LetteroftheWeek

Have strong opinions, write in an engaging way? You could win our Letter of the Week, and with it a book from our friends and sponsors, the publishers HarperCollins. This month’s book prize is Queen of the North by Anne O’Brien. To those around her she is a loyal subject. In her heart she is a traitor. In 1399 the fight for England’s crown has dire consequences. This is one woman’s quest to turn history on its head.

Rules: Best letter competition runs until January 19 next year. Entries close each Thursday at 5pm. The winner is selected by 2pm each Friday. Book of the month valued up to $49. Entrants agree to the Competition Terms and Conditions located at www.goldcoastbulletin.com.au/ entertainment/competitions, and our privacy policy. Entrants consent to their information being shared with HarperCollins for the express purpose of delivering prizes. I AM continually baffled by GoldDoc and Peter Beattie. Both deny any responsibility for killing trade in Broadbeach, Coolangatta and Surfers Paradise both during and after the Commonwealth Games.

However bonuses were considered.

The only thing Mr Beattie ran was the tourism and local trade on the Gold Coast into the ground during the Commonwealth Games, he ran the state into the ground with terrible debt, and then jumped ship, to a self-generated position as Queensland’s amabassador to the US ... and now the NRL want to.pay him as Chairman. When did Queensland ever need an ambassador to any country, I thought Kim Beasley did that job for Australia?

The NRL will go downhill even worse now with Mr Beattie at the helm of that sinking ship.

Get him to pay back any bonus or wage he got from Gold Coast ratepayers and Queenslanders for detroying the trade on the Gold Coast. We should demand all or any reimbursent to trade first come out of Beattie’s back pocket.

All of this needs to be recuoped from Golddoc executive bonuses, with Peter Beattie as a priority. BILLY KAZ, COOLANGATTA

THIS week as I listened to Question Time in the federal parliament my blood almost boiled as lie after lie was told. The Labor Opposition really need to have a good long think about their questions to prevent half truths being offered as answers.

For example the obvious question that needed to be asked was this: “Which budget followed the Abbott/Hockey 2014 horror budget, that restored the $40 billion mercilessly ripped from public health and education in that LNP 2014 budget?”

The answer is of course that it has not been replaced in any budget since that time.

Yes public health and education has since the 2104 horror budget been on ‘life support’, with annual small increases keeping it that way. The truth is that these ultraright-wing ideologs simply can’t tolerate anything with the prefix “public”. SHAUN NEWMAN

THE rescue of a baby from a fourth floor by a refugee who literally scaled to new heights is a story of the best of what we can do and...?

The other part of this is that it is not an “untold story”. There were many witnesses and many videos but only one climber although the next door neighbors must also be recognised for helping as well. What is a concern, again, is how many watched, filmed and photographed but how few helped.

Admittedly it was a difficult and dangerous rescue but other options should have been prepared – a blanket to catch the falling baby, a lot of prayers, somebody clearing the area so that rescue vehicles could get in easily.

Praise the hero and look for what can be done by everyone to make the world better. DENNIS FITZGERALD

I must protest at those unkind people who contrast the PR disaster of Barnaby Joyce’s recent career with the supposed PR skills of his new other half – you know, what the taxpayer gave her a salary for.

Until a bare few weeks ago the woman was pregnant. She now has two little boys to look after. Obviously, she was and still is a bit distracted.

But no doubt The Great Upcoming Interview will resolve all this and put Barnaby back where he should be. As a way of getting attention and concentrating thoughts, the interview is a stroke of PR genius, because the whole of Australia is agog to learn two things.

Firstly, how can such a loud supporter of Traditional Marriage simply walk away from exactly that? Secondly, just when he will divorce his wife so that he can traditionally marry his de facto? G.T.W. AGNEW

ABOUT ten years ago I twice threw a gate-crasher out after he had twice disrupted Barnaby Joyce giving a speech at a hotel.

Buggered if I’d do it now because, as far as I’m concerned, “One-eyed-snake-fever” inflicted Barnaby Joyce (with his, continuing appalling behaviour constantly, humiliating his wife and four daughters) has gone from “hero, to zero”! HOWARD HUTCHINS

THE ABC, who we the taxpayers pay for, continually tell us they are unbiased. What an insult.

Until there is an even amount of journalists from both sides of politics on the ABC it will remain that way.

They could use a quota system to ensure this happens. A system they continually tell us they are in favour of.

This will ensure better television. Instead of people putting forward their one-sided opinions and patting one another on the back we should get some great debate.

Come on ABC, do what you are very well paid for and give us fair reporting. ROD WATSON, SURFERS PARADISE