By Rob Hosking

You usually only see a media huddle this big during coalition talks ­ or when a government falls. As well as the usual press gallery suspects, both main TV channels flew in their 7pm "stars."

There was also a smattering of business lobbyists, and several of the more prominent bloggers ­ one or two present incognito. But instead of a government forming or falling, yesterday afternoon was about hearing the testimony of a nuggety businessman who had flown around the world to clear his name.

Some of the name-calling aimed in Owen Glenn's direction had been done quite recently, by some members of the privileges committee, and in a fairly sneaky way.

Less than an hour before the hearing began, National leader John Key was telling the House of senior ministers, including deputy prime minister Michael Cullen and Labour's minister for personal attacks Trevor Mallard had been spreading rumours Glenn is "non compos mentis" along with other aspersions.

Neither Cullen nor Mallard were on their feet to deny this. Cullen though was present as a committee member (which also sat oddly with Labour's claim in the House that National's committee members shouldn't be attending because they were biased).

The two sides on the committee had different goals and neither really achieved them. For the opposition, it is no longer about Winston Peters. Most of the minds that are going to be changed over Peters have already been changed.

He could be caught red-handed under the Beehive with gelignite in one hand and a set of detonators in the other and his remaining fan club would cling to the belier was all a media conspiracy. The goal of the opposition parties is to link the issue to Labour. Labour MPs on the committee, perhaps with this in mind, only put up a rather half-hearted cross-examination of Glenn.

Russell Fairbrother ­ in a previous incarnation a top criminal lawyer ­ led off by wondering whether Glenn had ever met Peters' brother who runs the Spencer Trust, Wayne Peters. Perhaps the phone call cited by Glenn was from Wayne Peters, rather than Winston. Glenn was emphatic it was Winston. National's Wayne Mapp inquired what Prime Minster Helen Clark had said when Glenn had told her of the donation to Peters.

"I don't think the prime minister has a wild reaction to anything," Glenn replied, before characterising the reaction as "moderate." The most spirited, if often incoherent, defence of Peters came from New Zealand First MP Dail Jones, who had to be reined in several times by committee chairman Simon Power.

Jones asked a series of increasingly choleric questions and for the first time Glenn got testy, reminding the committee he was there of his own volition and if the hearing wasn't going to be conducted in a fair way, "I'll leave."

Glenn also objected to a line of questioning from Cullen about how he could be sure a phone call soliciting donations was in fact from Winston Peters but on that occasion Power allowed the questioning. One comment from Glenn – that Winston Peters "has always been very skilled at soliciting donations" ­ was pretty damning, given that Peters has maintained he has nothing to do with fund raising.

Glenn had fairly detailed recollection of his discussion with Peters over the $100,000 donation ­ Peters had asked for $70,000 but in the course of conversation it emerged more would be needed "and I rounded it up."

Tying the issue to Labour is harder, although there is more evidence from Glenn that Labour was kept in the loop over donations throughout ­ something the party has denied. Glenn told the committee he had checked with Labour Party president Mike Williams before donating the money to Peters.

"I would not have proceeded if the response that I got from Mr Williams was such that a contribution would be unhelpful to Labour. The Labour Party was my primary interest. "I was told by Mr Williams that the Labour Party had no problem with my assisting Mr Peters.

I believed this occurred over brunch with Mr Williams on 14 December 2005." The question then remains how much Williams told his party leader. Williams has not, thus far, been asked to appear before the committee.