Seriously, what happened here?

By Ed's View | View Archive July 27th, 2009, 2:25 pm

It's been a couple of weeks between posts for me and I must admit I've been struggling for something to write about.

And as my mum always said "if you haven't got anything good to say don't say anything".

Some of you will no doubt hit back and ask why I have bothered to put finger to keyboard so many times already then.

I've had a bit of a hunt around for topics today to write about.

First I thought I'd be able to come up with something to say about the US asking for more Kiwi soldiers to go to the front lines in Afghanistan.

They've used a veiled threat of possibly not helping us out if we get into a pickle further down the track if we don't commit more troops to the battle.

I guess that's a fair call, harsh but still fair.

If the time ever came where we needed to call on "our friends" out in the world it'd be nice to be able to ask for a favour to be repaid rather than calling out for a helping hand.

Then again there's also a fair point to say that New Zealand has always been quick to join the fight when asked.

But I didn't think I'd really be able to get too many column inches out of that argument.

The topic I've come back to, time and time again today, is the story of former Immigration Service chief executive Mary Anne Thompson and the fact she believed "in her head" that she was a London university accredited PhD.

Thompson as you will no doubt know is standing trial on fraud and dishonesty charges.

The first thing that comes to my mind is – seriously, what?

Whether there is deception involved or not is something for the courts to establish and not something for me to really offer comment on here while the matter is before the court.

The court has been told that during a police interview in March 2008, Thompson said she believed "in her head" she had been awarded the degree.

She is said to have also acknowledged she had not been awarded either a Masters or a Doctorate degree.

There are no questions that Thompson had attended the university but according to the details of the case she had not met the requirements that would have earned her degree.

The court has been told that in 1989 her doctoral thesis was submitted three times but it appears nothing was ever signed off and Thompson never appeared before a panel of academics to discuss her work to complete the PhD.

Again whether there was any deception involved is not for me to say, it's a matter for the courts.

But seriously, what is happening here?

Was there no credential checks at all involved in her hiring?

And why are there so many cases of this kind emerging?

And without being extremely flippant should I accept those spam emails that are offering PhD's?

Comments

xtr545686 View Profile
Mary Anne Thomson has studied at the London University and is obviously an intelligent woman. How can such an intelligent person then be so mistaken as to believe that she was awarded a PhD? Did she attend a graduation ceremony? Does she have a certificate hanging on her wall? Or some sort of study record that says PhD achieved? No, no and no.
Jul 27 03:40 pm
diligenz View Profile
Oh, pretty simple really. All part of Helen Clark's "positive discrimination" campaign to load the Civil Service. I don't think they really wanted to check up, as they had got, to them, a good catch that fiitted the social engineering agenda.
Jul 27 04:33 pm
loudstix View Profile
As you practically admit, having nothing to say doesn't stop our all knowing media organisations from saying something anyway! Ever wonder why the newspaper is always the same number of pages, regardless of what happens?
Jul 27 07:13 pm
walterhome View Profile
if I remember correctly, the london uni dont know anything about her? then perhaps she might have gotten her PHD off those scam emails?
obviously it was the qualification or lack of the one who hired her in the state services for immigration that
has to be checked out..but looking at her and it was under the helm of labour, there smells some mates'
favour done for her by someone inside the govt !!
Jul 27 08:11 pm
inbound39 View Profile
What disturbs me about our court system is the cost time wise it takes to arrive at a no brainer decision. Mary Thompson clearly decieved the government in her job application which means she committed an act of fraud for pecuniary advantage. No degree means guilty as charged. Not difficult....not hard....yet how long has it taken our system to get to the obvious outcome? No wonder our Nation has so little money.
Jul 30 06:18 am