[DanaC]

Not sure about co-workers, but my party comrades seem to think I like a fight. Which I do. They also think I am incredibly ambitious, which I am not. My friends know this, but comrades at more of a distance think much of what I do is done with an ulterior motive (i.e preparing ground for/getting myself well placed for a further political career). That's fine. I don't mind them thinking that.

I think when I was working I was viewed as slightly strange, maybe a little eccentric and possibly a snob. I was also generally the one that co-workers wanted with them if they needed a little back-up in contentious staff meetings, or visits to upper management. So....up for a scrap, seems a common theme:P Which is of course just a polite way of saying gobby cow.

One thing I was fairly well-known for at work was an absolute refusal to get drawn into the nastier side of office politics and a consistent attempt to retain friends in the different camps. People eventually gave up trying to bad mouth colleagues to me. Now...amongst my comrades in the party I find myself in a deeply factional situation and have pretty much thrown myself into the war. So people who are in the party but not really involved at that level see me as a deeply divisive person who is far too ready to argue aggressively against the [seemingly] reasonable arguments of fellow comrades [opposing faction members]. Quite a shift of perception :P