Newcastle, U.K.
A British government manager was fired this week after being accused of fostering an atmosphere of debauchery in the office. Some staff members at the Rural Payments Agency in Newcastle reportedly had sex in the bathrooms, jumped naked from filing cabinets, and took drugs at work. Disgusted co-workers finally complained after somebody started leaving cups of vomit around the office, apparently as a practical joke. The agency is responsible for delivering European subsidies to British farmers, and is notoriously slow. “When farmers read about this sort of high jinx going on at the RPA, they’re going to be livid,” said National Farmers Union president Peter Kendall. “They’ll think, No wonder my money hasn’t been got out.”
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Quiz of The Week: 15 – 21 NovemberQuiz Have you been paying attention to The Week’s news?
-
Can the UK do more on climate change?Today's Big Question Labour has shown leadership in the face of fraying international consensus, but must show the public their green mission is ‘a net benefit, not a net cost’
-
The Week Unwrapped: Will US Catholics rebel against the Pope?Podcast Plus what are the ethics of freezing your late partner?
