No one likes a bully. Those who abuse their positions of power or superior strength are truly worthy of scorn.

Yet the definition of bullying has grown so wide that it becomes meaningless. The strong leader, the shrewd negotiator, the natural salesman are all accused of “pressuring” or “bullying” those whom they successfully bend to their will.

There is such a thing as bullying and it is rightly condemned, but an increasing number of complaints trivialise it. They come from losers not wanting to admit they are losers and so complaining about the winners.

Business is a rough, competitive place. It is meant to be. Survival of the fittest is survival of the most efficient – so that the world’s resources are controlled by those who have demonstrated their ability to use them best.

This does not mean there are no rules – or no room for generosity, kindness, and compassion – but anyone who comes on to the field must do so in the knowledge that they are choosing to play a contact sport.

In this context, it seems strange that governments are now instigating campaigns and laws against “bullying in the workplace”.

It is strange because if there was ever a textbook example of bullying in the classic sense, of those in a position of superior strength using that strength to exploit others in order to reinforce their own egos, it is government’s treatment of private business.