Hard News by Russell Brown

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Hard News: Veitch

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  • giovanni tiso,

    I believe Jack Ross may have produce the first ever poem of Concern Over Tony Veitch's Safety. Beats reading the Sunday papers for my money.

    Wellington • Since Jun 2007 • 7473 posts Report Reply

  • Sacha,

    Well there's a minute I'll never get back.

    Ak • Since May 2008 • 19745 posts Report Reply

  • Danielle,

    Mind you, wouldn't you expect either the hungry media or his advisors to have provided evidence of any leaking by Dunne-Powell?

    I'm sure she's had professional advice all along too. I just think hers was a lot better than his: her people seem to have said 'STFU until court, and keep calm in your appearances afterwards'. I don't think she's leaked squat to the media either - surely they would have been all over it if she had?

    Charo World. Cuchi-cuchi!… • Since Nov 2006 • 3828 posts Report Reply

  • Kerry Weston,

    The world is indeed a strange place when Michael Lhaws makes some sense:

    Love "Lhaws", the way it has a laugh embedded in it. You're a man of great wit, sacha. Maybe Mr Lhaws has had a gutsful of the whole thing too.

    Not buying a Sunday paper today, read Lhaws and Woodham links and that's it. It's starting to make me feel grubby and voyeuristic.

    Manawatu • Since Jan 2008 • 494 posts Report Reply

  • Hilary Stace,

    A skip sideways re the provision of mental health services in the public system which is already fragile and needs major investment. I worry about the effect of Tony Ryall's quest for improvements to 'productivity' in the health system by concentrating on measurables like elective surgery discharges and waiting times for cancer treatment. So what services will have to be cut to meet these targets as there is no more money? Mental health, disability, community health are likely options.

    So that psychiatrist from the DHB might not be there for the future non-celebs who need that help.

    Wgtn • Since Jun 2008 • 3229 posts Report Reply

  • Sacha,

    Kerry, Lhaws was Giovanni's idea I think.

    Ak • Since May 2008 • 19745 posts Report Reply

  • Sacha,

    There are still serious problems with the funding and management of mental health services. Today's Herald reports on a couple of failures in Auckand.

    The new minister in charge of mental health, Associate Health Minister Dr Jonathan Coleman, said reviews were unnecessary when some of the system's worst problems were obvious and it was up to experts in the field to find solutions.

    He was concerned about high occupancy rates at some residential units - Te Whetu Tawera, for example, had operated well above the ideal occupancy rate of 85 per cent for almost a year - and there were questions about whether patients transferred to community care were getting appropriate treatment.

    Coleman intended ordering a review of spending on non-governmental contractors who provided community mental health care.

    He did not believe boards had "a huge handle on what they were getting for that money".

    Staff retention was an issue across the entire health sector but had become "increasingly" difficult with the mental health workforce.

    He had also asked for a briefing about why cash paid to boards exclusively for mental health care was not always being fully used.

    Ak • Since May 2008 • 19745 posts Report Reply

  • giovanni tiso,

    Kerry, Lhaws was Giovanni's idea I think.

    By the transitive property of compliments, I'm going to usurp "being a man of great wit" for the day. Hooray!

    Wellington • Since Jun 2007 • 7473 posts Report Reply

  • Russell Brown,

    You're kidding yourself if you think Dunne-Powell hasn't been extensively leaking to the media and been professionally groomed and coached before doing her media interviews.

    Uh, really Danyl? Can you point to a story clearly based on a leak from her? Do you have any basis for saying so, other than speculation? Do you really think that if she had been "extensively leaking to the media" over the past 10 months that Team Veitch wouldn't have come down on it like a ton of bricks?

    The only story I can think of that might be an out-and-out leak was Campbell Live's tip that the police were to search Veitch's house. But that seems unlikely -- it's hard to imagine that the police would directly inform the complaint as to date, time and location of a search. It sounds a lot more like a handy police source.

    Dunne-Powell has had Star PR, of which her then-employer, Woosh, was a client, to handle media enquiries, but she'd be a mug not to. I'd assume that at least initially, her employer would have paid the bills.

    The Herald's interview with her will probably have been conducted before Thursday, but obviously on the basis that it didn't run until afterwards.

    Has she had some media advice or interview coaching? Danyl, who in her position hasn't?

    And I do know that she maintained the story about having fallen down the stairs ("in high heels") both during and after her long absence from work at Vodafone -- to the point where people who dealt with her frequently were astonished when the truth emerged.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report Reply

  • Russell Brown,

    This just in:

    Sunday 19th April 2009
    SUNDAY PROGRAMME CANCELS VEITCH INTERVIEW TONIGHT

    The Sunday Programme has decided to cancel the interview Cameron Bennett did with Tony Veitch that was going to run on tonight’s show.

    “It doesn’t seem fair to Kristen Dunne-Powell or Tony Veitch to air the interview knowing now that it was filmed when Tony was obviously unwell and his state of mind was fragile”, said TVNZ Current Affairs Editor, John Gillespie.

    “Cameron Bennett and the Sunday team were upset to hear about Tony last night and agreed to the piece being pulled from air”.

    “We would like to pass on our best wishes to Tony for his convalescence and to the Veitch and Dunne-Powell families for the future”.

    Ends

    Phew.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report Reply

  • Sacha,

    what services will have to be cut

    The Minister of Health's razor gang seems to have no members who know much about disability services, despite them accounting for about $2b a year funnelled through the Ministry and DHBs (or about 18% of total budgets, as Table 2 in last year's committee report shows - PDF, 236Kb).

    Ak • Since May 2008 • 19745 posts Report Reply

  • Sofie Bribiesca,

    What I suggest, is that all available funds currently held by ACC destined for there sensitive claims unit, be distributed among public community mental health clinics.

    And Corrections Department and Prison Services and Police training.

    For articulate (many academics) to address the newspapers as such, and to assume a person will use the appropriate words to gain acceptance for a crime that, words could have solved at the time.As to what a family, who would surely be ashamed of what one of theirs behaviour has bought to light, can do, other than try to protect him, and pull out all funds to get him the legal defence any family that cares will do is just the best they can I suspect.It has now become plainly obvious he needs some serious help,to us, and his family ,who may be a little slow on the uptake but they do realise this so, it could be fair to say, Tony Veitch does not appear to be the biggest brightest star he thought he was.Give him the chance to get better, a beginning at least to explore what a cruel cycle domestic violence is. Just wish he understood as many here seem to.

    here and there. • Since Nov 2007 • 6796 posts Report Reply

  • Kracklite,

    What has happened instead is a disaster, and I really think that there should have been people around him who could stop him doing it to himself.

    Rampant speculation follows, mitigated somewhat by close personal experience of more than one person who's tried...

    The impression apparently intended to be given by the media campaign is one of a man who is genuinely remorseful and hurt, but it's ended up looking histrionic, over-presented and dishonest, worsening Veitch's image. we have a media fostered myth of catharsis and closure, the assumption that suddenly there will be a revelation and everything will click into place and Veitch's handlers have been playing on this.

    Unfortunately, like many emotionally fragile people without any self-awareness, he's veering about, unable to make sense of or play along with the narrative presented to it, so he screws it up.

    A person I know who repeatedly indulges in 'look at me, it's all your fault' suicide attempts does a lot of damage to themselves and to people around them and their strategically-directed notes and texts. These sort of people refuse to examine themselves, show a lack of self-awareness (at least at a conscious level) and instead try to construct complicated narratives of self-justification. Anyone standing nearby - especially those who would be capable of sympathy - become targets for emotional blackmail, because they're the only ones who can be made to visibly suffer. If they don't offer the demanded support or signs of pain, then the anger and emotional assaults intensify, because they've just 'proven' that they're unsympathetic bastards and thus can be justifiably made to suffer more.

    It's classic narcissistic behaviour and its a complex, contradictory and hideous stew of unconscious compulsive actions tied together with absurd self-justifications that keep falling apart and have to be reconstructed again and again.

    Veitch appears to me to be a malignant narcissist obsessed with self-justifcation, and this was the driver for his crippling assault and his own interally-directed violence and his continuing obsession with 'getting his side of the story across'.

    Of course Kirsten Dunne-Powell has nothing to do with it as far as he's concerned. It's all about him.

    And in that context, his media handlers, thinking they're doing what's best for him are simply feeding the process and making it worse.

    That's my take, it's speculative and I am not a psychiatrist (I don't even like fava beans but I am partial to chianti).

    The Library of Babel • Since Nov 2007 • 982 posts Report Reply

  • simon g,

    I'm assuming the Cameron Bennett interview was conducted with the permission (at the request) of the subject. Not a doorstep, hand-over-the-camera-lens job.

    When even a tabloid programme like Sunday has to save you from yourself, there's something seriously wrong with your media advice.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 1333 posts Report Reply

  • Mrs Skin,

    The Sunday Programme has decided to cancel the interview Cameron Bennett did with Tony Veitch that was going to run on tonight’s show.

    Good decision. Well done that Current Affairs Editor.

    These sort of people refuse to examine themselves, show a lack of self-awareness (at least at a conscious level) and instead try to construct complicated narratives of self-justification.

    There appears to me to be a certain level/kind of depression that manifests itself in the kind of near-complete self-centredness Kracklite noted above. It seems to be genuine depression characterised by a very teenaged view of the world and how it relates to the sufferer. The people I've known who have this are not ordinarily any more self-centred than the average, they just get trapped in a little side eddy of this weird narcissistic and depressed headspace.

    the warmest room in the h… • Since Feb 2009 • 168 posts Report Reply

  • Dave Patrick,

    Can we start a campaign for TV3 to can their 60 Minutes programme on this as well? I saw a promo for it last night that looked like a promo for a State of Origin match or something.

    Full of "Veitch vs Dunne-Powell" and "What really happened?" and "The truth behind the headlines" captions, all over a firey background.

    Some people really need to take a step back and think before they do things.

    Rangiora, Te Wai Pounamu • Since Nov 2006 • 261 posts Report Reply

  • Paul Litterick,

    Rampant speculation follows...

    How about a moratorium on this sort of blather? Human beings have complex minds which cannot be reduced to a few uninformed platitudes; we none of us know the subject of this speculation and we are not psychiatrists. Besides, it is distasteful.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 1000 posts Report Reply

  • Kracklite,

    It seems to be genuine depression characterised by a very teenaged view of the world and how it relates to the sufferer.

    If only he'd just painted his bedroom black...

    The Library of Babel • Since Nov 2007 • 982 posts Report Reply

  • giovanni tiso,

    I'm going to have to agree, before we start campaigning for others to show restraint maybe we could give some sort of example ourselves.

    Wellington • Since Jun 2007 • 7473 posts Report Reply

  • giovanni tiso,

    And I meant agree with Paul.

    I want my tombstone to read "Should have refreshed more often".

    Wellington • Since Jun 2007 • 7473 posts Report Reply

  • Kracklite,

    Human beings have complex minds which cannot be reduced to a few uninformed platitudes;

    As I pointed out, I am not uninformed or inexperienced in such matters. My disclaimers are there for legal purposes, but I assure you that I have been very close to similar cases for a long time and I haven't had the luxury of being able to turn my nose up the issues as being unfit for a gentleman. I've had to watch, closely, and to deal with the ramifications in depth.

    It's necessary for us to discuss share experience on such matters as they may pertain to us and people near us who may be vulnerable.
    Sanctimony is a cop-out.

    The Library of Babel • Since Nov 2007 • 982 posts Report Reply

  • Paul Litterick,

    I want my tombstone to read "KTHXBAI."

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 1000 posts Report Reply

  • giovanni tiso,

    It's necessary for us to discuss share experience on such matters as they may pertain to us and people near us who may be vulnerable.

    Discuss all you want, I still think you have no business diagnosing Veitch or anybody else. I'll tell you what is a cop out: writing "appears to me" in italics.

    Wellington • Since Jun 2007 • 7473 posts Report Reply

  • Danyl Mclauchlan,

    Uh, really Danyl? Can you point to a story clearly based on a leak from her?

    Are you kidding? The legal documentation about the original payment for work/compensation/hush money was leaked by 'Team Dunne-Powell' to almost every media outlet in the country, including the womens magazines. The summary of evidence to the police revealing that Veitch kicked her in the back while she was lying on the floor sure as hell wasn't given to Donna Chisholm at the SST by Glenda Hughes.

    Obviously Dunne-Powell is the wronged party here and the tactics employed by Veitch and his clutch of overpaid vultures has been vile, but there was a sick, mutually assurred destruction element to the strategic leaking.

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 927 posts Report Reply

  • Kracklite,

    Sorry, Giovanni, but the 'appears to me' is honest reserve on my part.

    The counsellors I've dealt with in the past have been careful to use phrases such as '__presents__ the symptoms of -' and so on. It's not copping out, it's taking care to be open to alternative interpretations and deferring to professional psychiatrists.

    You are right in that I was going too far in discussing Veitch in particular and I can only guess what he is going through.

    However, I have to say that suicide is a matter I am very passionate about and I really do need to find ways of understanding and helping people who might be at risk. The questions then are 'what are the warning signs?' and 'what to do next?' Some sincere attempts to help only make matters worse if they are uniformed by others' experience of similar cases. I think that that transcends moral fastidiousness.

    The Library of Babel • Since Nov 2007 • 982 posts Report Reply

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