Trump's pursuit of a peace prize is far from noble

Sydney Morning Herald

6 hours ago

Donald Trump's desperate pursuit of the Nobel Peace Prize is truly pathetic (' Trump cold-calls Norwegian minister about peace prize ', August 15). His claims to have been instrumental in ending wars waged in many vexed areas around the globe are questionable indeed. Most of these peace deals remain on a knife's edge and conflict could be reignited at any moment. I suspect if you asked Trump to locate, say, Azerbaijan or the Democratic Republic of Congo on a map of the world he would struggle. Hopefully, his unashamed phone call to a Norwegian politician will not further his unworthy cause. Donna Wiemann, Balmain
Trump's campaign to win the Nobel Prize reminds me of that kindergarten kid who, wanting a sticker at the end of the day for being well-behaved, sits up straighter than straight with an air of genuine expectancy after having created chaos all day. The phone call to Norway's Jens Stoltenberg linking tariffs and Trump's possible peace prize is so transparent and would be considered shameful by any rational person. But then we must remember how former US secretary of state Henry Kissinger got the prize in 1973 in the midst of the Vietnam War, and after orchestrating the overthrow of the Allende government in Chile by putting dictator Augusto Pinochet in charge. Now, if Trump did manage to bring an honourable and just peace to Ukraine and Palestine, I would gladly award him not only the Nobel Prize, but also a gold sticker. In the meantime, Donald, keep on dreaming. Diane Dennis, Epping
Australia united
Your correspondent Vivienne Parsons declares that the Australian government's decision to recognise a Palestinian state will divide Australians (Letters, August 15). On the contrary, I believe that Australians' horror and despair over Israel's relentless assault on the Palestinian people has united them in wanting the government to take positive steps to resolve this seemingly never-ending conflict. And the government's support is conditional – Hamas must have no part in a future Palestinian leadership. I also note that little has been said about the fact that 147 countries in the UN – 76 per cent of its membership – already support a Palestinian state and that, as expected, Hamas also heaped praise on France, Canada, Britain, Portugal and Malta, which recently also announced their intention to recognise Palestine. John Ure, Mount Hutton
Vivienne Parsons is right that Hamas' praise for Anthony Albanese has shocked the Jewish community, but I think that most Australians are shocked that a brutal terrorist group considers the prime minister of Australia to be their ally. Diane Armstrong, Rose Bay
Stephen Healion suggests that rather than Albo being out of his depth on recognition of a Palestine state, it is Sussan Ley who is struggling, and maybe she needs another stint on the backbench to help reset her views (Letters, August 15). Perhaps so Stephen, but you haven't thought it through. That would be disastrous as it would result in the Coalition being led by Angus Taylor. Enough said. Ian Morris, Strathfield
Israel's true colours
So the Israeli government is showing its true colours (' Israeli minister launches settlement plan to 'bury' Palestinian statehood ', August 15). They are going to cut the West Bank in half to block this part of Palestinian territory with a multitude of illegal Israeli settlement buildings – the E1 plan. They openly admit this is to stymie the contiguity of the Palestinian state. This has nothing to do with Gaza, Hamas or self-defence. Elizabeth Vickers, Maroubra
Privatising folly
Privatising critical infrastructure like public transport is foolish (Letters, August 15). We were in the UK when the disastrous London Tube 'public private partnership' unfolded. The city was about to grind to a stop when the loss-making private owner decided to pull out and the government was forced to repurchase the line at enormous cost. Our road tolls and privatised airport line make Sydney an extremely expensive city to traverse. It's madness to privatise critical infrastructure because in the event of failure, the government, funded by the taxpayer, must pick up the tab. Anne Matheson, Gordon
We should get the people who will build a bridge across the Strait of Messina to Sicily from mainland Italy for $24 billion to quote on extending the Metro around our new airport. We should get a lot of tunnel for our bucks in comparison. Lesley Spicer, Coogee
Confronting the crisis
What won't fix the housing crisis is the perpetual call of 'this won't fix the housing crisis' every time a site is earmarked for a percentage of affordable housing (' Don't jump the gun. Paddington's Victoria Barracks must not be converted for housing ', August 15). And here we are now with minimal affordable housing being built anywhere. How many more long-forgotten historic sites in our city are now suddenly becoming important because residents want to keep the status quo? Looking at a site such as Victoria Barracks, it has never been accessible to the general public, therefore no public open space will be lost if part of the site is developed. As for our colonial history, a quick view of the site on Google Maps shows it is mostly used as a car park. Todd Hillsley, Homebush
Greedy country
The government's entrenched resistance to any meaningful tax reform discussion at next week's Economic Reform Round Table will be a travesty of justice for young people today and for generations to come (' Teal MP calls for new income tax system ', August 15). We've become Australia 'the greedy country'. If the Albanese government, in its second term, cannot articulate the vision of a more just and equitable Australia and will not contemplate let alone initiate fearless reform of our tax system, then their sweeping electoral victory is completely wasted. Gough Whitlam would be turning in his grave. This is a massive opportunity to go out to the electorate now, early in the term, so we can evaluate progress before the next election. There is much hand-wringing over the productivity forecast, while the government continues to enable excessive property-based wealth generation and essentially dismisses broader taxation options proposed by reputable experts in the field. Are they waiting to take any major tax reform policy to the voters next election, rather than tackling the issues now? That wasn't so successful when Bill Shorten tried it. Nero continues to fiddle while Rome burns. Barbara Robinson, Chatswood
House of sand
As Peter Thornton wrote, the future problems with beach erosion at Wamberal were widely acknowledged and published in the 1970s (Letters, August 15). Therefore, anyone who built at, or moved to the Wamberal beachfront after that time should not expect public funding or permission to ruin a public beach. Maybe owners living there before the 1970s could be bought out. But the latecomers have no rights to compensation or public funding to temporarily mitigate the inevitable. They were told the erosion would occur and chose to ignore the scientific facts. Maureen Lysaght, Terrey Hills
Having lived on the Central Coast for 40 years, like all locals, I was well aware of 'the Ruins', the condemned site of a house on Wamberal beach that was destroyed by coastal erosion during a storm in the mid-1970s. It was also common knowledge that all houses built on that same coastal dune would inevitably be threatened by the same natural event, more so since the advent of climate change and rising sea levels. So anyone buying or constructing houses in this area cannot expect sympathy or financial assistance due to that prior knowledge. The council's approval of any further construction there is surely a dereliction of duty or gross negligence and has echoes of building approvals on flood plains. Nature will have the final say, and like correspondent Greg Lewin (Letters, August 15), I think sparse council revenue should be spent for the wider community's benefit, not individuals'. Rowan Godwin, Rozelle
Movie maestro's legacy lives on
Any movie show with Margaret and David was essential viewing (' Beloved film critic David Stratton dies at 85 ', August 15). They played off each other like a duet for violin and cello, both so erudite, so intelligent and, fittingly, always eminently watchable. I remember feeling a tinge of pride when he briefly put my all-time favourite movie, Robert Altman's Nashville, in his top-10 list. Thankfully, his legacy will live on for generations to come, available, appropriately, at the touch of the play button. Patrick McGrath, Potts Point
Biographies of David Stratton make much of his fight against censorship while running the Sydney Film Festival. However, the white-hot rage against officials trying to restrict free speech was in no way diminished in his later years. He was invited to introduce a movie at the Sydney Film Festival in 2019, which I happened to attend. It was on the day Annika Smethurst and the ABC had their offices raided by the AFP. His exact words escape me but he started by saying something like 'well, I've prepared some remarks for tonight but before I get on to those I'd like to express my absolute disgust at the actions of the Australian Federal Police today'. The loud applause showed the audience heartily supported his position. Fraser Rew, Ashfield
I met David at the Sydney Film Festival when I was just 15 (I'm 75 now). My mum smuggled me in. He struck me as a serious man but passionate about his beloved movies. We had some great times over many years. Until now, I never realised how much you were part of my life. Vale, my dear passionista. Denise Hunter, North Sydney
Next time I'm at the movies I'll roll a jaffa down the aisle for David. Michael Deeth, Como West
Win them with kindness
As a former TV current affairs executive producer, I imagine those like me who tried to serve the best values of the national broadcaster would agree wholeheartedly with Andrew Cohen that unkindness is not entertainment (Letters, August 15). The ABC's values rest on quality and integrity – be they in education, information or entertainment, as set out in the charter. Sadly, in many areas these values have broken down – best exemplified in Hard Quiz, a now seemingly endless series that rests on the host demeaning his guests and, worse, doing so with obscene language. On any level that's not 'entertainment', but especially so when it is presented by the public broadcaster. I fear for even worse, though, when the ABC leadership seems to have no idea of what the charter means in terms of public responsibility as distinct from commercial interpretations of 'popularism'. Eric Hunter, Cook (ACT)
Andrew Cohen has clearly never watched MasterChef. The reason it has remained popular for so long is that the hopeful amateurs are not browbeaten nor brokenhearted aspirants; the judges are uniformly knowledgeable, warm and encouraging, and none seem to have a mean streak. MasterChef pioneered this kinder way of doing reality TV and it's been copied successfully by shows such as Bake Off and many others. I won't hear a word against it. Morgan Smith, Marrickville
Driver care
The report of an elderly man driving into a grocery store and injuring two people highlights the need for motorists over 75 to be reassessed on their abilities to drive without endangering themselves and others (' Elderly driver mounts footpath, ploughs into store ', August 14). My own mother died when she mistook the accelerator for the brake pedal, but fortunately no one else was injured. When I visited the ambulance officers to thank them for their efforts to save her, they told me that accidents involving elderly drivers were a very common occurrence in the town, where many residents were retirees. No one wants to lose their independence but the safety of others has to be of paramount importance. Jennifer McKay, Ashbury
Photo finished?
I read the article (' The perils of all those photos on our phones ', August 15) with dread as my smartphone now holds nearly 25,000 photos. Twenty years' worth of images, most of which hold precious memories; my kids' first days of school, milestone birthdays, Christmas and Mother's Day outings. But it also holds photos of food, scenery and other images I should delete. When I'm gone, who will sift through these images, who will even know what some are? Having just inherited my mother's photo albums and also her mother's and grandmother's albums, I am overwhelmed with historic images from the 1930s onwards that I am too sentimental to destroy. The sad reality is that my future great-great-grandchildren will probably have little interest or time to ponder these accumulated images because they'll be creating their own. Daniela Catalano, Haberfield
WFH blues
It's a fact that work-from-home employees take fewer sick days. Therefore, they accumulate more sick leave than employees who have to go to work. This has them at a distinct advantage over their colleagues as they will be able to take extended leave if they require it for serious illness, surgery or caring responsibilities. People who are unable to WFH and unions should be jumping up and down to create a fairer system for them, all in the name of improving productivity. Louise Dunbar, Cammeray
Tickle trouble
The starting point of anti-transgender activists' argument that there are only two sexes, male and female, has a problem. It's wrong (' Tickle v Giggle: a case centred on what a 'woman' means', August 15). Babies are born every week with varying characteristics of both, a fact so widely known that the Macquarie Dictionary included a definition of the word 'intersex' as early as 1981. Norm Neill, Darlinghurst
Hot mess
Fires are not the only way extreme heat kills us (' Wildfires cause death and destruction ', August 15). About 2300 people may have died in just 10 days in 12 European cities from a recent heatwave. Scientists attribute 1500 of the deaths to climate breakdown, which makes the worst extremes even hotter. If now is not the time to act decisively on the climate emergency, when will it be? Mark Wills, Northcote
Postscript
The unholy war in Gaza has filled the letters pages of late, and this week was no exception.
On Monday, Australia finally joined 147 nations by declaring its intention to recognise a Palestinian state. Readers' reactions were strong and varied.
Tired of what many saw as fence-sitting on the issue, Selwyn Glynn wrote: 'Well done prime minister, Australia can hold her head high.'
Andrew Macintosh agreed. 'Albanese's bold move in defiance of the US and Israel certainly put to bed the trope so loved by the opposition that he is weak and indecisive,' he wrote.
But Australian activists dismissed the gesture as 'just words', demanding more meaningful action.
'I agree that a far better strategy would be to apply maximum pressure on Israel, including through boycotts,' wrote Renee Chartres.
'Until trade, financial, cultural and sporting sanctions are introduced, many more lives will be lost,' added Scott McKenzie.
Hamas founder Hassan Yousef's alleged praise for Albanese's decision only stoked the debate. Israeli politicians and the Coalition were quick to condemn the PM.
Reader Irene Nemes joined in. 'Considering this pat on the back comes from a proscribed terrorist organisation, I wonder if the PM is eating humble pie,' she wrote.
Vivienne Parsons was also sceptical: 'All it is likely to achieve is to divide Australians.'
But Elisabeth Goodsall found something positive in all the dissent. 'Albanese must be on the right path. In internecine battles, as every parent knows, justice has been served when nobody is happy,' she wrote.
Australians certainly aren't happy with real estate agents. The Herald's ' Bidding Blind' series exposed rampant underquoting at property auctions.
After watching his children missing out on the home of their dreams, Warwick Spencer wrote: 'Just ban price guides altogether and go back to the old method of naming a price and haggling.'
Michael McFadyen suggested a legal requirement for the reserve price to be made public, and for the highest bid over the reserve to be made binding.
Rubbery price guides make it difficult to establish the real value of a property, but how much is 20 years of a person's life worth? Readers were unanimous that the $2 million compensation payment offered to Kathleen Folbigg for her wrongful imprisonment was 'woefully inadequate'.
Reader Benjamin Rushton's teenage son did a few sums using Lindy Chamberlain's $1.3 million payment in 1992 as a yardstick. Adjusted for inflation, he found Folbigg should have received $19 million, enough to live the rest of her life in the standard of accommodation she surely deserves.