Public interest in a political topic is not sufficient to found an occasion of common law qualified privilege; reciprocity of duty and interest remains essential. There is no independent third category of qualified privilege for political comment outside the 'election cases' that dispenses with the requirement of reasonableness. Anonymous publication under the auspices of a non-existent organisation, combined with a sustained campaign of denigration, is strong evidence of malice defeating qualified privilege. Distribution and publication of defamatory material are not contemporaneous; publication occurs only when the matter is read and comprehended.
The full text is available to signed-in members, including the 25 later cases that cite this judgment.
2 of the 25 citing cases carry a classified treatment. How each court treated it is available to signed-in members.