The thaw in relations between the leaders of South and North Korea (‘‘Crossing the line’’, April 28, p8) is very welcome news. It is to be hoped that the apparent newly found warmth and detente between South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un continue and strengthen.
However, there is still a long way to go before full harmony between the two nations can be achieved. The North Korean people seem to be living in a relatively primitive dictatorial system reminiscent of the early 20th-century USSR. Assuming that harmony is what Kim Jong-un now wants, it is going to take many years before the two halves of Korea are aligned both socially and economically. Kim has to spend a lot less money on armaments and a lot more on his people. Let’s hope that Kim really does see the light and makes this all happen.
Donald Trump does deserve some credit for bringing North and South Korea together for talks, as pointed out by Julie Bishop (‘‘‘It’s a result of his intervention’ ... Bishop salutes Trump’’, April 28, p8), even if it was in a very unconventional manner. However, I certainly would not go so far as to say that Trump deserves a Nobel Peace Prize, as proposed by Daniel McCarthy (Forum, April 28, p11).
Douglas Mackenzie, Deakin
What merit has Trump?
Daniel McCarthy says peace prizes to centre-left US politicians have been awarded ‘‘regardless of merit’’ and Trump merits one (‘‘Trump deserves the Nobel Peace Prize’’, April 28, p11).
What merit has Trump? ‘‘The world would be well served if [North Korea] simply stops further nuclear and ballistic tests and agrees to a non-proliferation framework.’’
So, less than the deal Carter made, under which North Korea did close down its fast breeder reactor; did go into a peace and reunification agreement with South Korea; did reconfirm its (then) membership of the nuclear non-proliferation treaty; did allow inspections and did commit (late!) to a disclosure and close-down regime.
Our Foreign Minister, rather than having our diplomats spin for their country, cuts out the underlings and claims, repeatedly, that North Korea has broken its past agreements.
It was the Republicans who prevented Carter’s deal from being made a treaty. It was the Republicans who delayed and held back the heavy oil shipments that were part of the deal. It was the Republicans who prevented commencement of the peaceful-only light water nuclear reactors under that deal. Only after sustained breaches by the US did North Korea abandon the deal and go to nuclear testing.
The Republicans broke the past agreements.
Now, getting less than those past deals is supposed to justify a peace prize to Trump ... if even so little is achieved.
That would, indeed, be a peace prize award ‘‘regardless of merit’’: a natural call for London’s Telegraph, but not a justified award.
Christopher Hood, Queanbeyan
Blunt force politics
So, our Minister for Foreign Affairs Julie Bishop credits President Trump’s threat of military action and the imposition of trade sanctions against North Korea for ‘‘kickstarting denuclearisation talks that were unthinkable just months ago’’ (‘‘Julie Bishop says Donald Trump deserves credit for the handshake that made history’’, canberratimes.com.au, April 27).
In choosing to ignore the fact that the US has quietly dropped its past insistence that it would only engage in negotiations with Pyongyang if it first agreed to denuclearisation surely smacks of the same chutzpah evidenced by the Prime Minister when he tries to take credit for the royal commission into the financial services sector.
If the threat of blunt force trauma is now considered to be de rigueur in enhancing international relations, I wonder when we can expect that approach to be wheeled-out against other rogue nuclear states such as India, Pakistan, South Africa, China and Russia, not to forget the arsenals of our ‘‘special friends’’ France, Israel, the United Kingdom and of course, the ‘‘great Satan’’ itself?
John Richardson, Wallagoot
Sign of times
Thanks to Anne Mroz (Letters, May 2) for putting words to a situation which had left me completely speechless.
I was absolutely astonished to see these signs when they were installed.
Where does this leave the driver travelling along Sulwood Drive who has had an accident with a turning vehicle? Is he/she culpable now? Do we treat these signs as the equivalent to a ‘‘give way’’ sign?
There are also situations where traffic leaving or entering Mannheim Street are met by vehicles driving straight across Sulwood Drive from the parking area expecting right of way, (which they do not have) and yet there are no warning signs in Mannheim Street.
I have raised this issue with ACT Roads some three to four years ago and with our local member. The whole area needs to be re-engineered but the government has claimed lack of funds. Perhaps we need to consider priorities for traffic safety rather than spending $13 million on a lakeside park without toilets.
John Turner, Kambah
Help in our interests
What a very different situation Australia would be in if we took a different attitude to two groups of people – the disabled and those unable to reach their full potential at school.
If we believed that both groups were able to contribute to society, and enabled them to do so, what a richer world we would live in, in two senses of this expression. We are so intent on talking about the cost of the disability pension (let’s change that expression for a start) we don’t mention the benefits, again in every sense of the word, of enabling the disabled to contribute to society and be part of it.
This week I have been served in shops by two disabled people. The first was particularly outstanding and that shop now has a customer for life.
Similarly we aren’t prepared to spend on help for the school dropouts – we’d rather keep building ever more prisons and keep them for life rather than give the help, in various ways, when they are younger so they can reach their full potential. Current actions reflect on the lack of recent knowledge of our politicians, who are merely repeating what has always been done (or not done) at enormous expense both financially for the nation and for those involved.
Would Malcolm Turnbull have reached his position if he had been born disabled or into a family which was violent or unable to feed him – or both.
Audrey Guy, Ngunnawal
Telling porkies
Re ‘‘The questions Mueller wants to ask Trump’’ (canberratimes.com.au, May 2) What would be the point? We all know that Trump would only lie anyway.
M. Jackson, Kambah
A breath of fresh air
Firstly, I would like to thank the Canberra Times for bringing us up to date on the latest legal precedents and HR perspectives on workplace farting (Public Sector Informant, Canberra Times, May 1, p4).
Seldom have I seen the subject covered as well or as fearlessly. Wilson’s descriptions really put the reader right there in the room at those face-melting moments when canvas is ripped in the modern administrative setting.
Paragraph by paragraph an understanding was gained of the latent career-wrecker that many of us take to work with us each and every day.
My particular concern rests with older workers, who would be well advised to become familiar with the hierarchy of aggravating factors that could see a withering glance escalating to a general HR breach, up through a violation of the APS code of conduct, or even the very charge of assault.
The general direction of the restive clacker is obviously key, as is avoiding the natural tendency to manually separate the buttocks for effect. But loss of muscle tone in employees well above age 50 presents a particular challenge, and may become a daily worry.
In enlightened decades still to come, very comfortable and inconspicuous muffler appliances will likely be available to the mature worker. Indeed, I am personally prototyping several versions (as the long-suffering staff at Canberra Hospital’s Emergency Room are well aware).
In the meantime I can only suggest that workplace seniors can adopt the practice of leaving offices and meeting rooms backwards to ensure that the perambulatory ‘pants party’ of the primordial cannot be held to reflect on specific colleagues.
Ross Kelly, Monash
Silence on animal cruelty
For Diane Cornelius (March 11), Mike O’Shaughnessy (March 9) Peter Snowdon (March 12) and Peter Curtis (March 7), I stand corrected on my delusional misapprehension that we have a ‘‘British cultural inheritance that aspires to kindness for animals’’ (March 5).
I have obviously spent too much time at the dog park in company with the Royal Sandringham Society of Nicely Rotund Labradors.
The reality was (again) captured when international media coverage of the Commonwealth Games ran in parallel with the barbaric cruelty of Australia’s live animal export trade. Add coverage of the RSPCA’s intervention in Queensland’s dog fighting industry and a kangaroo stoned to death in China.
I would have been ecstatic to hear Prince Charles provoke a diplomatic and political incident with words conveying ‘‘Stuff it, I’m off – find your own head of state. You have all the makings of a corrupt, war-torn, cruel and repugnant banana republic’’.
When our first President of the Republic of Australia is about to pledge their oath of service, will they too look the other way and remain silent on suffering, misery and cruelty?
Ronald Elliott, Sandringham, Victoria
Let’s boost foreign aid
I note that government revenue is now believed to be so healthy that we no longer need to increase the Medicare levy to fund the National Disability Insurance Scheme, and that we can also afford a $65 billion tax cut over 10 years for big business.
That sounds like the government coffers are awash with funds.
Maybe now we can address the appalling state of Australia’s foreign aid budget? I remember when there was bipartisan support for increasing the foreign aid budget to 0.5 per cent of Gross National Income, but now it languishes at around 0.2 per cent.
When is it going to be the turn of the world’s poor, many of whom live on our doorstep?
David Bailey, Deakin West
Tax grab on units
The analysis of the increase in unit owners’ rates (‘‘Rates impact unfair’’, May 2, p15) appears accurate and highlights how most units are now taxed at the higher rates because the ACT government has decided to add units’ values together before deciding the rate of tax.
I pity people living in a modest unit located in a big block of units. It also highlights how the Chief Minister uses ‘treasury officials’ to defend his government’s decision, rather than having the courage to defend the latest tax grab himself.
Bruce Paine, Red Hill
Tough times for youth
Experienced economists - such as CT contributor Nicole Pedersen-McKinnon (‘‘Federal budget can help the ‘gig gofers’’’ Canberra Times, May 2) and Access Economics spokesman Chris Richardson, are now highlighting how the historically low level of government payments for Newstart etc. are helping create a new phenomenon of youth inequality in Australia. High youth unemployment and cuts to vocational training aggravate the adverse impacts on the young. Voters should not hesitate to express their views about this.
Trevor Wilson, Chifley
Hayne lifts the lid
The article’s euphemisms would do a poet laureate proud (‘‘Report is a must read for any business leader’’, May 2, p21)! A ‘‘road map’’, in the context of the CBA, and other potential corporate donors, which ‘‘addresses weakness’’ would in plain speak, referring to ordinary mortals, involve doing porridge for criminality using the map to locate the prison! The $1b capital surcharge, described as a ‘‘little sting’’, must surely represent Paul Keating’s version of ‘‘being hit with a wet sheep‘‘. Public relations expenditure resulting in framing the Gordon Gekko scrabble for profits at all costs, as ‘‘dulled the senses of the institution’’, represents well rewarded genius in polishing reality. This Commission brings into sharp relief the functionality of the cabal of sinecured directors who flit between corporations, drawing kudos, and bags of cash, as their ‘‘desensitised’’, Jekyll and Hyde avariciousness would appear to add nothing of moral value to quality community outcomes.
Auditors should also come within the purview of the commission, as their behaviour in acceding to the egregious demands of corporations reflect total abdication of professional ethics.
Hopefully Hayne’s investigations will lift the lid on the whole rotten corporate structure.
Albert M. White, Queanbeyan
TO THE POINT
STOP THE ENDLESS PAP
The ABC management seems hell-bent on destroying our public broadcaster (‘‘ABC job cuts a dogfight likened to Hunger Games’’, May 3, p2). We now live with a reduction in news content, reduction of local content, seemingly endless repeats of ‘‘human interest’’ interviews and stories.
I’ll contribute 20 cents a day with the rest of the community to see a restoration of a critical, informative broadcaster with a healthy mix of news media and informed content instead of being served up the endless course of pap we receive under the current regime.
W Book, Hackett
LOSE ALLEN ... LOSE ME
I refer to Megan Doherty’s story ‘‘ABC job cuts a dogfight likened to Hunger Games’’. I am appalled to read that Canberra’s most outstanding TV newsreader, Craig Allen, is having to fight for his job.
Craig is a very popular newsreader, because he articulates well and enunciates clearly. If he goes, I’ll be turning to a commercial station for the evening news.
John Milne, Chapman
WE’RE STILL WAITING
The hospital waiting lists are to be expected after all if you waste $1billion on a toy tram there is not going to much left to go towards maintaining the hospital and aged care facilities.
Obviously our chief minister and the rest of this dreadful ACT government all have private health insurance and can circumvent any queues.
David Roberts, Belconnen
MOVING FORWARD?
A complete overhaul for the Belconnen Town Centre allowing for genuine skyscrapers – yet no mention of the future light rail? Isn’t Belconnen included, even in the future?
Ben Hardwick, Bruce
BE ROO-SPONSIBLE
What happens to the carcasses (‘‘ACT aims for biggest roo cull yet’’, May 3, p1)? Hats, pet food and kangaroo tail soup? Why waste.
Greg Cornwell, Yarralumla
WILD ABOUT HARRY
I think I could become a monarchist if we can have Harry as king. That guy looks and acts like a king. William looks more like a priest, or an accountant.
SW Davey, Torrens
NORTH MEETS SOUTH
As Rudyard Kipling’s poem starts, ‘‘Oh, East is East, and West is West, and never the twain shall meet...’’ but North and South have met as the poem further suggests when ‘‘...two strong men stand face to face...’’.
We may all have concerns and reservations but at least one step has been made – well, actually two with the crossing back and forth between the two Koreas. Now we can start to hope.
Dennis Fitzgerald, Box Hill, Victoria
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