Independent Insurance: Cheer Up, Mr. Bright!

It is the dream of every abused employee -- an obnoxioius boss breaks down in tears while telling a courtroom how badly he bullied his people, confessing, " I was unbearable."

Standing trial in the UK for fraud, former Independent Insurance boss Michael Bright broke down into sobbing, while cranking out some of the most remarkable soundbites Jack has ever heard come out of CEO's mouth.

Oh come now, Mr. Bright, you couldn't have been that rough?

"I was hell on earth."

But Mr. Bright, you must be exaggerating?

"I know I drove them mad, I drove myself mad."

Did you try any team-building exercises?

"Every time we turned something over, something nasty, black and crawly would crawl out and that happened over a number of years."

Mr. Bright's tears came as he was defending himself against fraud charges, but he somehow maintained enough composure to point his finger at the then-head of Independent's London operations.

The case is being prosecuted by the UK's Serious Fraud Office, which to American ears sounds happily Pythonesque. Jack is relieved that Mr Bright does not have to face the Really, Really Serious Fraud Office.