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The Age
06-05-2025
- Politics
- The Age
First step for the Libs? Embrace modern Australia
To submit a letter to The Age, email letters@ Please include your home address and telephone number below your letter. No attachments. See here for our rules and tips on getting your letter published. ELECTION FALLOUT Peter Dutton lost his seat of Dickson comfortably, in what was a total repudiation of him, his party and its policies (or lack thereof). Struggling in the campaign, Dutton resorted to culture wars over Welcome to Country. Dutton thrived on the politics of grievance and the stoking fear and division. The vast majority of us have said 'this is not who we are, nor who we want to be'. The Liberal Party must now decide how far to the right they are prepared to move to rebuild. Gina Rinehart wants them to go further (' Rinehart blames 'left media' for Coalition wipeout, claims voters 'very short on understanding',' 5/5). Given the Liberal Party's links to the likes of right-wing lobby group Advance, their willingness to use members of the patriarchal and misogynistic Exclusive Brethren in the election campaign, and that three potential leadership contenders – Angus Taylor, Andrew Hastie and Dan Tehan – attended the conference for the climate change denying Alliance for Responsible Citizenship in London in 2023, one must wonder. Rod Eldridge, Derrinallum Contemporary women Charlotte Mortlock is correct in being frustrated that her own party fails to take her advice as a woman seriously (' The Liberal Party is still beholden to a small cohort of angry men. Women have had enough ', 6/5). Sadly, the very Anglo-centric nature of women selected in parliament, including teal candidates, also don't reflect the small business owners in my area who come from educated multicultural backgrounds. These women don't like the oft-cited 'pub test' political analogy – they don't go to pubs as it's not part of their culture and sadly some feel uncomfortable in that blokey environment. Genuine reform means choosing women from diverse backgrounds who have different life experiences and seeing more nuanced perspectives on what it means being a modern day Australian woman. Mel Smith, Brighton An existential crisis Beyond questions of leadership and policy, the Liberal Party must look at its basic principles and consider how closely they reflect modern Australia. That might reveal that the Liberals really do face an existential crisis. A political party based on principles including individualism, limited government and low taxation seems to be at odds with a country that pressures its government to do more and more for its citizens. This creates a huge problem for true liberals, because by definition, they do not want to interfere in people's lives. They prefer a light touch government that leaves people free to live as they wish, provided they do not harm others. But that doesn't match modern, progressive Australia that seems to be constantly demanding the government address an ever expanding list of problems and issues. The Liberal Party can move to the moderate centre, but they will reach a limit beyond which they cannot go and still call themselves liberals. Rod Wise, Surrey Hills Building a coherent story Peter Hartcher's insightful analysis (' Election delivers hard lessons for the Libs. But they can't say they weren't warned ', 6/5) of the Liberal rout in Saturday's election sums up the major shortcomings of the Liberal Party, but does not address their fundamental problem. To be a party electable, voters want a coherent story and direction. Making off the cuff policy statements a la working from home and continually being negative does not inspire confidence. Peter Dutton raged about the cost of living and housing crisis but offered no well-planned solutions. The Liberal Party could well follow Labor's example in holding annual conferences where policies are debated under the umbrella of a guiding philosophy that outlines the party's guiding principles. Federal elections should be a competition between clear policies and ideas, not a slanging match between personalities. Until the Liberal Party establish what they stand for, they will remain in the political wilderness. Graeme Lechte, Pascoe Vale THE FORUM Leave it to the politicians Gina Rinehart still doesn't get it. She is advocating that we continue to embrace Trumpism despite the Coalition's massive loss. She is also blaming the left-wing media. My advice to Rinehart is to leave the politics to the politicians and sit out on her balcony with a cold one and count her money. She is a very fortunate woman. John Cummings, Anglesea Pulling the strings No surprise that Gina Rinehart wants the Liberals to move further right. She sees herself as Australia's Elon Musk, pulling the strings of an Australian Trump-like Liberal Party. She has somehow missed the fact that most Aussies don't like Trump and his ilk. Marie Nash, Balwyn Begin again I completely agree with Gina Rinehart's statement that the Liberal Party should move further to the right. That will hasten the Liberal Party's fall into oblivion. From its ashes new parties and independents will arise, free of lobbyists and vested interests, who are more attuned to the needs of average Australians. Barry Lizmore, Ocean Grove
Russia Today
16-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Russia Today
Shakespeare museum to be ‘decolonized' over ‘white supremacy' claims
The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust (SBT) plans to 'decolonize' its extensive museum collections, after research claimed that William Shakespeare's legacy has been used to advance 'white supremacy', according to The Telegraph. The SBT, which manages properties linked to Shakespeare in Stratford-upon-Avon and holds key archival materials, is exploring the 'continued impact of Empire' on its collections and how 'Shakespeare's work has played a part in this,' the paper wrote on Sunday. The initiative reportedly follows a 2022 study conducted in collaboration with Dr. Helen Hopkins from Birmingham City University, which criticized the trust's attractions for presenting Shakespeare as a 'universal' genius, an idea that supposedly 'benefits the ideology of white European supremacy.' The study argued that portraying the English playwright's work as the standard for high art reinforces 'white Anglo-centric, Eurocentric, and increasingly 'West-centric' worldviews that continue to do harm in the world today.' As part of its 'decolonization' efforts, the SBT has organized events celebrating Bengali poet Rabindranath Tagore and a 'Romeo and Juliet'-inspired Bollywood dance workshop, The Telegraph said. The SBT's latest initiative has sparked criticism online. Conservative academic and writer Adrian Hilton described it on X as 'quite mad.' Shakespeare, he wrote, 'is the greatest in history: an unparalleled mind, undisputed genius, and the most magnificent jewel in the crown of British culture.' He added: 'Why would @ShakespeareBT seek to trash their brand with this nonsense?' Political commentator Darren Grimes remarked that 'the man who shaped the English language is now a problem because his greatness is too… British.' User Bernie believes that 'everything we know and love is being destroyed on the altar of liberalism.' Another user, iamyesyouareno, interpreted the Trust's decision as an attack on cultural values, saying: 'They despise everything you find important and seek to humiliate you.' Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk reposted the message with two exclamation marks. !! Shakespeare (1564-1616) is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. His works, including 'Hamlet', 'A Midsummer Night's Dream', and 'Henry V', have been translated into every major living language and are performed more often than those of any other playwright.
Telegraph
16-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
Shakespeare's birthplace to be decolonised after ‘white supremacy' fears
William Shakespeare's birthplace is being 'decolonised' following concerns about the playwright being used to promote ' white supremacy '. Shakespeare's Birthplace Trust owns buildings linked to the Bard in his home town of Stratford-upon-Avon. The trust also owns archival material including parish records of the playwright's birth and baptism. It is now 'decolonising' its vast collection to 'create a more inclusive museum experience'. This process includes exploring 'the continued impact of Empire' on the collection, the 'impact of colonialism' on world history, and how 'Shakespeare's work has played a part in this'. The trust has stated that some items in its collections and archives may contain ' language or depictions that are racist, sexist, homophobic, or otherwise harmful'. The process of 'decolonising', which typically means moving away from Western perspectives, comes after concerns were raised that Shakespeare's genius was used to advance ideas about 'white supremacy'. The claims were made in a 2022 collaborative research project between the trust and Dr Helen Hopkins, an academic at the University of Birmingham. The research took issue with the trust's quaint Stratford attractions, comprising the supposed childhood homes and shared family home of Shakespeare and Anne Hathaway, his wife, because the Bard was presented as a 'universal' genius. This idea of Shakespeare's universal genius 'benefits the ideology of white European supremacy ', it was claimed. This is because it presents European culture as the world standard for high art, a standard which was pushed through 'colonial inculcation' and the use of Shakespeare as a symbol of ' British cultural superiority ' and 'Anglo-cultural supremacy'. Veneration of Shakespeare is therefore part of a 'white Anglo-centric, Eurocentric, and increasingly 'West-centric' worldviews that continue to do harm in the world today'. The project recommended that Shakespeare's Birthplace Trust recognise that 'the narrative of Shakespeare's greatness has caused harm – through the epistemic violence'. The project also recommended that the trust present Shakespeare not as the 'greatest', but as 'part of a community of equal and different writers and artists from around the world'. The trust then secured funding from the Esmee Fairbairn Foundation, an organisation that finances projects that boost diversity and inclusion, to help make the collection more international in its perspective. As part of its commitment to being more international in outlook, the trust has so far organised events celebrating Rabindranath Tagore, a Bengali poet, and a Romeo and Juliet-inspired Bollywood dance workshop. The trust will continue looking at updating the 'current and future interpretation' of objects in its collection. It will also explore how objects could be used as the focus for new interpretations which tell more international stories, in order to appeal to a more diverse audience. It has additionally pledged to remove offensive language from its collections information, as part of a 'long, thoughtful' process. The collections contain not only some of the limited contemporary documents linked to the Bard, but archived material, literary criticism, books linked to Shakespeare and gifts from around the world offered in honour of the writer. The ongoing closing of sites linked to Shakespeare comes following a trend for more racially-focused criticism of the playwright in the wake of Black Lives Matter protests in 2020. The Globe Theatre in London ran a series of seminars titled Anti-Racist Shakespeare which promoted scholarship focused on the idea of race in his plays. Academies taking part in the series made a number of claims, including that King Lear was about 'whiteness', and that the character of Prince Hamlet holds 'racist' views of black people. A statement from the trust said: 'As part of our ongoing work, we've undertaken a project which explores our collections to ensure they are as accessible as possible.' Properties run by the trust, including his family home New Place, are not original buildings Shakespeare would have known, but later reconstructions.
