Fran O’Sullivan’s extraordinary column

3
48

010914DIRTYCHART

Note how the carefully constructed flow chart above ignores the mainstream media’s complicity with Slater and Dirty Politics 

 

I am no fan of Fran O’Sullivan’s politics and would argue long into the day against her on many of the free market beliefs she holds dear, but you can not not deny that she is one of the most credible and intelligent voices on the right.

Her most recent column in the Herald is extraordinary.

While the mainstream media are whipped into believing that the public are over Dirty Politics and no longer want to hear anything about mass surveillance in the wake of the shocking win NZers handed to John Key, Fran refuses to let go of many of the issues that were revealed…

Why have police targeted Hager but not followed up complaints based on allegations made in his book?

When John Key dumped Judith Collins at the height of the Dirty Politics affair, he refused to disclose who gave him a copy of the email that prompted him to dump her from the Cabinet.

That email headlined “Update on SFO/Feeley Sting” is reliably understood to have been copied to Hong Kong-based international tax lawyer and blogger Cathy Odgers, who was a key participant in an apparent conspiracy to undermine then Serious Fraud Office boss Adam Feeley’s investigation into the Hanover Finance collapse.

I can now say with reasonable authority that it was Odgers herself who coughed up the email after she was cajoled to do so by well-connected players including National Party insider Tina Symmans.

Symmans knows Odgers well (they share a close friendship with one of Wellington’s more interesting legal players) and is well known for her persuasive abilities in the PR space. She is also known for her political nous and would have realised the political implications of that particular email relating to the alleged SFO sting.

What the email did, of course, was to hand Key a reason to not just axe Collins, who had been a thorn in his Government’s side for months (the email purports to show Collins in cahoots with blogger Cameron Slater in trying to undermine Feeley), but also to take the edge off the Dirty Politics frenzy during the initial weeks of the election campaign.

…now cynics would say that the only reason Fran is being so open is because she is trying to clear her own name. While I certainly believe that there are many in the mainstream media who are complicit with Slater in progressing the Dirty Politics agenda of demonising anyone they see as a threat, I don’t believe Fran is one of them…

The Slater email had implications for news media. This included myself, as the Whale Oil blogger said in that particular email to Hanover Finance’s Mark Hotchin and his PR adviser, Carrick Graham (Odgers’ name was redacted), that “Cathy can outline her contact with Fran O’Sullivan separately”.

The email was a huge shock to me.

So, when the resignation story broke on Saturday, August 30, I Facebook-messaged Odgers asking her to supply me any emails to Slater and “Carsick” (Carrick) Graham that mentioned me in relation to this issue.

Odgers responded: “Nippert (Matt) writing it up for tomorrow but he is mentioned as giving us information and asking for stuff as well. Ditto Jared Savage who actually leaked us stuff on Adam Feeley from what Heraldcouldn’t use.

“Of course I will do a word search now but there won’t be any suggesting u actually did anything because u didn’t.”

I later responded to a request from Herald editor-in-chief Tim Murphy for comment on the issue, saying it was risible to suggest Odgers had any influence over my writing.

After my words went up on the Herald website, Odgers messaged again saying, “Risible is a good word. Worse for me coming tomorrow but that should clear anything with yourself based on my emails and recollection at the time.

“Risible to think anything blogger did actually influenced the SFO or FMA but I know how story will come out,” she wrote.

I let Odgers know how angry I was. She replied: “Fair enough. I would be too. As I am with all manner of other things ATM. Just trying to be truthful in clearing the messy situation that presents. Cameron needs to … actually deal with such matters.”

Me: OK – but I am damn angry about being drawn into a MH [Mark Hotchin] sting.

Odgers: Yes and of course for what it’s worth now I apologise for my part in it to you but there was nothing ever passed from you to any of us and neither in return.

Me: My name is in the emails however.

Odgers: Stolen emails that the papers are publishing. We did get information from other journos and likewise they requested Cam to actually speak to Judith and get info back on the Hotchin topic.”

Odgers is smart enough to never come back to NZ because she knows she might get arrested for her role in the SFO hit. Carrick apparently is too dumb to understand the magnitude of trouble he is in and Slater can’t flee the country with his family, unless he wants to permanently relocate to Israel.  Attempting to undermine the SFO is a Police prosecution that is just waiting to happen, hence the timid and subdued tones we now hear coming from Whaleoil.

TDB Recommends NewzEngine.com

Fran on the other hand has every reason to be furious with her little chums and the attempt by them to rope her into the SFO hit, but beyond her own anger, she is genuinely demanding answers to who was behind all of this at a time when the mainstream media are taking their cues from National’s stonking win as a signal the public will let Key get away with daylight robbery.

 

3 COMMENTS

  1. I have wondered for a while how long it would be before the pre-election “dirty politics” depth-charge bubbled to the surface. There will be much more blood-letting to come, I think.

  2. I later responded to a request from Herald editor-in-chief Tim Murphy for comment on the issue, saying it was risible to suggest Odgers had any influence over my writing.

    The Herald’s editor may be connected with how the Herald published certain anti-Labour stories.

    Odgers responded: “Nippert (Matt) writing it up for tomorrow but he is mentioned as giving us information and asking for stuff as well. Ditto Jared Savage who actually leaked us stuff on Adam Feeley from what Herald couldn’t use.

    Jared Savage’s name come up again, after the story on the Donghua Liu Affair which implicated Savage in questionable dealings with the Minister of Immigration; Cameron Slater; David Farrar; and others.

    More here: https://thedailyblog.co.nz/2014/09/19/the-donghua-liu-affair-the-players-revealed/

    It is my my belief that the Herald’s management and political reporters have some questions to answer.

    Resignations may be in order.

  3. Soooooooo……here we have all manner of illegalities in the warrant , surveillance and finally arrest of Mr Kim Dotcom….in the effort to extradite/entrap him….with the FBI acting on behalf of the Hollywood movie industry…his assets frozen…

    Quite ok for all that isnt it Mr Key?…. as well as the FBI knowing it is a CIVIL case not a CRIMINAL case…so thusly….they tack on a RACKETEERING charge – a charge used originally to charge and convict Mafia bosses..knowing that because its a civil case…they cannot extradite him….

    Yet !…here we have Odgers…..that is potentially a Police prosecution….and we find it soooooooooo hard to get her extradited……………

    Hmmmmmmm………………….and more Hmmmmmmmm.

Comments are closed.