Douglas North MHK John Houghton has been suspended from Tynwald after refusing to apologise for alleged bullying.
Tynwald had been urged not to wash its dirty linen in public.
But as expected, members didn’t pull their punches as they debated a Tynwald standards committee report into allegations of bullying made against Douglas North MHK John Houghton.
After a long debate, Tynwald voted to receive the report and accept its recommendation that the MHK apologise.
But Mr Houghton refused, saying: ‘I stand firm in my beliefs. I will not and completely refuse to apologise.’
Tynwald president Clare Christian told him he had to leave the building and could not attend any more hearings until he apologises.
The debate made for uncomfortable listening - not least perhaps for Lord Lisvane, the former clerk of the House of Commons who is heading an independent review into the branches of parliament, and was sitting in the public gallery this morning.
Mr Houghton didn’t hold back as he delivered his defence, accusing the report of being ‘riddled with inconsistencies’ and accusing its authors of orchestrating an ‘institutional witch hunt’.
The 400-page report concludes that the Douglas North should be ordered to make a formal apology after he was found to have bullied, lied and inappropriately interfered in a staffing matter.
Mr Houghton was referred by Speaker Steve Rodan to the standards committee after being accused of bullying the clerk and deputy clerk of Tynwald and Tony Wild MLC, his conduct allegedly precipitating the resignation of another senior member of the Clerk of Tynwald’s Office.
But the accused, who claimed he had only been acting to support a member of staff who had claimed she was being bullied by a manager, told Tynwald the evidence to support the finding of bullying against him was ‘flimsy to say the least’. He described the investigation as ‘a charade’ and ‘flawed’. ‘I have never bullied anyone at all and nowhere in the report is there any evidence that I lied or misled anyone,’ he said.
And he claimed the action against him was ‘engineered’ by the clerk of Tynwald Roger Phillips in a ‘simple case of revenge’ as he had dared to complain about him. The Speaker had been caught up within the ‘evil web’ while Tony Wild MLC was a ‘co-conspirator’, said Mr Houghton.
Infrastructure Minister Phil Gawne claimed there were lots of examples of staff across government being bullied by a range of different Tynwald members and he would expect ‘several complaints in the months to come from the DoI at the way staff are treated by members of Tynwald’.
He also expressed concern that part of the establishment about which a complaint was made was also part of the secretariat for the investigation into that complaint.
There was a flurry of amendments. One was tabled by Alfred Cannan (Michael) who said: ‘This is a real can of worms’.
A second came from Kate Beecroft (LibVan Douglas South) who said the case should be reviewed independently. ‘Was due process followed properly?’ she asked.
Peter Karran (LibVan, Onchan) tabled an amendment that Mr Houghton should give a full and unreserved public apology to Tynwald court and the various staff involved in the case. Referring to his time as Education Minister, he said: ‘The MHK for Douglas North is a bully- there’s no doubt about that.’
A fourth came from Bill Henderson MLC, a former Douglas North MHK himself, who accepted his former colleague is ‘very assertive’ and could be ‘abrupt’. He admitted he could have been accused of bullying himself in the past.
His successor in the constituency Ralph Peake unsuccessfully sought an adjournment until July. ‘The public do not want Tynwald to wash its dirty linen in public,’ he said.
Speaker said the authority clerk and deputy clerk had been undermined and then made subject to a vexatious complaint, while a valued member of staff had felt it necessary to resign.
Juan Turner MLC said he felt annoyed about being dragged into a process that had nothing to do with him. He said: ‘I have never felt so uncomfortable and embarrassed as in the proceedings today.’ ‘I don’t think this afternoon has been our finest hour,’ he said.
David Cretney MLC agreed: ‘It’s a disappointing and sad day for Tynwald.’
Chairman of the standards committee report Chris Robertshaw (Douglas East) said members had done their best to run away from the issue. He described Mr Houghton’s defence as like a ‘helicopter throwing chaff off’ and said he found it disgraceful that unfounded accusations had been thrown around. He said the idea of there being some conspiracies afoot is ‘just laughable’, adding: ‘It’s just part of the chaff to distract you. Mr Houghton finds everyone at fault, absolutely everyone.’
He said: ‘The recommendation is simple and straightforward - the journey to get to it was not.’
Amendments by Mr Cannan, Mr Henderson and Mr Karran were all defeated. Mrs Beecroft’s amendment was supported in the Keys but rejected by LegCo.
The motion that the report be received and Mr Houghton be requested to apologise was approved by 13 votes to six in the Keys and by six votes to two in the upper house.