Agree with the GD post. Bad answer to a QoN, silly, arrogant, dismissive and probably dangerous. The Senators know the whole thing stinks to high heaven. Pel-Air is not the only ‘suspicious number’ in wee Wodger’s repertoire of artful, high handed embuggerance; nor is the only one where executive level decisions have been manipulated or even circumvented. It is also not the only time a pre CASA employment act of bastardry has been empowered by team Wabbit; almost as an initiation, a right of passage. There are at least two other tame black hats who have some serious questions to answer. I had hoped Skidmore had the brains and integrity to at least investigate and seek some answers for himself, before the lobotomy.
But, the response posted above to the Whickham question exposes what IMO are the actions of an apologist puppet making the right noises to ‘pacify’ industry pundits and seduce the industry press (such as it is), into regurgitating the propaganda, while business as usual is quietly continued. This, to gain the time needed to assist in getting everyone chanting the ‘calm down, forgive and forget’ litany. So that small, inconvenient items like the Rev. Forsyth’s report and recommendations, Senate censure and peer review condemnation all drift away on a happy, clappy cloud of exemption powered horse pooh.
In Baseball, three strikes is OUT; the arrogant defence of Campbell must count as one: the mindless provision of top cover and hiding behind the McConvict response on the Whickham question must make two; I wonder, is Wodger going to be strike three?
What the dark side seem to be forgetting is that in days of yore, most Senators did not have the right answers, before framing a question. If they did, then lack of ‘technical’ understanding and support information only allowed them to penetrate the veil so far; then no further. Driven back by the ‘mystique’, afraid of smoke, scared by mirrors and an abject terror of the scary, whispered – ‘well the blood will be on hands’ mantra.
Not any longer; if Skidmore believes or has allowed himself to be persuaded that Xenophon raised the Whickham issue a second time, just for a bit of slap and tickle, to fill in the estimates time, he has just made a fateful error of judgement. Questions to which the answers are known, as any decent counsel will tell you, may be turned into lethal weapon in the right hands.
You are not obliged to say or do anything unless you wish to do so, but whatever you say or do may be used in evidence. Do you understand?
