smith was forced to resign her office on june 6, 1989. she had received a telephone call in the middle of the night from a constituent worried about the safety of a missing brother, and telephoned the police to express her concern. the opposition argued that this was an improper act, in that smith's position as solicitor-general could result in the case receiving preferential treatment. thomas walkom wrote a newspaper column about this matter, entitled "even decent politicians may need to resign".