Linda Reynold’s mother testified that it was very hard for her daughter going from “being universally loved and respected to becoming a pariah.”
Undoubtedly it would be a very hard thing when this happens to a person. Although, in the interests of clarity, I must say that I’m having trouble remembering my respect and love for the woman. I guess that must just be one of those things that happen with age when you forget someone who meant so much to you and it’s very, very distressing for them… not so much for you, because you can’t remember them and you don’t understand why they’re having heart palpitations and all those people who still remember how much they love them are worried that they may not last the night… which would be terrible because they have a speech the next day!
Anyway, notwithstanding my inability to remember the Linda Reynolds that I loved universally, I must say that I’m a little confused by much of the testimony at the trial. Perhaps wiser legal heads than mine can explain why Senator Reynolds health is of so much importance in this trial…
I should add that I seem to remember when the beloved senator failed to make it to the scheduled Press Club appointment we were told that it had nothing to do with revelations on “The Project”, but was a result of previous health condition which had coincidentally flared at inconvenient time, preventing her from fronting up for questions. Of course, we have since discovered that this is incorrect and that it was the exact opposite. It was a direct result of the revelations on said program and it flared up at a very convenient time.
Whatever, it does strike me as strange that the effect on Linda Reynolds should take up so much of the trial because, well, surely the thing in a defamation trial is whether the person was defamed and whether there’s a truth defence.
If someone were to call me a fat, old man who has no business having an opinion on anything, it would certainly be hurtful… mainly because it’s true. It therefore doesn’t follow that I should spend my defamation trial suggesting that the comment raised my blood pressure to the point that the doctor told me that there was some chance that they might lose me so the best thing would be to send me home because he thought that was a good outcome all round…
This is, of course, nothing to do with the good senator, I make the point generally. If I am upset by an accusation then surely the issue is not the fact that I’m upset but whether there is a reasonable case to be made about the comment.
I always make it a point never to comment on the likely outcome of a trial because I’m not in the courtroom so I’m only getting a filtered view and, even if I was, I don’t have the sort of qualifications that would enable me to make an informed comment. In other words, I don’t have a column in “The Australian”.
In spite of this, I must say that I found Scott Morrison’s testimony rather strange. He told us that there was no cover-up while asserting that he knew nothing about what allegedly happened. But then the whole thing was about bringing down his government because an ex-staffer, who was supported, decided that she and her boyfriend wanted to help the Labor Party to bring down his government even though he knew nothing about anything and that wasn’t because of a cover-up, it was just because people either didn’t know anything and/or thought it wasn’t worth mentioning to the PM because if they reported everything everybody did or said and every security breach then there’d be nobody left in Parliament…
I’m only repeating Morrison’s testimony from memory and – like the ex-PM – my memory can be a bit faulty on some things but crystal clear on the things that I wish to deny emphatically. For example, I don’t remember my universal love and respect for Senator Reynolds but I remember that some of the things she said contradict other things that she said but who can remember everything they’ve said under oath?
Whatever, I think we can safely say that like so many recent defamation trials, the person taking the action has failed to regain the universal love they had prior to the trial…
[textblock style=”7″]
Like what we do at The AIMN?
You’ll like it even more knowing that your donation will help us to keep up the good fight.
Chuck in a few bucks and see just how far it goes!
Your contribution to help with the running costs of this site will be gratefully accepted.
You can donate through PayPal or credit card via the button below, or donate via bank transfer: BSB: 062500; A/c no: 10495969
[/textblock]
