Helen Clark: "A very heroic drive"

More embarassing evidence for Helen Clark was heard today in the court trying the five police drivers and one other for dangerous driving. Clint Vallender, during a taped interview, had declared:

He relayed flight options from Christchurch to Wellington to another officer, who informed the Prime Minister and her press secretary David Lewis.

When he came back he said they wanted the 16.50 flight, and they wanted a police car in front as an escort.

TVNZ reports in a report not yet up on their site that at the conclusion of the drive, Helen turned to the drivers and described it as "very heroic". When discussing the matter before, I pointed out that Helen's defence is that a) she was engrossed with her paperwork and b) even if she wasn't, she wouldn't have seen anything unusual as Jim Sutton had testified. a) has been contradicted by the videoed statements of Constable Vincent played in court last week while her reported recognition of the drive as "very heroic" contradicts b). If true, I think it high time that Helen show a fraction of the heroism that she praised in her drivers and take full responsibility for the drive.