Hard Landing

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

  Trewaley spent the rest of the election campaign claiming that the "Guy Fawkes allegations" and supporting documents were false. However, when politicians vehemently deny something, most voters take it as the gospel truth. Trewaley certainly encouraged scepticism by refusing to release his genuine tax returns or any other financial records.

  His association with Robert Merton, who died in violent circumstances, also caused him immense grief. He tried to deny any link. However, photographs of them standing together at several social functions popped up all over the internet. It also became clear that Merton did accountancy work for Trewaley. Voters were entitled to ask - and did ask - if the Opposition Leader had some involvement in Merton's death. Conspiracy theorists had a riotous time. They posted scenarios on the internet that could have been ripped from a Ludlam novel.

  The Taxation Office refused to say whether it was investigating Trewaley for tax fraud. However, a week before election day, it raided the premises of Merton & Co and seized all of its documents. That cast a further dark cloud over Trewaley.

  The scandal that beset Trewaley propelled his party from a commanding lead over the Government in the opinion polls to trailing badly. On election day, the Government was returned to office with a decisive majority.

  Trewaley barely won his seat and was soon dumped as leader of his party. Indeed, many of his colleagues called upon him to resign from parliament. Instead, he hung around for a year, until he was finally charged with massive tax fraud and forced to resign. Terry Burke joined the cavalcade of political wannabes who tried to win party pre-selection for the seat and narrowly lost to a prominent barrister. Afterwards, he told Gary he was a little relieved to lose, because he couldn't have survived on the salary of an Opposition backbencher. But he was obviously disappointed.