I DO REMEMBER

your letter, Martin, and I remember it was published. The point I was making was that Greg Hodgins’ (it’s Hodgins, by the way) letter was the only one to turn the argument into such a personal attack on me and those who’ve told me they’ve seen a factory red-motored EJ. Don’t get me wrong; I have a hide like an icebreaker ship, so it doesn’t keep me awake at night, but it disappoints me for a few reasons. None of those reasons has anything to do with the fact that people want to disagree with me. That makes for healthy debate.

But I am disappointed that someone would reduce it to a personal attack. I’m disappointed that anybody can conclude that a lack of proof that something did occur, suddenly equals proof that it didn’t occur (ask a Crown Prosecutor about that concept). I’m disappointed the messenger continues to be shot. I’m disappointed that people like you and Mr Hodgins are happy to call others liars. And I’m mostly disappointed to think that, had this discussion taken place in a pub, over a beer or two, I’m willing to bet your mate Hodgins wouldn’t have tried to belittle me by using language such as: “You made the stupid assumption and now you are grabbing at straws to save embarrassment and ridicule. Also, stop using your position to only try to justify your silly comment…”

Now, stupid and desperate I can deal with, but abusing my position? As a freelance journo, the only thing I really have to trade on is my integrity, so accusing me of abusing my position is fighting words. And, like I said, if it had happened face to face, would he have put it in quite those terms?

You might have been around old Holdens for a while, Martin, but I’ve been hanging around the publishing industry a fair while too, and we have a code of conduct aimed at making sure this sort of bullying doesn’t get air-time. In this case, of course, it was aimed at me, and I’m about as PC as a whoopee cushion as well as having that rhino’s hide, so I don’t give two balls of goat-shit. But we all need to have a think about having a bit of respect for other people. And realise that being brave from behind a keyboard isn’t actually being a big, tough guy at all.

As my dear mother often says: If you can’t say something nice …wind yer ugly neck in.