark continues to post insulting bile on this blog in the hope that it washes away the sins of his master (Nanny Scully). Does that not warrant him being banned from the blog? Of course it does. He also posted a dozen articles about fairies, sherbet, mouse traps, parties at the end of the garden and attempted to affiliate this blog with a homosexual porn site. I have saved these deleted posts, the only reason for their deletion being the fact that the posts were not about the political scene in the London Borough of Sutton.
Can everyone now see how Scully's Conservatives have their unique own brand of double-standards that even the Lib Dems would be proud of?
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