Twittergate affair uncovered at CLG

Monday 6th June 2011

EAT was intrigued to learn that a civil servant at CLG faces the sack after using Twitter to voice his thoughts on housing policy, Grant Shapps and Eric Pickles.

The twitterer, @nakedCservant, called Pickles a “disgrace” who was only interested “in petty point scoring”. In one tweet, he mentioned “kicking Pickles & Shapps out”.

Throwing civil service neutrality to the wind, he also used Twitter to attack Tory MPs – which went down well with Labour members.  

He described himself as “a lazy, good-for-nothing civil servant”. This description meant he was very difficult to pick out in the corridors of power. The mystery civil servant also escaped detection by only ever tweeting from his iPhone.

But he was finally unmasked last month after a seven-month mole-hunt.

He was suspended, pending a disciplinary hearing in the near future, CLG has confirmed.

Still, the case – unproven of course – does appear to demonstrate two things.

First, that not all civil servants are subservient (or even civil).

And secondly, that not all of Twitter is dull (although frankly, the jury is still out on that point).

But EAT, which is rapidly developing a great interest in all matters Twitter, asks readers: Would you sack a member of staff who wastes their time tweeting in office hours?