LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

WAKE UP

I WAS at Grand Central this week and the alarms went off at full blast for five minutes straight. Everyone looked around and because no one seemed concerned, they continued shopping like nothing was happening.

Psychologists call this the “bystander effect”. During chaotic moments, people look to others to determine what is appropriate. When people look at the crowd and see no one else is reacting, it sends a signal that no action is needed.

Last year’s UN Climate Change report said we are at high risk of heating the planet so much it will become uninhabitable for most humans. UN Environment executive director Erik Solheim described it as “a deafening, piercing smoke alarm going off in the kitchen. We have to put out the fire”. However as we look around, our leaders carry on with business as usual.

The World Economic Forum has said we are “sleepwalking into catastrophe.” I pray the huge surge in climate protests can wake us all up in time.

ALISON FEARNLEY, Toowoomba

TRC PRIORITIES

WELL said Peter and Geraldine Castleton and also Neil Munro for your factual observations published in The Chronicle regarding both the TRC’s dysfunctional priority settings and the total waste of public finances being allocated to a possible Olympic Games where communities are struggling with just getting by due to the devastating drought.

South East mayors are dancing to the premier’s tune assuring you all is rosy in the garden where a referendum as to what the public might indicate otherwise.

Being a candidate for the upcoming local government elections, I am advocating most strongly for not only a complete change of councillors but also a total restructure of the TRC’s bureaucracy which as evidenced by recent very expensive legal matters is most definitely not business and ratepayer friendly.

MIKE FLANIGAN, independent candidate TRC 2020

GRETA THUNBERG

GRETA Thunberg, the little rich girl from Sweden, wants to chide us all over the lack of action on climate change.

Apparently where she comes from they are doing everything possible to curb carbon emissions. One looks at Sweden’s electricity generation to find that Sweden produces 40% of their electricity from three nuclear power stations and the balance comes from hydro electric power generators, which incidentally required snow and ice to melt to provide the water for the hydro electric generators.

Sweden was originally going to phase out nuclear power, however they have changed their minds now and will replace the existing nuclear power stations as and when needed.

Greta Thunberg has no comment on why Australia cannot have nuclear power or ask why we didn’t go ahead with the Gordon on Franklin Hydro dam in Tasmania nearly a generation ago.

Why? Well she is not told this by her celebrity parents who actively wind this child up to think the worst of Australia because they also have no idea or answers as to why we don’t have nuclear generators and more hydro dams.

JOHN FRIEND, Toowoomba

BRIDGE NAMES

MULTUGGERAH, John French and Brett Forte were physically impressive men. Multuggerah’s father was said to be seven foot tall. John was a rugby league player before joining the army and Brett was a hockey player before his police career. They were all killed in battle, protecting their mates. Multuggerah in 1846 at Glencore Grove in the 1841-1855 Frontier War, John at Milne Bay in 1942 and Brett in 2017 in the current battle against drugs.

I feel all three men would have insisted that their colleagues be acknowledged in any commemoration. This could be done without much effort by adding Senior Constable above the Brett Forte Bridge sign and Corporal above the John French VC sign. JEFF DAVIDSON, Toowoomba

BREXIT

MR Roger Deshon (TC, 12/9) and F. Barnes (TC 30/7) are proud Brits and great admirers of Boris Johnson. To me, Boris is just a blustering egocentric and a smaller version of Donald Trump.

As far as Brexit is concerned, the Brits knowing they are better than anyone else, started the European Trade Association in competition with the EU which evolved from the Benelux countries.

This was a flop and against opposition, reluctantly, Britain joined the EU but complained about it ever since as people like Nigel Farage could not be top dog.

The days of empire building are over and no country can afford to be isolationists. I think they will need some super glue to keep a stiff upper lip.

DENNIS VAN DE HOEF, Toowoomba