Posts by Danyl Mclauchlan

Last ←Newer Page 1 2 3 4 5 Older→ First

  • Hard News: Veitch,

    "The only people who have access to the police caption of summary are myself, the officer in charge of the case, the Crown and Mr Veitch and his team," he told Radio New Zealand.

    My understanding is that the information leaked to the SST was from the summary before the court that the defense had access to (which is rather obvious, since the defense submitted the accusations in the first place).

    I think you're correct in saying that Hughes had the Sunday News and her pet seat-sniiffer Carolyne Meng-Yee at the HoS write matching stories trivialising the assault but this was almost certainly in response to media queries to Veitch about the details from the court summary. There is simply no way Team Veitch wanted those details made public when there was still a chance to avoid a legal hearing.

    And anecdotally - for what it's worth - I've asked one journalist how they could justify helping Veitch use their newspaper to relentlessly attack a women he'd assaulted and crippled, and the justification was that Dunne-Powell was using the media to attack Veitch and it would have been unethical not to allow him the opportunity to respond. Obviously there are a whole lot of problems with that statement, but Veitch's rather deranged approach to the whole affair does make a lot more sense when seen in that context.

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 927 posts Report

  • Hard News: Veitch,

    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

  • Hard News: Veitch,

    <i>one of them has been keeping quiet throughout</i>

    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.

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 927 posts Report

  • Hard News: Veitch,

    If it wasn't for Glenda, we wouldn't have been able to control the media

    That'd be why his wife is begging the newspapers to leave her husband alone - because Hughes has such awesome control of the media.

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 927 posts Report

  • Hard News: Veitch,

    "It has now reached a level where it is intolerable and now I am begging that both the media and the public back off."

    - Zoe Veitch

    Cue the 'Sorcerors Apprentice' scene from Fantasia.

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 927 posts Report

  • Hard News: Veitch,

    What's more, his $300,000 seems to have been very well-spent, in terms of the outcome from his perspective.

    I'm still not convinced of that. Given that this was a first time offense, his character as presented to the court (testimonials, charity work etc) and his decision to plead guilty it seems that a $10,000 fine and 300 hours of community service is a pretty reasonable outcome - esp since the victim seems to have been opposed to a custodial sentence. I suspect that he would have gotten an identical outcome if he'd spent a tenth of what he paid on QC's, private detectives and media advisors.

    Indeed, the money paid to Glenda Hughes looks to have been a very bad investment, ensuring that the whole horrible saga had maximum media coverage has basically destroyed her clients career. My impression is that she's exploited Veitch's poor judgement and desire for revenge against his former partner to maximise her fees and help her friends in the industry sell newspapers.

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 927 posts Report

  • Hard News: Veitch,

    Is 300 hours of community service light for a first time offender making a plea bargain? I'm not playing devils advocate, just asking.

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 927 posts Report

  • Hard News: Veitch,

    For several weeks on end, all three Sunday newspapers ran stories that appeared to originate with Team Veitch

    I like the way the Sunday papers ran their front page leads as 'exclusives', even though their competitors were running the same story on the same day. There are lots of interesting aspects to the Veitch saga but one of them is the apparent ease at which PR companies are able to manipulate our Sunday newspapers into printing any nonsense their clients ask them to.

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 927 posts Report

  • Hard News: The Cullen investment,

    Isn't being an MP a disqualifier from holding such offices? If it's not, it really ought to be.

    I imagine he'll announce his resignation later today. He probably won't be an opposition MP when he takes up the new roles.

    Kiwiblog is going crazy!

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 927 posts Report

  • OnPoint: Being a dick about Earth Hour,

    Kieth, I thought this was a great rant, agreed with everything you said . . .

    BUT

    I do wonder if Labour considered how many votes, and seats in the house it was worth to ban incandescent light bulbs?

    Given that getting rid of the nanny state was the main thrust of National's campaign, and the CFL/cold showers debate was arguably the high/low point of that campaign I'd argue that the number of seats Labour lost purely on the light bulbs issue was a non-zero number. And given that the Nats repealed the ban almost as soon as they got into power it means that Labour threw away at least one seat in the house on a totally pointless, futile gesture.

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 927 posts Report

Last ←Newer Page 1 39 40 41 42 43 93 Older→ First