Conversations with a cab driver

The woes of being the attorney general of NSW … You almost feel sorry for Greg Smith having to endure Ray Hadley's frothing attacks ... Bruiser from 2GB's bully pulpit ... Laura Norda 

Hadley: bombastWhy does NSW attorney general Greg Smith subject himself to torment from commercial radio talkback brawler Ray Hadley? 

We've got three audio tracks here from last year, broadcast between six to eight months after the Coalition was elected to government. 

Poor Smith. The king of the morning show entertainers wants him to run and be responsible for every criminal trial in the state. 

The AG is seeking ways to introduce more flexibility into sentencing and bail laws with the aim of keeping young, first offenders out of prison.

This is regarded by Hadley, a former taxi driver, football caller and self-appointed spokesman of the western suburbs, as a free ticket for crims to plunder and pillage. 

Here's a slice of audio where Hadley gets stuck into Smith for failing to turn-up on demand on his program for cross-examination. 

As the "top lawmaker" in the state, Smith is expected to remedy all the issues that offend Hadley.

The issue here is a judge's acquittal of someone accused of shooting at a "decent copper". Listen up ...  

Smith: cream on the faceBy October last year it was all sweetness and light between Ray and Greg. They were licking cream off each other's face. 

Ray had become surprisingly calm and steady, even though he was relying for his information on The Daily Telegraph. 

There was a big squelshy on-air kiss for Smith's PR man, Michael Pelly, who had been helpful feeding stuff to the Hadley show. 

Smith agreed, saying Pelly was "worth his weight in platinum" ... 

By November the relationship had turned to custard, again. 

Woodham: on Smith's hit list?Hadley had picked-up word that the attorney general at a Liberal Party function had referred to listeners of his program as "rednecks" and readers of the Tele as "bigoted fools". 

Worse still, Smith was trying to get rid of Hadley's mate, NSW prison's boss (Rotton) Ron Woodham. 

Smith denied it all. He wouldn't dream of referring to listeners as "rednecks" or the readers of the Tele as "bigoted fools", nor was he trying to get rid of Rotton Ron. 

Hadley said he was "putting Smith on notice … and my support for you will drop". 

It doesn't get more excruciating than this ...