Fossil fuel drivers are taking all of us down with them

The justifications provided by drivers of diesel or petrolfuelled vehicles – eg, by citing New Zealand’s current coalburning electricity generation in their own defence – surely bears out the old adage that two wrongs don’t make a right.

These drivers don’t seem to comprehend that they, and their fossil-fuel emissions, are adding to, compounding, and speeding up the crisis of climate change, just as much as the coal-burning industries are.

They are wilfully heedless of the compounding damage each group, as well as theirs, is doing to the atmosphere – and to us.

It’s the old ‘‘Don’t expect me to do anything about it if they won’t!’’ excuse. They’re followers, not leaders.

But they’re helping to drive us all to inevitably catastrophic environmental effects, by their selfishness, and their lack of awareness and concern.

Clyde Scott, Auckland

Ministers unsuited

Much criticism has been levelled at our current Cabinet ministers, their comments and actions raising eyebrows everywhere.

Are they incompetent? Well, it depends on how you view it. They’re like most of us, if you’re in a role suited to your competencies then you’ll probably succeed.

However, ensuring those below you will never exercise the nous to challenge your authority is a ploy as old as time itself, a ploy that feeds the ego and insecurities of the leader.

It would be fair to say our prime minister and the way she allocates her ministers falls into this category. The ministers struggle as they’re simply not suited to their portfolios. The treatment Louisa Wall received would endorse this.

Robert Bicker, Gulf Harbour

Lack of sisterhood

Unlike Leith Wallace (Letters, April 17) I found the feature story on lawyer Sue Grey (whom incidentally, I had never heard of before) very positive and uplifting.

Ironically, there was a parallel between Wallace’s letter and Lorne Kuehn’s regarding the prime minister showing no ‘‘sisterhood’’ towards Wall.

Grey stated ‘‘I don’t like hate speech and those sorts of things’’ and ‘‘I would work with anybody who’s got a vision for freedom and democracy and those willing to work with others’’. . . Hear, hear.

Maria Thomas, Christchurch

Aid is self-interest

The opinion article ‘‘Why aid budget must increase’’ (April 17) was a timely reminder that we need to do more.

It’s not only a humanitarian priority; it’s also in our selfinterest. It’s only aid that can reduce the influence of China in the Pacific, not more military spending.

Kushlan Sugathapala, Auckland

Fair go for women

I spent my Easter weekend surrounded by families who celebrate their daughters’, sisters’, mothers’, wives’, aunts’ and grandmothers’ sporting participation and successes: the first of these, a competitive tennis player who punches well above her weight at regional and national tennis tournaments; another two who play top level hockey for their age groups in school and club teams; the cousin of one of these girls is a national champion in triathlon, running and swimming.

Being surrounded by so much sporting involvement and success made me reflect on how we’ve come such a long way in our attitudes towards girls and women in sport . . . that is, until I read the sports section of the Sunday Star-Times this morning, and (once again) found myself wondering: ‘Have the people who work at Stuff (yet again) failed to recognise the participation and successes of half the population?’

Katrina Dyne, Canterbury

An equal say

The issue of whether those who can claim some Ma¯ ori ancestry should have an equal say in how this country should be run is likely to carry on until the next election next year. I cannot claim any Ma¯ ori ancestry and having been born and bred here nearly nine decades ago, I guess I have as much right to put my head above the parapet as anyone else. Nowhere in the Treaty of Waitangi is there any mention of the word partnership. Indeed, it is my understanding that it is constitutionally not possible for the Crown (the Queen) to enter into partnership with her subjects.

My dictionary, in part, defines indigenous as being ‘‘born in a place’’. That means that I am as indigenous as most of the people living here. I find it objectionable that around 17%

of the population should have 50% of the say in how this country should be run.

Peter Patten, Auckland