French deal was substandard
THE French took us for ride as soon as the ink dried on the sub contract. It actually showed a bit of responsibility by our Department of Defence to cancel it. The contract was signed on the understanding half the work was to be done in Australia. The French then did a 360 and advised Australia work was to be done in France. This doubled the price and, with delays and excuses from France, the price trebled with nothing to show for it.
I would not worry about President Biden as he cannot spell world backwards and thus would fail the dementia test. They don’t even let him answer questions from the press now, as he should be in home. He’s just a huge embarrassment to the Divided States of America.
As for antagonising China and regional neighbours, the Chinese Communist Party consistently lies and our immediate neighbours, including Indonesia and New Zealand, are irrelevant as they haven’t been ripped off by the French. As for relations with Japan, although America nuked it, they played a big role rebuilding Japan and its economy. America and Japan maintain a consolidated alliance.
Billions were lost and we even had a $400m cancellation fee, but it was the best possible decision Australia could have made, and it may be a wake-up call for other countries with whom we have ongoing defence contracts.
PORK AND PARTY POLITICS
WHY aren’t the benefits of Australia’s natural resources distributed equally to all Australians? Why should WA receive huge mining royalties, just because the minerals are there? This is no-brainer. All we see now with the GST carve-up is pork barrelling by politicians hell bent on party politics overriding the health, education and social equity of constituents.
Raymond Harvey
Claremont
BOTH SIDES?
Les Young Austins Ferry
READER Rod Force wrote that “the colonial story was driven by ambition, pioneering spirit, adventure” and claimed there are two sides to every story and we can decide which is right. What Rod omitted to mention is that colonialism was also driven by greed, arrogance, a sense of entitlement and a notable lack of humanity, resulting in cruelty on a massive scale. Sean Kelly
Mt Stuart
BRING ASSANGE HOME
THE CIA’s contemplation to assassinate WikiLeaks Julian Assange while he was sheltering in Ecuador’s London Embassy in 2017 emphasises that Assange must never be extradited to the US for exposing information that governments, particularly the US, would prefer to keep secret. The Australian government must lobby for his return home, but an independent decision against the will of the US is highly unlikely?
Kenneth Gregson Swansea
PM IN CLIMATE FIX
MORRISON’S reticence to attend the Glasgow Climate Conference speaks volumes. Although he is probably more bothered about being shunned by his new best friends once he tells them his asinine buddies in the National Party won’t give him the ball.
Ian Broinowski
Battery Point
FORESTRY FOREWARNED
THE emergence of renewable energy is a key factor favouring the protection of native forests. This is
because any carbon offset gained by product substitution (for example timber used instead of aluminium, concrete, or steel) could well be reduced dramatically as industry becomes driven by renewables.
Robust academic research in the past six years supports this position. Research that does not consider the energy revolution is incomplete.
This month the Australian Renewable Energy Agency announced a priority to “focus on decarbonising aluminium and steel supply chains”. Reportedly Tomago Aluminium, Australia’s biggest smelter, is in the vanguard and plans to switch to a largely renewable energy supply by 2029. If that was to occur, there would only be small offsets applicable for using wood rather than aluminium.
Novel materials such as low carbon forms of concrete and hemp masonry will reduce our carbon footprint, further reducing the case for logging native forests.
Tasmania needs to transition out of native forest logging and, in doing so, allow oldgrowth and regrowth native forests to continue storing carbon.
SPRING HAS SPRUNG
OH, the delight of finally feeling spring. Those clear cool mornings, the longer days, the heat on your back, the birds chirping, the blossom, and even whales passing.
But at the same time there are two other things that seem to escalate at this time of year. Starlings, an introduced bird species that will go to no ends to infiltrate your home, and Guy Barnett!
Paul Blizzard Blackmans Bay
PERMISSION?
Craig Brown Eaglehawk Neck
LONG-AWAITED electoral reforms to reduce political parties’ reliance on donations, and implied obligation to donors, by allowing for public funding of elections, is to be commended (“Reforms must boost democracy,” Mercury, September 28). Have the major parties obtained permission from Federal Group to pass the legislation? Elizabeth Osborne
North Hobart
WOKE UP THIS MORNING
FOLLOWING the concealment of the statue of William Crowther, I wonder how long it will be before history is no longer taught in schools if it is not approved by the “woke” brigade.
Marguerite Forbes Battery Point