LETTERS

Sydney Morning Herald

Thursday November 5, 2009

Peter Costello makes sense. "Be firm and clear: no access by boat", (November 4). Those who oppose refugees arriving by boat are not lacking in compassion for them but realise that unscrupulous people exist in the world who are ready to exploit desperately vulnerable people.However, a ��soft�� policy also leads to non-refugees with the wherewithal to attempt backdoor entry, in which case the boatloads will never end.Nan Howard Camden"Send 'em back" says macho Pete, and many will no doubt applaud. But what does "closing the sea trade" mean? Even the most draconian legislation won't stop the boats from coming. Would you sink them, Pete? Or, if not, where will you send the people, most of whom will be genuine refugees seeking asylum? What would be different from where we are today?Peter Costello is full of sound and fury but his proposal is superficial. The refugee problem is intractable and will not go away until no one has a need to flee their homeland. I don't have the answer, but neither does Costello.Mike Phillips WollstonecraftIt seems many of us were wrong in blaming John Howard and Phillip Ruddock for the previous government's tough, inhumane policy on boat arrivals. Apparently, they were merely softening Peter Costello's really tough policy.John Truman ChatswoodThe next Nam Le will most likely never reach our shores ("Tales of outsiders take the honours", November 3). Is a little common decency too much to ask from our members of Parliament?Jonathan Hill Old Erowal BayRigged radioOn radio this morning a complacent Martin Ferguson, commenting on the plugging of the West Atlas oil rig, observed cheerfully that the operation had been completed "without loss of life". I am surprised and delighted that an audit of bird and marine life has been concluded so expeditiously.Mike Peachey Belmont SouthHarbouring nativesKudos to David Shoebridge, a Woollahra Greens councillor, for recognising that ��our harbour is a prized public asset�� ("Top harbour spot hit by a charge from the fireworks brigade", November 4). Are the New Year's Eve fireworks for Sydneysiders or are they for profiteers? Slowly the vantage points are disappearing as more of these are made into ticketed areas. The Botanic Gardens, the fleet steps at Mrs Macquaries Point, under the bridge at The Rocks and the harbour islands are all now only accessible if you pay an exorbitant price. The northern end of the Opera House for years now has been taken away for the Lord Mayor's Bash.The Road and Traffic Authority runs a ballot for tickets for the Cahill Expressway, which is wonderful, but this too comes at a cost of a number of telephone calls to be a lucky winner (or a loser). The Lord Mayor should stop this money-making racket and give back the public areas to the people of Sydney.Maggie Irani HornsbyPeople, not party"Werriwa MP digs in against his own faction" (November 4) recounts yet another example of arrogant party officials attempting to trample all over the democratic process.The notion that "head office" should decide who is the best candidate to represent a party in an electorate, rather than the voters deciding from among available candidates, is repugnant to the democratic process. If the party factions believe that a candidate should be selected on the basis of "jobs for the boys", "reward for loyalty", "payback", etc, then let them support their candidate on this basis and see if the local party members, and ultimately the electorate, agrees.I have no brief for either Mr Hayes or Mr Ferguson and I am not involved with Werriwa, but the arrogance demonstrated by senior politicians and party officials in these matters leaves me convinced that they are more interested in the party than the people.Bob McFadden BundanoonIt is nice to see democracy Labor-style being played out in public for a change. I often wonder why we complain about Fiji and Iran when their systems are more competitive, aka democratic, than Labor's factional system. Perhaps Mr Rudd could ask the Chinese for advice on how to run his party �� or has he done so already?David Neilson InvergowrieCup runneth overThe Melbourne Cup primes the economy as it is both a multiplier and an unofficial stimulus to business morale. Don't fret when you can't annoy someone about a trivial matter when their attention is fully engaged with the race that stops the nation. Forget the globe for a few minutes �� be charitable, support your local TAB.Mike Fogarty Weston, ACTIsn't it nice to hear a jockey being upfront about his Melbourne Cup win? Corey Brown admitted that, stuck three out at the 2000-metre mark, he had given up hope then suddenly the proverbial sea parted to allow him room to magic a brilliant triumph. Thank you Corey for your humility and honesty.Eddie Raggett MosmanRoyal treatmentBrian Wilder calls for an Australian royalty if monarchism prevails, and suggests a European to kick it all off. I've been thinking for some time, why not make it truly Australian and appoint an indigenous royal house?A Koori monarchy would restore the eminence and dignity of the portion of the population most hard done by 18th-century colonisation; it would place obligations for betterment on the de novo aristocracy and subjects alike; it dispenses with present "interventions" replaced by a quid-pro-quo civil list; it creates employment on all tiers and across the social and economic spectrums, regardless of ethnicity; it would dismay and annoy those who thought they were positioning themselves for advantage by directing the current debate (and how Australian is that, giving the underdog a go?) And finally, the appointment of an indigenous monarchy would drive the final nail in the coffin of colonial paternalism. What say you all?Leonard Cox MarrickvilleIt's gotta hurtRoss Gittins once again raises some salient points on the health of our planet and asks the rhetorical question ��can the world survive with 40 per cent of world's population (China and India) adopting the resource-consuming abandon of Americans or Australians without a backlash from the natural environment?��. We all know the answer, of course, but it would seem we prefer to feign ignorance.Ben Cubby's article, ("Plastic bag use 30% higher than retailers say", November 4) rather than identifying the shortcomings of retailers and small shops to reduce their use by giving customers alternatives, has highlighted that consumers really don't give a rats.If you asked 100 people for a show of hands of those that believe we need to address environmental degradation, chances are you would get a 99 per cent show of hands.Now ask how many of those people have cut their use of plastic bags, bought more fuel-efficient cars or forgone holidays overseas to reduce their carbon footprint; very few would still have their hands in the air.Gittins again identifies the issue ��if it doesn't hurt it won't work��.Christopher Woodley Vaucluse

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