Dear Editor, a former member of Parliament Norman George, featured big in Saturday’s front page story and photo (‘Vote with your brains’), makes the most extraordinary statements, including that politicians feed and forget with the result being excess weight. Has Norman been eating his own promises?

And then Norman tells us that defeated politicians are “traumatised”. This from the lawyer who is criticised over and over again when defending male attackers and abusers of women for suggesting to a judge and/or jury that the traumatised female victim is somehow to blame.

We see Vaine Wichman in that picture, and this writer cannot imagine that a woman of her calibre and education might be in need of counselling from the trauma of losing or that Vaine expects to be addressed as “honourable” for the rest of her life for having held that title for a few years.

As to honour, lest we forget, the Chief Justice of the Cook Islands banned Norman for life from appearing in the Land Division of the Court and warned Norman that the ban might be extended to the other two divisions.

Honour is earned Norman.

(Name and address supplied)

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Reply from Norman George – Normally I do not reply to cowardly nameless letter writers, but we have to live with foul skunk flushes, so here is my fire engine water cannon.

First, I need to give this ghost a name, we shall call it Mr. or Ms. Micky Mouse.   Everything in the letter is wrong, twisted and false, in total this person is unable to deliver a basic understanding of our message. The message about candidates giving food by frequent barbecues during election campaigns to win support is a warning to voters not to judge candidates by the food they give, but the quality of the person. Nothing is gained by simply relying on food because the candidate will stop feeding the electors after the election. Think with your brains and not stomach!

No defeated candidate celebrates when they are unsuccessful, they feel traumatised which is normal. Micky Mouse generalises my court defences, alleging they attack women and blames them … tut tut! Some women tell lies in Court, I defend my clients from going to prison based on lies!

The term Honourable I alluded to relates to our private meetings, to use the term only at private discussions, not in public. Former ministers like me can use the term Honourable with the approval of the Executive Council for life, but I have not bothered to apply.

Micky you are lying about me being banned for life from the Land Court, there is no such thing as a life ban from law practice, I could have gone back the year after I withdrew, then confirmed by the Chief Justice.  I can apply to be readmitted next week but only if I want to.  I am much too busy with my current criminal and civil bar work.  Only about three months ago, a Court of Appeal Judge referred to me in the presence of other senior lawyers in the High Court as “an illustrious and experienced Defence Counsel”. I have to agree, after defending thousands of Cook Islands defendants in the High Court for the last 30 years, I have had far more acquittals than convictions, ssshhh I don’t talk about this kind of thing. Micky Mouse, see what you did, you made me push my credentials in your face! So Micky Mouse, get back in your rat hole this instant!

Yours Sincerely,

Norman George, Esquire