Cactus Kate analyses the whisperings of the FMA head, Sean Hughes, into the flapping ears of Fran O’Sullivan:
The FMA has fed this information to the media on purpose in a far more blatant manner than their usual under-handed fashion of a “leak” (wink wink).
It all leads to the conclusion that the FMA are after a settlement with Hanover before this even makes a court room much to the teary eyes over at NBR in Jock Anderson who wants to sex this baby up.
Such a tactic in law is not one of a confident party with a bullet proof case. The FMA need Hotchin’s scalp and those involved in Hanover in a far uglier fashion than a cash settlement. The FMA have sunk to such depths that they are willing to use the media to put information into the public about more than just the bare bones of progress of an investigation while it is still occurring.
That the FMA has now dragged all the other directors and even possibly those down to Richard Long into the debacle, tells me that the emphasis is not so much on Hotchin anymore but the entire outfit including auditors because they cannot nail Hotchin’s backside hard enough to any wall.
The FMA and Sean Hughes in particular are acting like the playground tough guy who is more than a little afraid to actually have a dust up. They are strutting around and trash-talking and hoping that their victim quivers into submission. I saw this plenty growing up and attending an all boys secondary school.
What usually happens is one of the victims steps up and smashes the trash-talker in the gob and then much blubbing ensues.
Let’s look at the facts from a play-ground point of view.
- The bully has been trash-talking for more than a year. Still no charges have been laid, none even specified. The victim of their attacks is none the wiser as to what they have actually done wrong, yet the bully is trash-talking it all out in the media.
- So far all they have done is talk, no punches have been thrown, none even feinted. If they could have laid criminal charges they would have by now. They certainly wouldn’t be talking about a far lower lower threshold of civil charges
- After talking big a week ago about maybe, possibly laying civil charges, they are now whispering that perhaps a settlement might be a good idea.
- Not only that they are now talking about going after a few more people as well. Trash talking on more victims.
These are not the actions of a regulatory body that is sure of its case. They are the actions of a big talking bully that talked big but the facts don’t fit the talk.
In the play-ground there are two types of bullies. Those that give you the bash, and those that talk about giving you the bash. The ones that actually give you the bash never talk about what they are going to do, they just do it and everyone knows what the outcome is going to be. The ones that talk about it can usually bluster and threaten for a short period of time and then someone usually calls them out and sorts them. The second types disappear from the playground and order is restored.
The FMA has talked big in the press, they have talked big in the court, but the time for talking is over and it looks like, increasingly, someone is going to call them out. I wonder if that might start with Winkelmann J?
