On the amount of public money given to Qantas
Chris Pettifer writes: The whole “support” package given to Qantas since the pandemic plus the remuneration paid to Joyce is obscene. Coupled with the layoffs and outsourcing of labour, the obscenity is elevated to outrageous, offensive and egregious. So much for the success of privatisation and “market forces”.
The whole neoliberal con has been at the expense of the average Australian and this disgusting episode highlights the lengths that governments go to to appease the whining private sector.
The greatest amount repaid to the government coffers has come out of the pockets of the long-suffering low-income to no-income Australians, while Joyce just skipped the country with tens of millions after having destroyed the reputation and social license of what was once a well-regarded airline.
David Simpsons writes: The corporate colour of Qantas is red. As it should be. Red denotes shame and embarrassment.
Qantas should be run by its board and employees (even the overpaid ones) for the benefit of its owners. Its owners (in)effectively dictate the policies and behaviour of the company via the board. The media had a short and largely ineffectual attempt to name and shame the board. Now it’s time to do the same for its owners.
Shame on each and every one of the millions of you. Complain to your super company. Rejig your portfolio. Vote at AGMs. Do whatever it takes. But for the sake of a once-respected company, its customers, and in the longer term, your investment, do something!
Fiona Cameron writes: Christ on a bicycle!!! I knew it was a big sum of money, but this is just gobsmacking. An absolute disgrace.
I wouldn’t fly with Qantas if they gave me a ticket… well first class to Europe could make me relent, but nothing less! Thank you for crunching the numbers and publishing them.
On the war in Gaza
Roger Richards: We are too closely associated with and mindlessly support the supplier of the weapons that have enabled the brutal subjugation of the Palestinians for many decades. During which time countless stone-throwing teenagers have been shot in the back by other teenagers with American-supplied high-powered rifles and whose argument is that they feared for their lives. During this time illegal settlements have expanded dramatically into Palestinian lands.
The atrocities committed by some Hamas people cannot be condoned. The war crimes committed in retribution — the genocide, the killing of 32,000+ civilians including so many women and babies plus the maiming of hundreds of thousands — is in no way acceptable either. Why did it need the killing of those aid workers to get us upset?
On whether the Liberals could become the party of workers
Kim Hillier writes: Do the Liberals have any shot of becoming the party of the worker? They don’t need to. The workers don’t pay close attention, they just follow a familiar pattern. The right vote is splintering with choices that include teals, UAP, Pauline Hanson, KAP and independent conservatives as well as the ongoing shame job called the Nationals.
COVID, climate and Sky News have changed everything. Some centre-right people have moved politically to loony land and consider anti-vaxxers like Clive Palmer and Craig Kelly as voices worth listening to. They’ve bought the Sky News climate denial line and really don’t like me talking about ice core evidence of anthropogenic global warming.
For the Liberal Party, the enemy is not Labor, it’s itself, as it shoots itself in the foot with its appalling frontbench, Mr Potato at the helm, lack of gender equity, and the stench of the Morrison government’s alleged criminality and incompetence still lingering like a stale fart.
Once upon a time, all the Liberals had to do was not be Labor. Now, in humanity’s first 24/7 cyber-century, complete with mis/dis/malinformation, AI, bots, cyber surveillance and increasing authoritarianism, without a cleanout of parliamentary and administrative deadwood, and installation of youngish, diverse and effective leadership for its political and administrative teams, the primary vote for the Liberals will continue its downward trend with the teals and independent centrists picking up the fallout. As a centre-right liberal worker myself, the sooner the Liberal Party dies the better.
