More important events have obviously delayed the screening of my recent interview with John Campbell, but at the risk of being accused of self-promotion I have tracked down a transcript of it for you.
Campbell: Elspeth McLean is a Dunedin columnist accused of being alarmist over her predictions about unprovoked violence in the city where she lives.
She has started a campaign called Please, Pull those Punches or PPP following the failure of her earlier Mothers Against Violent Idiots (Mavi) group.
She joins us from our Dunedin studio. Good evening Elspeth.
McLean: Good evening John. It's good to be here. Can I just say ...
Campbell: Let's just look at your predictions, shall we? Isn't it true you have predicted there will be unprovoked assaults in Dunedin throughout the year, with most likely to take place on Friday and Saturday nights?
McLean: Well yes, but you need to know ...
Campbell: And further, you say that many, but not all, of the people likely to be injured in these assaults will be men. And you even go a step further than that, claiming that a very large proportion of these will be young men in their late teens, early 20s.
You say if similar numbers of women were being hurt people would be outraged. You also allege that alcohol will be involved in most, if not all, of these events.
What possible basis could you have for making such outrageous claims?
McLean: Well, I need to make itclear ...
Campbell: Isn't it true that there is no scientific basis for anything you have been saying and that your wild theorising is based solely on what may or may not have happened to three of your four sons in recent years?
McLean: There may be some truth ...
Campbell: Let me just tell viewers what those experiences were.
As I understand it , the first of what you are describing as unprovoked assaults occurred at a nightspot in Dunedin about 2am a few years back.
Your son, whose dancing ability by his own admission is not great, was knocked to the ground by an unseen assailant and then kicked repeatedly. His nose was broken.
Is it true you believe he was spared more serious injury because he managed to roll away from the kickers and he may have had some protection from a mate who came to his aid and was also punched?
McLean: Yes. While this was reported to the police, they said they could not act because neither of those assaulted could identify those responsible.
I also spoke to the manager at the place concerned, but my feeling was ...
Campbell: Let's move on.
The second situation occurred in the early hours on a suburban street when another son was walking home to a mate's place following a year 13 school leaving party. Those in the group he was with were in some sort of fancy dress, right?
McLean: Yes, but I am not sure that the way people are dressed is any ...
Campbell: A group of youths pulled up in a car. They got out, started talking. One of them may have known one of your son's group.
McLean: Yes. My son didn't know any of them. He got two black eyes after asking an innocuous question ...
Campbell: He didn't go to the police, did he?
McLean: No, I tried to persuade him to but he feared repercussions from the attackers' group ...
Campbell: In the case of the third situation, the police were involved?
McLean: Yes. This happened outside a pub. This son was hit by an unknown drunken person - not an adult. The fury of the assault was such he considered if he had fallen he would have been killed. Fortunately, he managed to stay upright and run away. His nose was broken.
Campbell: And that assailant was found?
McLean: Yes. My son, supported by one of his brothers, participated in a family group conference - something which I think was actually quite difficult for him. We all hope that the incident has been a wake-up call for the youth concerned, but who knows?
Campbell: Where's the science in all this? Aren't you just an over-protective mother who believes her kids can do no wrong? Perhaps in each instance they did something to wind up their attackers.
McLean: No. John, you are clearly not au fait with my mother-son interviewing technique. Anyone subjected to it would find being toasted to a crisp in a George Foreman grill more comfortable.
Or put another way, Ken Ring is probably counting his lucky stars or tides right now that he is not one of my kids ... I thought I was appearing on this programme to tell ...
(Interview curtailed).
• Elspeth McLean is a Dunedin writer.
