JUDITH COLLINS NAIVETY

The recent fracas at Auckland’s Northern Club, involving Judge Emma Aitken, her medical specialist partner, and in a separate incident, barrister Michael Reed K.C, brought much delight to the media, so much so, Wellington’s Post for example, joyously front-paged it word for word, two days in a row.

That said, I was astonished by Attorney General Judith Collins reaction, specifically, this “very serious” matter, was “not what I expect from members of the judiciary”.

Anyone who’s been round the block re barristers and judges, could tell Judith outrageous behaviour by the legal profession is common-place, while Michael Reed’s affected pomposity has been a life-long short-coming, which is the key reason he’s held in disdain by his legal colleagues. Before shifting to Auckland from Wellington some years ago, Michael acted for me in many cases, so I know what I’m talking about.

Judith should ask her lawyer husband who will confirm what I’ve written below re the legal profession’s ribaldry. Alternatively, she could start reading newspapers as virtually every day there’s a story about a lawyer going off the rails in one way or another. The most common is having unauthorised dips into clients money held on trust, which is why I’ve argued for decades for law degrees to include units in prison library management, given so many end up there.

But the law practitioners are mere pikers compared to the medical profession, whose specialist forte is murdering their patients.

That’s a recurring practise down through the ages, recounted in numerous books.

The latest one has just been revealed in Germany and the investigators are suggesting the death toll may be as high as 40.

But in fairness, who can blame them? The problem for doctors is they make their career decision, of necessity when mere youths and only wake up to their appalling choice when it’s too late to do anything about it, thus murdering their patients is an understandable, indeed logical reaction.

Currently 60% of British GPs want out but are financially hamstrung. I don’t doubt that’s the situation everywhere else.

Lawyers and doctors going off the rails in one way or another, is so common-place I’m surprised the media bother reporting it.

What would be newsworthy is say an accountant running amok but alas, they lack the necessary verve and initiative.

Of all the professions the most immoral and dishonest by a country mile is journalism, furthermore as surveys constantly show, the public intuitively sense that.

I have some sympathy as the nature of their activity is essentially that of a spectator on life, thus the inevitable frustration of this bystander role leads to temptation into creativity and making it all up.

All of that said, anyone who’s lived long enough and dealt across the board activity-wise, would unhesitantly opt for the company of lawyers and journoes over all the other professions, unless they have a freakishly high boredom threshold.