Bureaucrats bollocked

Former Queensland Emergency Services Minister Pat Purcell has been in a bit of hot water lately, and quite rightly so. In July 2007, he was accused of striking two top bureaucrats in the Queensland Department of Emergency Services after some kind of dispute.

He released a statement yesterday, emphasis mine:

On the 2nd of July 2007, during a post-cabinet meeting with two officers from the Dept of Emergency Services, I struck both men in a manner which was unprovoked and inappropriate. Comments made by me in the media shortly after the incident, if construed as a suggestion that I did not strike the men were incorrect. In no way did I ever intend to infer anything other than that both officers had always acted appropriately in discharge of their public duties.

Helpfully, the Courier-Mail has this morning re-published his comments from soon after the incident:

July 6, 2007:
‘I gave them a verbal bollocking but that’s it . . . I don’t bloody go around belting people. I would be more inclined to give someone a hug than anything else’

Yep. If taken at face value, one would have a difficult time construing that Purcell did not strike these bureaucrats. At least he’s set the record straight now. Over 6 months later. Under the cloud of legal action if he didn’t come out with the truth.

For some reason, if you’re in public life and you do something unforgivably stupid — like get busted with drugs or slap a few bureaucrats around — you can just say sorry and get off the hook. Playing the Beattie Defence, if you will. Too bad it doesn’t work for punters like you and me.

One final thing to bear in mind is something that Anna Bligh said recently when she fronted the Crime and Misconduct Commission inquiry into the Gordon Nuttall corruption affair:

“These days … Queenslanders can be very proud that they’ve got a system that operates without fear or favour where it doesn’t matter who you are, you are not above the law.”

Seems that way if you’re a Labor MP in the Queensland Government. Purcell must be sacked.

UPDATE: Purcell will not contest his seat of Bulimba at the next election. He’s a lucky boy — after he slapped the two guys, he continued to deny he did it, even pleading not guilty in court. He continued to deny he hit anybody, until after some out of court mediation he made a public admission and apology that he did in fact hit them. But now he denies he has lied about the situation.

Just as well he’s leaving politics; Purcell is a disgrace and an insult to his constituents.