The world needs a new president – but not in Ukraine

Every day over the past two years, one has repeatedly woken up and turned on the news, only to have the first words be “US President Donald Trump …” You are immediately bracing in dread. What has he done now? What foundation of the house of post-WWII stability and relative peace has he kicked out this time? Often it becomes apparent in a couple of milliseconds that this has been done to either play to his domestic supporters, and/or his vain ego, and/or his nefarious and bizarre siding with Russia. Often all three. Today he said that Ukraine needs a new president after buying oil from the aggressor, Russia (“‘Time for a new president’: Trump calls on Zelensky to go amid diesel stoush”, smh.com.au. October 11). It is like we are in some episode of The Twilight Zone with Franklin Roosevelt saying that Winston Churchill should resign so that the UK can make peace with Nazi Germany. My father dropped bombs on fascist supply lines in northern Italy during WWII, and his generation would be turning in their graves at how their sacrifices and lifetime efforts to ensure a lasting peace in the West (that we have all enjoyed) are being deliberately and methodically dismantled in the name of one man’s enormously inflated ego. We do need a change in president, but in the USA – and right now, before he precipitates World War III. Geoff Holmes, Woonona

Scratching my head here; isn’t Russia an ally of Iran, helping with its targeting of US assets in the Middle East? Sue Walsh, Woollahra

Two articles sickened me: “Trump strikes diesel deal with Putin” and “New US sanctions aimed at crippling the ICC” (smh.com.au, October 11). The naked self-interest in President Trump’s newly established plutocracy was never more self-evident. Morality has been trampled in the interests of the dollar in both cases. First, Trump is enabling Putin to continue his aggression against Ukraine by buying Russian diesel, and second, Trump is thumbing his nose at the international community by seeking to weaken the power of the International Criminal Court. So much for democracy as the US changes its role as the leader of democratic nations into an enabler of dictatorships and a domestic agenda that swamps the lower classes with legislation that enables the rich to become richer. Let’s hope that Australians see through Gina Rinehart’s manipulations of Pauline Hanson’s agenda to avoid the same happening here. Larry Woldenberg, Forest Lodge

So relieved that our government is not supporting Trump in his latest idiotic endeavour to finance his friend Putin. This major misstep should convince the world to disassociate from him. Trump has evolved from incompetence to megalomania to evil. Hopefully, the voting American public will finally recognise this. Ashley Berry, Toolijooa

Public executions: is this the Stone Age?

We need a new leader of the US. The petty, childish and dangerous behaviour of the current holder of the office has outraged the world. Sanctioning the International Criminal Court because he failed to gain the Nobel Peace Prize is one example. His support of the ruthless dictator Vladimir Putin’s war on Ukraine, a denial of the title of leadership of the “free world”, is another. And the sickness of American society under this president is surely indicated by the touted decision to reintroduce public executions, an example of medieval barbarity (“Trump says decision on streaming killer’s execution still pending”, smh.com.au, October 11). A new president is badly needed. Derrick Mason, Boorowa

I was horrified to read that the United States plans to livestream a firing squad execution (“US to livestream military execution”, October 10). This sort of public display belongs to the darkest chapters of human history, when people were executed in town squares for crowds to watch. Are we really drifting back to the Stone Age? One cannot ignore the impact such a spectacle will have on young people and children who may see it on television or on social media. At a time when we are trying to teach them empathy, restraint and respect for human life, broadcasting a killing as if it were a form of public theatre sends exactly the opposite message. What troubles me even more is that this move seems to be designed to appeal to people such as Donald Trump, who enjoy dramatic TV spectacles. But where is America heading if death itself becomes entertainment? Vijay Khandelwal, Winston Hills

When ISIS streamed pre-recorded beheadings they were condemned as barbaric, yet here we are with the United States, the supposed leader of the free world, supposedly planning to stream a live execution. The method may be different, but I fail to see what this will achieve. Streaming it live for the world to see is just as barbaric as an ISIS delayed stream. Atrocities committed in the Middle East do not deter the US or its allies from taking up arms, so if the Trump administration thinks this will make people think twice about becoming a terrorist, then it is sadly wrong. Peter Miniutti, Ashbury

Bob Dylan’s classic Desolation Row (1965) begins with the horrifically prescient: “They’re selling postcards of the hanging”. Should I be surprised if the ever-transactional Donald Trump sees a buck to be made from the unspeakable savagery of the livestreamed execution by firing squad of Nidal Hasan? John Campbell, South Golden Beach

The USA is going to livestream the execution, by firing squad, of a wheelchair bound, paraplegic man who wants to be a martyr. What could possibly go wrong? Margaret Broadbent, Dunbogan

Nobel Committee makes noble choice

Trump has missed out on the Nobel Peace Prize once again (“Former UN human rights chief Navanethem ‘Navi’ Pillay wins the Nobel Peace Prize”, smh.com.au, October 9). He decided to take revenge on the winner by sanctioning the International Criminal Court, where she worked (“New US sanctions aimed at crippling the ICC”, smh.com.au, October 11). I think he should declare war on Norway, only to discover that the Norwegian government has no control over the decision, as it is made by the independent Nobel Committee. Mokhles Sidden, South Strathfield

Chris Sidoti is reported elsewhere describing Judge Navi Pillay as modest, unassuming, lovely and funny, as well as entirely focused on the law and never running a political agenda. If those are some of the qualities of a Nobel Peace Prize winner, Donald Trump will never stand a chance. Ross Duncan, Potts Point

Guns don’t equal security

I respect and appreciate the difficult work our police do, but I also support the concerns raised by your correspondent Paul Pearce (Letters, October 10). Having lived in Europe and seen heavily armed police in public spaces, I have never wanted Australia to go down that path. Nor do I believe arming private groups is the answer. Once firearms become accepted in the hands of private organisations, pressure to extend that privilege will only grow. We do not need an armed vigilante culture. Of course, police must be equipped to respond to genuine threats. But the proliferation of weapons, especially long-arm rifles, does not guarantee public safety or prevent a determined terrorist from acting. Australia must not mistake more guns for more security.
Vivien Clark-Ferraino, Duckmaloi

Town Hall square has history

The fate of Town Hall Square still seems up in the air (“State seizes control of square plan”, October 10). The square plan has history. In 1959, Sydney lord mayor Harry Jensen had a plan for a civic square and an underground carpark by demolishing the Queen Victoria Building. Architect Harry Seidler strongly advocated the plan, describing the QVB as an “architectural monstrosity”. Various municipal leaders and a Labor Party mayoral candidate continued pushing for demolition. But happily, the QVB was retained to become a grand shopping destination and an architectural treasure, while the civic square was put on the back burner. The seven buildings now planned for demolition may not be architectural wonders, but tearing them down in our enlightened times would be environmentally wasteful, and it would ignore the City of Sydney’s current strategy, which says: “Imagine a Sydney where nothing is wasted. In a circular economy, everything you own can either be reused, repaired or recycled as much as possible, not thrown away.” Ian Ferrier, Paddington

From my observation, large public squares in cities in Europe hark back to a time when buildings and homes were crammed into narrow streets – London, Paris, Prague, Budapest, Vienna. A public square was an open space where citizens could enjoy the tepid sunshine of the northern summer. Now that summers in Europe have become so hot, people don’t congregate in big open squares but seek shade wherever they can. Here, people would rather sit in the shade during summer. The latest proposal for a public square doesn’t seem to cater for any trees at all. Even in “winter”, Sydney gets temperatures of 25 to 30 degrees. A large square without shade would be shunned. This may be Clover Moore’s pet project that she wants to leave as a legacy, but maybe she could find something else – a park, perhaps? Judith Rostron, Killarney Heights

While I will miss Woolworths at the Town Hall and its cafeteria, as it is one of the few buildings in the city I can remember from childhood, I am all for a Town Hall square (“Moore’s Town Hall Square would long outlast the small-minded fools who are trying to kill it”, October 10). And I am with Bevan Shields, it is the city council that has the impressive plan. The state government needs to keep its parochial fingers off the project. Genevieve Milton, Dulwich Hill

Fix voting IT

One of the things we can be most proud of is our electoral system. I was therefore disturbed to read that the NSW system is facing “intolerable risk … of cyberattack, external interference and challenges to its validity” because of a lack of funding for urgently needed systems upgrades (“‘Polls face intolerable risk’, says watchdog”, October 10). When we compare our systems to those of the United States, few things could be more important than this. I therefore urge the NSW government to provide the necessary funding without delay. Andrew Macintosh, Cromer

The NSW Electoral Commission has told the government that its antiquated IT systems have led to “an intolerable level of risk of election failure at future polls”, including March 2027. This warning was first issued in 2019. So, essentially, this is a bipartisan disregard for the protection of the democratic process. Thanks, Gladys Berejiklian (premier 2017-21), Dominic Perrottet (premier 2021-23) and Chris Minns (2023-?). Not good enough. Jennifer Raines, Newtown

All talk, no action

So true, Peter Hartcher (“Hanson blame game fixes nothing”, October 10). Hanson loves to play the blame game but offers no “fixes” for the “cause of anxiety and despair” felt by so many as living standards decline. Immigration cutbacks will not solve the economic problems. We need healthy economic growth at the risk of fuelling inflation. As Hartcher says, we need “more solutions, less blame”, but I can’t now see any party offering solutions as they brawl with each other for popular votes concerning the immigration chaos. Sadly, lots of negativity but not much hope from any of them.
Denis Suttling, Newport Beach

It’s time for a brief summary of the immigration issue. Pauline Hanson initiated the recent political push towards minimising immigration – far too many Asians and Muslims in this country. Her solution? Very simple – don’t bring any more in and deport as many as possible. This became One Nation’s migration policy, and it attracted a great many people to that party. Then there’s the Coalition. Angus Taylor, wanting to get back some of the support lost to One Nation, announces the Coalition migration policy, very similar to the One Nation policy, except that he promises “to make the biggest reduction to immigration in Australia’s history”. Pathetic, really. Immigration has made this country great, given us the living standards we now enjoy and a wonderful multicultural society. It needs to continue, with the level adjusted from time to time to suit circumstances, but essentially determined as it always has been, and definitely without any hint or suggestion of racism. Ken Butler, Mount Colah

Make banks cover cost of fee ban

When the surcharges were banned starting October 1, I was under the impression that the government had been successful in forcing financial institutions to cancel these charges (“Labor unrest after ban on credit card fees backfires”, October 10). But looking at the ATO, the reason for refusing to accept credit card payments is because the ATO can’t absorb the cost. So it appears the government perhaps made a law to ban the surcharges without thinking who is going to pay. If the ATO can’t absorb the cost, why would small business absorb it? No wonder my morning coffee went up by 50 cents from October 1. It’s not just coffee, it’s just about everything for which I pay by credit or debit card. Why can’t the financial institutions making billions of dollars in profit absorb these costs? Ariyur Rangarajan, Baulkham Hills

Businesses putting up their prices by 10 per cent to cover credit card fees need to offer a 10 per cent discount for cash payment. Sandy Bruns, Bronte

Firmus float sinks

The failure of the Firmus IPO float (“How it all went right, and then so wrong, for Australia’s big AI hope”, October 10) reminds us that last year’s big Australian float, Virgin Airlines, is also currently underwater at $2.75. Still, Elon Musk’s SpaceX float is still above water. And they used to say Australians would punt on two flies crawling up a wall.
Jim Pearce, Oak Flats

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