Dim as we are after 10 years of blown up aeroplanes, car bombs, massed shootings, and the destruction of two countries in the Middle East, most of us have worked out who is trying to destroy our way of life.
David J. Syme, Mollymook, NSW
What chance is there of the West maintaining vigilance against the greatest threat since the world wars when Western leaders find themselves incapable of identifying the enemy or uttering its name? Little wonder disaffected voters worldwide are peeling off support for those in the mainstream political establishment.
John McLeod, Sunshine Coast, Qld
It is clear politicians from both sides don’t spend enough time consulting the communities they claim to represent with a majority of people wanting the right to decide issues such as gay marriage via a plebiscite (“Gay marriage for us to decide, politicians told”, 16/6) and that includes 72.7 per cent of Labor voters saying it should not be decided by politicians.
But will Tanya Plibersek and Penny Wong accept a majority no vote on same-sex marriage if that is the result? I doubt it. They’ll simply claim the phrasing of the question was unclear and keep pushing until they get the result they want.
John Clark, Burradoo, NSW
What is it with the Australian Labor Party that it has a penchant for ruining the economy? The announcement that it will have larger deficits for longer than the Coalition should ring loud alarm bells for all Australians. Already, the ratings agency Standard & Poors has warned of a threat to the country’s AAA credit rating should such a program go ahead (“Delay in reaching surplus risk budget’s AAA rating”, 16/6).
While Australia’s budget deficit is relatively low compared with other Western economies, our benchmark should be one that we set against our record of deficit expectation and management. The performance of other economies should not be seen as an opportunity to plunge Australia further into debt. Do we want to become the next Greece? The odds, on the basis of Labor’s economic policy, are shortening.
Tim Sauer, Brighton East, Vic