Peter Hartcher (“Taylor-made Libs v Turnbull party?” , February 14) refers to remarks by Tony Barry of Redbridge Group that MPs from all parties have two speeds, “ignorance and panic”. This was truly demonstrated by James Paterson when he said that based on recent opinion polls, the Liberal Party was losing 7000 supporters a day. Except this was both panic and ignorance. Paterson should know opinion polls show the voter’s intention at the time and not how they would vote once in the polling booth when confronted by serious choices. He would also be aware that polling before the last federal election had the Labor government just scraping in and some polls suggested a minority Labor government. Still any reason to discard a female leader. Rodney Crute, Hunters Hill
The party is in its death throes. Menzian small “l” liberalism’s time is coming to an end. The beginning of the end came in 1996, when John Howard took charge. He had little time for “trivialities” such as housing and social justice: nothing in common with Robert Menzies or Malcolm Fraser, who saw owning a place of residence as sacrosanct and a necessity for a happy and productive society. Howard saw residential property as a tax concession perk for savvy investors for tax minimisation in exchange for electoral support. Successive iterations of the Liberals and their tail-wagging, “do not upset” the Nationals rump had not and still have not the nous or intellect to see the damage Howard’s tax concessions have done and are still doing. So in walks the Alternative Liberal Party (the ALP under Albanese) in 2022 and it’s all the way with Howard and his tax perks. The “space” is up for grabs and Albanese takes it gleefully; the demise of Menzian liberalism aided and abetted by both sides of the duopoly of woe. There is nothing to suggest that under Albanese and Jim Chalmers anything will change. John Kingsmill, Fairlight
Talk sense on immigration
My heart sank when I heard the new opposition leader talk about “bad” migration (“‘Change or die’: Taylor’s new vision”, February 14). Postwar Australia has been built on immigration. Immigration policy needs to be continually reviewed and adapted to Australia’s needs at the time, but can this please be done through sensible and detailed analysis and not through dog whistling. Angus Taylor will lose voters to the left if he engages in culture wars and he will never outdo One Nation on the right. If we are to work towards greater social cohesion in this country, migrants should not be turned into scapegoats. Genevieve Kang, Glebe
So, Angus Taylor grew up in a suburb full of migrants, he said in his acceptance speech. Their contribution to society was “the cappuccino”, he stated. What an insult to migrants whose contributions to this country have been indefatigable. Shame his contribution is inconsequential and minuscule by comparison. Merilyn Hall, Greenwich
The main problem for the Liberal Party is that following the Friday the 13th coup, the same Liberals and Nationals are sitting there on the parliamentary benches glowering at the nation as were there on Thursday the 12th. The resignation from the Liberal Party of Charlotte Mortlock, the founder of the Hilma movement, says it all (“She tried to fix the Liberals’ women problem. Now she’s quitting the party”, smh.com.au, February 15). The more things change, the more they remain the same in Liberal Party World. Well may we say god save the teals because nothing will save the Liberal Party. Tom Mangan, Woy Woy Bay
While I agree with Rowan Godwin’s other comments (Letters, February 14), I take offence at his comparison of the Liberal Party to F Troop. As a kid, I loved F Troop and 60 years later I still remember it was a really funny program. In contrast, the Liberal Party is laughable for unfunny reasons and, the way it is going, it may one day be forgotten. Victor Bivell, Abbotsford
Ley should have stayed
Sussan Ley’s resignation has caused a byelection (“Why the fight for Ley’s seat will be a stiff test for Taylor”, February 14). Yes, she got rolled by her party, but regardless of that, it is selfish and unfair that taxpayers have to now fund a byelection because she’s decided she doesn’t want to stay in politics because she lost the leadership. A mature, professional response would be to stay until the next election. I hope she enjoys her generous pension – also funded by the taxpayers. Kip Morel, Pyrmont
The headline in Saturday’s letters pages asserts that the Liberal Party has a “women problem” because Sussan Ley lost the leadership (Letters, February 14). However, Jane Hume was elected deputy leader of the federal Liberal Party. Kellie Sloane is the NSW opposition leader. Jess Wilson is the Victorian leader. Ashton Hurn is the South Australian leader and Lia Finocchiaro is the Northern Territory’s chief minister. On the other hand, the federal Labor Party has a male prime minister, a male deputy PM and a male treasurer in its three senior leadership positions. How is it then that Herald letter writers conclude that the Liberal Party has a “women problem”? Riley Brown, Bondi Beach
Gap widens on haves and have-nots
Inequality is one of the blights on our society and Malcolm Knox has highlighted the fact that the gap between rich and poor is widening (“It’s time to say the C-word out loud”, February 14). Those in the lower echelons of the class structure will always struggle regardless of whether inflation is at 6 per cent or 1 per cent. In this so-called cost-of-living “crisis”, there are still millions of Australians eating in restaurants, driving new cars, paying private school fees, buying investment properties, travelling the world, going to concerts and sporting events, enjoying generous tax concessions, consuming endless cups of coffee and contributing to the coffers of the gambling industries. For the least well off, such things can be luxuries beyond their wildest dreams. It behoves our parliamentarians to protect the most vulnerable in our society to ensure everyone can live with dignity. Phil Peak, Dubbo
While Malcolm Knox raises some interesting ideas, he misses the point about class in Australia unless he addresses the work of Karl Marx and also the theory of the embourgeoisement of the working class, whereby workers develop false consciousness and discard their working-class status. The notion of classlessness became part of Australia’s social fabric when Robert Menzies corrupted the idea into what he called the “forgotten people” and John Howard capitalised on it with his “battlers”. Consequently, working Australians with a mortgage, a car in the garage and a barbie in the backyard, although being workers, came to see themselves as being middle class and needing to support the Liberal Party to stay there. Class still exists, but today the battlers are those struggling to eke out an existence on paltry handouts from the government; those who work three jobs in the gig economy; those unable to afford rents on properties that are negatively geared by people opposing legislative change to income and taxation; and those who have no protection via unions and no one to represent them. Patricia Farrar, Concord
Thank you, Malcolm Knox, for destroying the notion that we are a largely classless society. It is time for drastic action by Labor, on behalf of the less well-off and young people, to do away with concessions to the rich and establish an equitable tax system. Andrew Macintosh, Cromer
Trump cashing in
Nicholas Kristof’s story (“By one measure, Trump’s the best ever”, February 14) about the money Donald Trump and his family have raked off from the presidency tells us three things: how crooked Trump is, how inadequate the US political system is and how naive US electors are. The amount of damage Trump has done to his own country and to the world generally will take years to fix – if it’s at all possible. The Founding Fathers, whose perspicacity Americans love to extol, never reckoned with a person who was so unfit for the office. Ian Adair, Hunters Hill
That none of his predecessors ever cashed in on the presidency as he has is a label that superego transactional billionaire Donald would readily wave as a badge of honour. He, seemingly, subscribes to Mark Twain’s “money is God”. Steve Ngeow, Chatswood
Donald Trump will have no difficulty refuting the claim that Alexei Navalny was poisoned by Russia (“Russia poisoned Alexei Navalny with dart frog toxin, European nations say”, smh.com.au, February 15). He will simply check with Vladimir Putin, an impeccable source. Don Firth, Wooli
Hiding our Jewishness
I was grateful for your Saturday coverage marking two months since the Bondi terrorist attack, particularly the editorial “Two months after Bondi, it is more important than ever that we strive for social cohesion” (February 14). You refer to last week’s protests as a “small core of radical protesters”. However, as a Jewish parent, that to me is increasingly not how it feels. This week, my primary school-aged son attended an interschool sports competition wearing an unidentifiable plain T-shirt instead of his Jewish school uniform, accompanied by security. It was unsafe to do anything else. When Jewish children require security and must hide their identity simply to play sport, it suggests a problem that extends well beyond a marginal fringe. If we are serious about social cohesion, then leaders who amplify rhetoric associated with violence must be held accountable for the climate they help create. Tomas Lopata, St Ives
On Monday last, 3000 police with enhanced powers to move people on were in attendance at a pro-Palestinian protest. Far from Premier Chris Minns’ claim that such lethal curtailing of civil rights would make everyone safer, the Herald has featured injured protesters: ordinary Australians in their seventh, eighth and ninth decades whose democratic right to demonstrate peacefully was removed through overly aggressive tactics sanctioned by an unrepentant Minns. Monday’s protest was to focus on ongoing actions by the Israeli government in Gaza. What the world saw was peaceful protesters in Australia being attacked by their own police force. The development of social cohesion will never be advanced by increased powers to assault and detain ordinary Australians by their own state and federal governments under the guise of making us safer. Helen Cameron, Wollstonecraft
The comments by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on the egregious NSW Police bastardry practised against Muslims praying in front of the Sydney Town Hall (“Officers’ action over protest prayer needs full explanation: PM”, February 14) are simply an admission that Minns and the NSW police commissioner need to be brought to heel in their attack on the freedom of the right to peacefully assemble and demonstrate opposition to public wrongs. Ian Usman Lewis, Armidale
Sure, some police may have overreacted, possibly responding to a perceived or real danger, but most citizens would appreciate, even demand, police protecting them in all potentially dangerous situations. They have a tough job day in and day out and they don’t always get it right. They deserve our understanding and the support of the premier and the police commissioner. Denis Suttling, Newport Beach
Labor must act on CFMEU
The recent CFMEU Herald coverage (“CFMEU behaviour on projects leads to 1000 complaints”, February 14) clearly shows that although Labor has put the CFMEU into administration, much more needs to be done, and it may take a royal commission to really change things. The Victorian Labor government can’t escape criticism. If one looks at underlying contributors, one factor again is how elections are funded. As union membership declined over the years, Labor’s electoral funding became more concentrated in the surviving unions, and they may have been more reluctant than was wise to completely deregister the union. They will pay a price. Labor’s changes to rules about electoral funding have done something to limit big money’s influence, but in the process, that has handicapped independent candidates financially to the extent that two independents, Zoe Daniel and Rex Patrick, are taking to the High Court a claim that Labor’s changes are unconstitutional. Australia’s electoral system is world-class, but our politics isn’t. Gary Barnes, Mosman
Exports killing species
The addition of many more plants and animals to Australia’s critically endangered and threatened species listings places even greater emphasis on addressing global warming issues (“Rising heat puts more species in peril”, February 14). While new environmental rules being developed by Environment Minister Murray Watt may address some of the threats to these species, they do not specifically address the primary cause of the dilemma – the burning of fossil fuels. In this regard, while Australian governments are attempting to reduce our carbon dioxide emissions through their support for renewables, the nation, nevertheless, substantially contributes to warming on a global scale through its exports of coal and gas for energy production. Roger Epps, Armidale
IOC’s double standards
The poor decision by the International Olympic Committee to disqualify Ukrainian skeleton athlete Vladyslav Heraskevych is mystifying given what Russia has done to trounce the Olympic spirit in so many ways (“Ukrainians blast IOC over disqualification”, February 14). The 1968 Black Power salute can only be described as iconic, a moment in the Olympics that shook the world and caused people to think. What a shame the IOC took a chance away for another poignant moment to occur. David Jarrett, Leppington
WorldPride profitable
In “Drive to survive helps in keeping festival alive” (February 14), Sydney gay and lesbian mardi gras chief executive Jesse Matheson speaks with Gary Nunn over lunch and is quoted as saying “even Sydney WorldPride made a loss”. Perhaps he should check the charity’s accounts at the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission, which show that by June 2023, the organisation had net assets of $33,968, and at June 2024, the year in which the company was wound up, it had net assets of $104,040 – certainly not a loss. Having managed a huge and successful event, the financial accounts show that they delivered all that was promised and they closed with a modest profit. Thanks to great leadership from CEO Kate Wickett. Philip Busfield, Surry Hills (chair of finance and audit committee of Sydney WorldPride 2023)
Face value
David Ashton (Letters, February 14), my son tells me about shopping in Las Vegas last year, where after registering online with an image of your face, customers go into shops where they take what they want from the shelves and just walk out. Shoppers’ linked bank details and the facial recognition software in the shop did the rest. Hardly faceless? Phil Armour, Yass
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