PM must put policy above pies after embassy farce

You may say the original thought bubble was a blatant vote-seeking move that everyone in Wentworth could see through and was always going to be cancelled after the election. I couldn’t possibly say that. – Paul Stevens, North Epping

Politicians do resort to backflips to save their skin and regain their seats in the next election.

Modus operandi is to unleash the policy, wait and watch the degree of uproar it generates. If it’s disastrous, the backflip happens by saying, “We have listened to you”. In recent times, backflips to backflips have become popular too.

And, now, the new and innovative backflip: an announced policy with “less than 5 per cent” chance of proceeding, called a fumbled backflip, because it’s neither here nor there. – Muthukrishnan Srinivasan, Riverview

The PM is unconvincing in maintaining that our proposed trade deal with Indonesia was a completely separate issue from the possible move of Australia’s Israeli embassy to Jerusalem.

Morrison’s announcement was a “captain’s call”, without taking advice from foreign policy advisers, and his decision to consider scrapping decades of bipartisan foreign policy has made him look amateurish.

It’s time for Morrison to relax and be natural, instead of role playing the typical Aussie beer-loving, sporty male, which comes across as just as panicky as the embassy thought bubble.

His reasons for the backdown on the move to Jerusalem will be interesting pre-Christmas reading. – James Moore, Kogarah

Morrison is not “clearing the way for an embassy retreat” as your headline would have it. He’s admitting the whole “we’ll consider moving the Israeli embassy to Jerusalem” charade was nothing but a blatant, cynical attempt to buy the Jewish vote in Wentworth, with a “less than 5 per cent” chance of ever being implemented. – Richard Mason, Newtown

When will PM Morrison stop shooting from the hip? Surely it’s time to stop eating meat pies and begin calmly thinking important issues through to a good conclusion. – John Golden, Newport

The PM’s refusal to come clean over his retreat on moving our Israel embassy to Jerusalem to secure a trade deal with Indonesia will spell his future political demise.

Morrison’s gross error of judgement proves beyond any reasonable doubt his unfitness to lead our nation’s democracy in the 21st century. – Vincent Zankin, Rivett (ACT)

Morrison has told Indonesia that he will make a decision about the embassy by Christmas. Read “an announcement will be buried on Christmas Eve”. – Ian Kerr, Galston

Unhelpful to bring politics into alleged abuse dispute

Cate Faehrmann is less than sincere when she claims that some women who report sexual assaults are motivated by political factionalism (“I detest abuse but mob rule isn’t justice”, November 15).

As a self-described feminist, she would know that sexual crimes are under reported, that only a minority reach the courts, and that a majority of those cases that make it to court do not achieve convictions.

Faehrmann’s conclusion that because no finding has been made in a case, no incident could have occurred, is disingenuous. The young woman who made a complaint about a Greens MP was not a member of the Greens when the complaint was made, and so had no factional allegiances.

It is not helpful to bring in a political theory to explain an alleged sexual assault. That in itself could be seen to be factionalism. Claiming to be a feminist and then having a go at survivors is like saying “I’m not racist, but…” – Amalina Wallace, Erskineville

Faehrmann’s spirited defence of her colleague ignores the appalling judgment of her own party officials in not investigating this matter until some years after the event, and only then when pressured by media exposure. – Paul Jones, Glebe

If only it were as simple as just being stroppier (Letters, November 15).

Women don’t or can’t call out inappropriate behaviour as and when it happens because there are so many other societal and personal factors involved.

Some women are shocked that it happened, some might be paralysed by the experience and scared of the consequences. Others go into denial that something so abhorrent has happened to them after so many years of consciously striving for their own and women’s rights, doubting and saddened by their own experience. Childhood trauma of abuse can leave women with a deep inability to know what to do and a sense of terror of speaking out.

And after all of this, we don’t believe them anyway – especially when it’s her word against his. – Roz Townsend, Bathurst

The onus is not on women to speak up when they experience inappropriate behaviour. Knowing such behaviour can make people uncomfortable, the default position should always be “don’t touch other people”. – Hannah Lane, Wollstonecraft

Precisely when are males no longer regarded as children? Women shouldn’t have to teach adult men that it’s inappropriate to touch them at work. – Samantha Chung, Newtown

As a retired professional woman, I do wonder whether the established courtesy of shaking hands will eventually be regarded as physical harassment. I do hope not. – Ruth Rees, Lane Cove North

Jacarandas: Beauty or pest?

Good to see tourists appreciating some of our natural beauty that had been thoughtfully provided by our parents and grandparents (“‘Annoying’: Tourists transforming a quiet Sydney backstreet into selfie-city”, November 15).

We had a jacaranda near our home until recently, so big it lit up the sky in November and made you feel good on the way to work.

Ripped out with the permission of our alleged planners to make way for yet another rather ugly block of apartments. – Rod Hughes, Epping

Kirribilli’s jacarandas remind me of Grafton, NSW, where we lived in 1951. Almost every street was lined with jacaranda trees and the ground strewn with fallen purple blossoms. A sight well worth seeing. – Kevin Orr, Blakehurst

The jacarandas are brilliant at the moment but so are the gorgeous golden silky oak and the stunning scarlet Illawarra flame tree. – Michael Deeth, Como West

Well, here we go again, the annual jacaranda worship festival when the Brazilian natives invade the Australian native landscape with short-term purple beauty only to turn into a dangerous mess of rain-soaked flowers. – Allan Gibson, Cherrybrook

Imported weed. – Tim Schroder, Gordon

Climate change numbers don’t lie

Congratulations to Joseph Stiglitz on his well-reasoned article, and to the children in the US who are prepared to fight for their environmental future (“Forsaken children sue Trump to save their planet”, November 15).

I, like many others, despair at the thought of what sort of environment our children and grandchildren will live in, as a direct result of continued government inaction to address the pressing issue of climate change.

Government ministers argue that we are such a small country, and therefore our actions will make little difference, but on a per capita basis Australia is among the highest emitters in the world.

If all of the 90 or so nations that contribute less than 1 percent of emissions were to act, that would account for around a third of the global total.

We must put climate change action front and centre at the forthcoming election and make our politicians accountable too. – Alan Marel, North Curl Curl

Stiglitz outlines the disaster we are leaving for our future generations by not dealing with climate change. More specifically how simple and cost effective it would be with a carbon price. And he has a Nobel Prize in economics. Those who tore down our carbon price should face similar scrutiny, for both ruining our economy and our environment. – Peggy Fisher, Killara

Our Federal Energy Minister Angus Taylor calls out Woodside’s chief executive Peter Coleman’s call for a price on carbon as a cynical ploy to sell more gas (“Taylor, Woodside boss lock horns in climate debate”, November 15).

The notion that a business leader may also have a genuine desire to save the planet from climate change seems inconceivable to our politicians. The Liberals and Nationals backed the wrong horse on renewables and climate change action during Kevin Rudd’s first term of office. They continue to spend good political capital on that dud investment and it will cost them big time into the future. – Jim Lavis, Raglan

The Energy Minister criticises Woodside because of their position on a carbon price because they are “touting their own book”. So Woodside can’t “talk up” gas, but it’s OK for the entire government to talk up the coal “book”? Maybe a compulsory course in irony could be organised for our ministers. – Tony Mitchell, Hillsdale

$2b fund boost for small business

Christmas must be coming (“Banks welcome $2b small business loan plan”, November 15). At last we have an excellent initiative from the federal government on helping to develop small business, with the proposed small business loan fund.

Too often the government has been focused on reducing tax rates for such entities, with debatable benefits. Allowing small businesses to access cheaper funds will enable them to invest and create job opportunities and at the same time get a tax deduction for their borrowing costs. – Michael Blissenden, Dural

Is the announcement of a $2 billion finance guarantee for small business another thought bubble by the Treasurer? We remember his free movie tickets and cash refunds from turning off our air conditioners last summer to save power. How many energy customers received these benefits? – Cecil White, Yamba

Simple equation on penalty rates

It has been my experience that the only people who oppose penalty rates for shift work or weekend work are people who have never been awarded a Nobel Prize for anything at all and have never done shift work or worked weekends (“Nobel Prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz has backed unions on penalty rates”, November 15). It’s just that simple.

Brian Pymont, Frenchs Forest

Gene tests threaten diversity

With “landmark genetic testing to start for future parents”, if the options for future parents who carry genes for Spinal Muscular Atrophy and cystic fibrosis are to “choose not to have children” or for the pregnant mother to “consider termination”, then are we sending a message to those who have such health conditions that we’d rather they not exist (“Landmark genetic testing to start for future parents”, November 15)?

Let the genetic awareness help us all plan to support the true diversity of humanity and continue to research for medical cures instead of eradicating through non-procreation. – Polly Seidler, Darlinghurst

Morrison’s Aussie speech habits

As a former student of historical linguistics may I suggest another perspective to your correspondent’s criticisms of the speech habits of the Prime Minister and many others (Letters, November 15). Rather than regarding his observations of “water/warder”, “Parramadda”, etc as a symptom of laziness, perhaps it could be viewed as a development of a linguistic pattern.

It is a natural linguistic phenomenon for unvoiced consonants such as “t” to become their voiced consonant partners such as “d”, especially if occurring between two-sounded vowels.

His own example of “dawder” for “daughter” contains another example of historical phonetic development. Many moons ago the “gh” would have been pronounced “ch” as in Scottish “loch”. We no longer pronounce it as such. It appears that in Australia we are often conditioned to cringe at our use of English. It is a regional variation. The Prime Minister’s phonetic communication would have been clear to an Australian.

Language is not a fixed object. Let’s not overly moralise about what is simply a natural linguistic development. – Ralph Martens, Pokolbin

Coluzzi a Sydney treasure

Your correspondent is incorrect stating that “Sydney could never have a Pellegrini’s” (Letters, November 15).

We had the marvellous bar Coluzzi, run by the larger-than-life Gigi Coluzzi and his family. It was a Sydney institution and Gigi was a friend to thousands of regulars, serving fantastic coffee and often bursting into full-throated Italian songs and arias to the delight of all. – Nick Andrews, Vaucluse