Beware of backing our own Trump loyalist

Obscenity upon obscenity (“President makes himself centre of birthday spectacle”, June 16). It is at once so fitting and so disturbing that Donald Trump should loudly announce a peace deal with Iran (ending an unnecessary war which he started), celebrate his own birthday (and that of the USA) with the one gala event. What better way to mark the occasion than with a spectacular show of UFC violence on the lawns of the White House? I suppose that if our own preferred PM polls keep trending the way they are, we can look forward to a burnout comp at the steps of Parliament House. Bob Edgar, Moss Vale

Geoffrey Robertson gives a very comprehensive account of the “rule of Trump” (“Happy Birthday, Mr President. You’ve had a long, low life”, June 16). Seeing all Trump’s misdemeanours listed this way, it will obviously take a very long time, once he has gone, to right all the wrongs. Before then, many more people will lose everything or even die because of this man. Opinion polls are reporting a surge in popularity for Pauline Hanson, who openly supports Trump. This appears to reflect dissatisfaction with the current two-party political system. But it would be tragic to see Australia follow the same path as the US. Be careful of who and what you vote for. One Nation is not the answer. Judith Rostron, Killarney Heights

Ten years ago, voters in the USA were readying for the presidential election in November. Hillary Clinton lost, and so did logic as we had known it. Before the Trump era, arguments were generally resolved on the basis of facts. But by blurring the lines between real and fake news, the election winner created a world in which it is never clear whether something is a fact, making it possible to gain acceptance for claims which are nonsensical. This week we have a prime example. The USA has agreed to end its war on Iran in return for the opening of the Strait of Hormuz. That strait had become closed because the USA began the war. As Americans say, go figure. Don Firth, Wooli

A brilliant description of the trail of misery and destruction left by Donald Trump. Why he has not been impeached for his crimes let alone anything else, is beyond me. Susan Goodison, Rivett (ACT)

Were Pauline Hanson to read Geoffrey Robertson’s column, she might not admire Trump as much as she does. Wishful thinking, no doubt. Ray Morgan, Maroubra

Thanks, Geoffrey Robertson, you eloquently summarise why Trump is not the GOAT (greatest of all time) as he predictably declared recently, but instead the PIG (pretentious, ignorant and grotesque). Anne Matheson, Gordon

Still deluded

Peter Hartcher has surely identified Israeli political needs as the key stumbling block for a successful peace involving Iran and the US (“Trumped-up peace deal’s all at sea”, June 16). The costs of this pointless war on Iran have been felt around the world, not least of course by those on whom the bombs and missiles have fallen. The question is, does the US continue the costly delusion that peace with Iran is possible without peace in the Middle East? Colin Hesse, Nowra

Correspondent Peter Cooper-Southam, when referring to the Iran war, asks what is the “point of the whole exercise?” (Letters, June 16). The answer is simple: to bolster Israel’s expansionism and divert everyone’s attention from the Epstein files, Trump’s boorish incompetence and appalling moral turpitude. Adrian Connelly, Springwood

Shameful adoption

Everything old is new again (“Boost for Taylor on immigration and welfare”, June 16). So these are the policies of the leader of the Liberal Party – bash the migrants and kick unworthy people off welfare. This is the gospel according to St Angus. The populist, racist themes at the centre of the rise of the One Nation movement have found a home. As Graeme Samuel says at the end of James Massola’s article: “Vested interests have very big megaphones.” Chris Moe, Bensville

Angus Taylor’s policy towards people who are not yet citizens is discriminatory and disappointing. At present, there are 425,000 people seeking permanent residence in Australia. Without welfare payments, how does he expect families to survive if they are not permitted to work for a period of time, or if they have to give up employment to care for an elderly family member or a child who needs constant care? The proposed policy is shameful. Alan Morris, Eastlakes

Democracy safe

There is no need to fear Pauline Hanson’s sudden rise in popularity (“Voters prefer Hanson as PM. Are they prepared for her to run the country?” June 15). Unlike the US, Australia’s system of government has various safety features that would prevent a Trump-like erosion of democracy. We have an independent electoral commission that does not disenfranchise, harass or gerrymander minorities. We have media organisations that are not muzzled and abused for daring to ask tough questions. We have an internal political party system that is not afraid to backstab and replace an unpopular or incompetent leader. Finally, we have a last-resort failsafe in the form of a governor-general. All of these features have been thoroughly tested and executed throughout Australia’s colourful political history. Hanson is welcome to try them out. Greg Cantori, Alfords Point

Your correspondent Brian Barrett, who thinks the team One Nation presents at the next election will be “genuine candidates trying to make Australia a better place” (Letters, June 16), needs to revisit the footage of Hanson’s top man, James Ashby, and his One Nation cronies not so long ago in the US, where they were filmed cuddling up to the NRA and openly saying they wanted Australia’s gun laws relaxed. All I saw there was One Nation candidates operating in the shadows trying to derail their own country. Kerrie Wehbe, Blacktown

Peter Waterhouse praises our young football players for singing the Australian national anthem “lustily” (Letters, June 16). It makes me wonder if all those patriots flocking to One Nation ever get to the second verse, in which singers send a message to potential migrants: “For those who come across the seas, we’ve boundless plains to share.” I sing those words with great gusto at our local Anzac Day ceremonies. Elizabeth Elenius, Pyrmont

Unanswered questions

Like many people, I am left searching for explanations for the rise of the policy-bereft One Nation and the extreme negativity towards a budget designed to redress the wealth imbalance that is leading to all our discontent. Rent and huge mortgage payments, I’d hazard, are contributing more than their share. But reading James Massola’s piece (“One in three like Labor’s budget” June 16), I’m left wondering whether this relentless polling is going beyond gauging attitudes to actually shaping them. Among the questions asked by Resolve is the highly loaded: “Do you support extending the life of coal-fired power plants to keep electricity prices down and ensure reliability of supply?” Push-polling, it’s called around election time. Liz Levy, Suffolk Park

The findings from the latest Resolve Political Monitor make interesting and somewhat surprising reading. There are about 18 million people registered to vote in Australia. The Resolve poll seeks the opinions of a tiny group of some 1800 voters. It would be helpful if pollster Jim Reed could remind us how his sample group is selected to ensure that they truly represent the opinions of voters from 150 electorates with a range of gender, age, ethnicity and political affiliation. It would also be interesting to understand how respondents are selected. Do they volunteer, how are they contacted and are the same individuals used in every poll? Col Nicholson, Hawks Nest

Many of your readers are probably like me – puzzled by the latest Resolve Political Monitor survey results summarised by James Massola. What sense can be made of questions that ask whether the budget is “good” or “bad” for them and their household? It would be important to understand the basis of the opinion and how the person came to their conclusion. What is the source of their information and beliefs? And what weight should be placed on them in any policy debate? No matter, results such as these are there to be exploited by political opponents. We are left still puzzled and hoping for more informative surveys that could genuinely contribute to a political debate. Alan Russell, Unley (SA)

Those who are objecting to the recent budget are clearly those who currently benefit from generous tax concessions courtesy of other taxpayers and ordinary wage and salary earners. There is also an enormous amount of misinformation and disinformation on social media being whipped up by the usual suspects, implying that everyone in Australia will be negatively affected by the budget reforms. Truth and good reforms are the casualties here, almost fatally wounded by media and vested interests. It’s hard to see how the hysterical and cynical genie can be put back in its bottle. Judy Hungerford, Narraweena

Power on

It’s good news that after some delay the state government is investing in two major big battery projects (“State’s clean energy fund selects first investment projects”, June 16). In the past year, grid-scale battery capacity in Australia has doubled. In stark contrast with other nations like Britain, which are facing sizeable energy price hikes, Australia’s wholesale electricity prices have dropped. Energy regulators have linked the trend to the shift to renewable energy, particularly the growth in battery storage. The Newcastle project will have the capacity to power up to 200,000 homes during peak periods, while the Homebush one will be able to power more than 50,000. This is not only a boost to our energy security in a volatile global market. As Origin Energy chief Frank Calabria recently pointed out: “The transition is starting to show up where it matters most – on our household bills.” Anne O’Hara, Wanniassa (ACT)

AUKUS logic

Though I’m no fan of Scott Morrison’s sneaky AUKUS deal, the many correspondents who continually claim that the submarines will be outdated by the time they arrive, defeated by AI and drones and new age sonar, need to answer one pertinent question. China currently has 12 to 14 nuclear-powered submarines and is aiming for 35 by 2035. Does China know something all these self-appointed experts don’t? Richard Abram, Bexley

Schools must share

I live near two over-resourced private schools that are usually closed after hours and during the lengthy end-of-year break. The same applies to the university campus where I teach (“Call to open uni, school sporting fields to public”, June 16). Under the legal definition of a charity, schools and universities must demonstrate “public purpose”. They must establish a tangible benefit to the community or a sufficient section of it. To qualify for charitable purpose and remain tax-exempt, they must serve the public rather than private interests. These publicly funded institutions should therefore open their grounds to the taxpaying community or stay closed and start paying rates and taxes. Liza Rybak, Bellevue Hill

Unlucky for some

I read Elizabeth Knight’s opinion piece carefully, but couldn’t find a single thing in it that was hair-raising (“Two big banks have slashed their house price forecasts. The numbers are hair-raising”, June 16). Perhaps if I was a house flipper or a big-time housing property investor, the figures might have troubled me, but I’m an ordinary person lucky enough to partially own my own small apartment, and very keen to see changes in the housing market that will allow more young people to have secure accommodation. No one wants the housing market to collapse, but we should be pleased to see prices dropping along with the auction clearance rate. Only then will we see some sense return to the market. We need to stop listening to those who are protecting their own patch, stop panicking and start thinking. A bit of short-term pain in the housing market is a good investment in the long-term gain of returning property ownership from a wealth building tool to a security provider. Prue Nelson, Cremorne Point

Gone batty

Like humans, flying foxes relocate when their habitat is destroyed (“Bat boom sparks backlash as 50,000 flying foxes descend on Sydney suburb”, June 16). Their proximity to human settlement and the problems that go with it are of our own making. The endangered bats’ inevitable fate will be ours too if we don’t pivot towards environmental balance. We know this, but we just don’t change. Amanda Berry, Hamilton East

Residents should count themselves lucky to have native wildlife around them. I live alongside flying foxes, brush turkeys, ibises, magpies, possums, tawny frogmouths and many other wonderful birds. These darling creatures already have cats and foxes to deal with. They don’t need humans going after them as well. Jenny Greenwood, Hunters Hill

Count on it

I am having trouble getting my head around what it means to be a trillionaire (“Elon Musk becomes world’s first trillionaire”, June 14). I worked out that if Elon converted his trillion dollars into $100 notes, then fed them into one of those note-counting machines the banks use, which can count 1000 notes a minute, working full-time 24 hours a day, seven days a week, he could have all the money counted in just over 19 years. Dick Pollitt, Mosman

If Gina’s investment helps Elon’s dreams to come true, then we can only hope that the super-rich go and live on Mars. They show no real interest in the planet known as Earth (“Gina Rinehart bets $1.4 billion on Musk with record SpaceX stake”, June 16). Keith Russell, Mayfield West

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