In news just to hand, Crikey’s own Matthew Knott may actually be Pauline Hanson’s electoral roll mole. Or not. We don’t know any more, we’re very confused.

This court case, which looks increasingly like it’s entirely based on some kind of elaborate practical joke, is very, very, very entertaining. It has made mugs of quite a few people, and will most likely leave Hanson with a massive legal bill. And if that isn’t AEC karma coming back to bite her, we don’t know what is.

But it’s not all guffaws. A few people’s reputations have been trashed over this, not least the AEC officials who’ve been credited with writing the leaked emails. Hanson’s legal challenge rests on alleged email exchanges between the NSW Electoral Commission’s chief information officer Ian Brightwell and chief communications officer Richard Carroll suggesting counting by “dodgy staff” may have cost her up to 1200 votes.

Brightwell and Carroll have signed affadavits contesting that they did not send the emails in question.

But most media outlets have failed to highlight this crucial factoid with every new report on the case. Then there’s the huge expense of dragging Greens MP Jeremy Buckingham, the NSW Electoral Commission and Nationals MLC Sarah Johnson to court.

All based on evidence supplied by a disembodied voice on the phone, and a barely there Facebook account. Pauline’s prankster’s not the only one who’s been taking the piss. The case should never have got this far.

CRIKEY: Given we are dutiful monarchists deeply committed to observing the Queen’s Birthday holiday, Crikey won’t be publishing Monday. See you in your inboxes Tuesday.