IT is my view that Scott Morrison is very adept at victim-blaming. The other night on 7.30, when Leigh Sales put to him the allegations of lying, bullying and being a "horrible, horrible person" made by a growing list of current and former political colleagues and at least one world leader, Morrison simply responded that this was all just expressions of disappointment by people who didn't achieve the outcomes they desired. Classic victim-blaming.
And in recent days, when confronted by the fact that two former officials of the Cook branch of the Liberal Party had made statutory declarations asserting that Morrison had used pejorative language to discredit the candidate who was initially selected by the branch (by a resounding 82 votes to Morrison's eight votes), Morrison's farcical response was that he would make a statutory declaration to "prove" that what they had stated in their statutory declarations was untrue. Perhaps he believes that because he is prime minister (an assertion he is fond of making), or perhaps because he is a Pentecostal Christian, his statutory declaration is more credible than theirs. We are yet to see his statutory declaration. Once again, big announcement, no delivery.
John Ure, Mount Hutton
'Dangerous radicals' in charge
THE NSW government, with the support of Labor, recently passed legislation that will provide penalties of up to $22,000 or two years in jail for "illegal protests" that disrupt economic activity.
It comes after demonstrations by climate activists who disrupted operations around Port Botany and Newcastle. Members of Blockade Australia staged protests on bridges, roads, freight rail lines and a crane to call for greater action on climate change.
Meanwhile in the real world, after the release of the latest damning IPCC report that stressed a 50 per cent reduction in greenhouse gasses by 2030 or the point of no return will be reached for future generations, Antonio Guterres head of the UN stated that "Climate activists are sometimes depicted as dangerous radicals. But the truly dangerous radicals are the countries that are increasing the production of fossil fuels. Investing in new fossil fuels infrastructure is moral and economic madness." His message is clear - we are led by dangerous radicals in Australia and our kids and grandkids will pay for it.
John Arnold, Anna Bay
Real enemy is closer to home
BARNABY Joyce shouldn't downplay climate change too much ("Barnaby Joyce says China threat higher priority than tackling climate change", Herald, 6/4).
Retail politician that he is, he's managed to turn it into a taxpayer funded cash cow to boost his, and the government's political interests. While the world's scientists continue to shout their warnings into the wind, Barnaby sails around the country on the biggest election pork barrel tour in our country's history, courtesy of the billions he extracted as a price for finally agreeing to a pathetically inadequate emissions reduction target. Ransom money you might call it. Even extortion. With friends like the Nationals, we have no need to conjure China as an enemy.
Michael Hinchey, New Lambton
Albo's details needed checking
YES Frank Ward, ("Aged plan is music to this 92-year-old's ears", Letters, 2/4), Albo's aged care package is a great announcement, but as you know that's the easy part. Paying for the promise and implementing it are much harder. Will it be funded by another levy/tax or another increase to the retirement age, or will the debt be left to our grandkids? It seems there are already problems with the unavailability of nurses which will delay the policy implementation. Such an important detail would have been easy to check
Dave McTaggart, Edgeworth
We're the great unheard
TODAY I heard the earlier philosophy of the Liberal Party, under the leadership of Tony Abbott. I did not think I would applaud any measures taken by him, but he attempted to stop branch stacking in his leadership role, passing a rule to promote candidates from local constituencies.
This good faith rule was passed and initially worked until Mr Hawke and Morrison managed to loophole their way to overthrow the spirit of the rule by making the same Mr Hawke unavailable for the candidates approval until a suitable, in their eyes, candidate was found. Thus the captain's pick became a precedent. We have a very small elite taking charge, the good and honest are leaving in droves. Sadly the best we have to offer will soon be gone due to pressure and bullying. Please, those of you with a conscience in all parties show us who to look to for the future of this country.
I look to the past: Aldous Huxley (author of Brave New World) wrote in his philosophical essays in 1948: "Democracy can hardly be expected to flourish in societies where political and economic power is being progressively concentrated and centralised. But the progress of technology has led and is still leading to just such a concentration and centralisation of power."
This seems to project the next quote, relating to propaganda: "Propaganda and free press (even before the internet) allows two possibilities: propaganda may be true or may be false. They, (our ancestors) did not foresee what in fact has happened, above all in our Western capitalist democracies - the development of a vast mass communications industry, concerned in the main neither with the true or the false, but with the unreal, the more or less totally irrelevant. In a word, they failed to take into account man's almost infinite appetite for distractions."
The current inability of politicians to answer direct questions without dodging or equivocating is either a sign that they know little or must, due to pressure from above, only quote the party line from their stump speech.
As members of electorates we can let our candidates, MPs and senators know what we require. Do this not by email, lest you get the obligatory auto answer. Write snail mail. Often and earnestly, if you dislike their policies, tell them. Organise petitions, formally worded.
We are the great unheard. Speak up.
Lyn Rendle, Rankin Park
Double standards from Senator
"HELL, hath no fury as a woman scorned" is an appropriate phrase to describe Senator Fierravanti-Wells almost 10-minutes long public outing of Scott Morrison in what may have been her last day ever in the Senate.
During her speech Senator Fierravanti-Wells declared Morrison unfit to hold office. She cited numerous grounds supporting that opinion.
By waiting until Morrison and his co-conspirator Alex Hawke had effectively finished her career in the Senate before speaking out, Senator Fierravanti-Wells' own moral compass comes under the microscope.
She has known for over 15 years the obvious failings of Scott Morrison, yet deliberately chose not to speak up.
Now that also smacks of complete hypocrisy and, unfitness for office, Senator Fierravanti-Wells.
Barry Swan, Balgownie
SHORT TAKES
SO Anthony Albanese made a statement in his budget reply speech about providing nurses on duty 24/7 in aged care. Only a few days later the Labor Party realises, hang on, we don't have enough nurses to do that! If this is an indication of what kind of management we are going to get for the next three years, it's going to be an interesting ride folks!
Greg Hunt, Newcastle West
TRANSPORT for NSW's statement that it doesn't know where Newcastle's light-rail will go, ("Tram route mystery won't stop units plan", Herald, 5/4) reminds me of what former transport minister Andrew Constance once said when asked about plans for future extensions: "That's a matter for a future government". In my view, this could suggest that TfNSW has no interest or intention at present of extending our light-rail.
Peter Newey, Hamilton
DEAR Minister David Elliot, thank you for selecting Newcastle to receive the new electric buses. As you state this is the first regional area to receive them and we appreciate the new cleaner air. But, if we are now 'regional' as you state then please let's have our fuel cards. You made the statement, now live up to your end of the bargain.
John Bradford, Beresfield
WHY is it that the Ukrainian President addressed the Australian parliament through a translator, but spoke perfect English at the Grammys? I was a little insulted as an Australian. But as a toiler, it wouldn't matter what language you spoke in parliament, Liberal and Labor and whatever other governing bodies there are, they've a dialect unto themselves.
Bryn Roberts, New Lambton
I THOUGHT cartoonists were supposed to be funny- I'm sick of the Herald's cartoons just being about politics.
Geoff Pickin, Wallsend
IT'S fine to slap embargoes on Russia and hit the general public in the pocket but this is not going to stop Putin and his murderous army from the killing and raping of innocent Ukrainians. The West needs to give the Ukrainians intermediate range missiles or cruise missiles and have them lob two or three on the Kremlin and let Putin know how it feels.
Alan Kendall, Neath
I'M hoping those on dole, including those in Ceduna, never bow down to worship the hooves of a cow, because it gave them a moo in the street.
Dave Wilson, Bar Beach
THE home care people are still to get back to me. What irks me most is his dissembling, dishonest, holier than thou double speak. Don't be fooled, vote them out.
