Mike's Minute: Are incidents more serious if you're high profile?

On a day of a resignation at a fairly high level, we also have a confession in court from another high profile operator. 

The problem with "high profile" is it tends to be high-wire. 

More is expected of you because of your role. Or is it? 

From the details available, which aren't many, Andrew Bayly didn’t commit a sackable offence as far as I can work out. 

Putting your hand on the arm of a person you are having a “lively” discussion with isn't very cool, or acceptable, but in and of itself it's not the end of a career. 

But the trouble with Bayly is the "loser" thing in some way, shape or form was going to haunt him. So a small infringement, by way of a follow up misdemeanor, was always going to be larger than it would have been with a clean sheet. 

Also, Luxon has set the behaviour bar high. The precedent is there, so any trouble and you're out. 

Contrast that to Caleb Clark, who has pled guilty to dangerous driving and failing to stop for police. 

The max sentence, with sentencing happening in June, is many thousands of dollars, or months in prison. 

His lawyer wants him discharged without conviction. 

Unlike Bayly he hasn’t offered to quit, so the question becomes: is it a sackable offence? 

Drink driving has been established with a number of incidents over the years with high profile convictions as not being sackable, so the precedent is set there. 

But what about dangerous driving, and more worryingly, with the message it sends of failing to stop for the police? 

Failing to stop with a view to what? Scarper? Not get caught? Evade the law? Get away with it? 

Law and order has been a major election issue and the polices rolling in to get on top of law breaking has been a major focus for most of us of late. 

If I, as a high profile operator, was up on charges of failing to stop or dangerous driving, would you expect me to be sacked? Would this workplace, beyond whatever happens in court, expect to see some sort of resignation? 

Or does profile only count in politics, where no law was broken but emotions get you sacked? 

What does an All Black have to do, illegally, to be sacked as an All Black? 

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