Albanese takes gold among PMs for dividing the nation

Nick Cater sums it up perfectly: Anthony Albanese takes the gold for dividing the nation more than any prime minister before him (“Albanese’s ‘promise’ of unity has divided us”, 20/11).

Albanese has divided us on several fronts: the voice campaign; industrial relations reforms with unions pitted against employers; the cost of living with the haves and the have-nots and more people in poverty; failure to bring cultures together in the face of the Israel-Gaza conflict; allowing the cost of housing to escalate beyond the reach of Mr and Mrs Average, facilitated by over-the-top immigration; the list goes on and on.

Unfortunately, Albanese is not alone here: he has been aided by his “front row”, who again don’t seem to care if they divide us so long as they personally look good and powerful. They see themselves as aloof and better than those they represent.

Hopefully people are waking up and will remember all this at the next election.

John George, Terrigal, NSW

The last sentence of Nick Cater’s perceptive contribution on the dangers of unbridled multiculturalism reads: “(The prime minister) must remind new migrants of the unwritten rule that obliges every migrant to leave historical grievances behind.” Thus does he neatly summarise the traditional US approach that, until recently, helped produce an enviably successful migrant nation; that America become a “melting pot” of cultures, a sentiment well (and tunefully) expressed in British group Blue Mink’s 1969 song Melting Pot. Sadly, as Cater writes, recent shocking anti-Semitic demonstrations in America, the UK and Australia speak volumes of that melting pot being polluted by an overdose of divisive identity politics.

John Kidd, Surfers Paradise, Qld

Nick Cater reports that only 40 per cent of Australians believe it’s important to support Australia’s culture and way of life. That is indeed a depressing figure if it refers to fairness, mateship, discussion of differences without animosity, the rule of law, tolerance without surrender to the woke, a sound parliamentary system, incorruptible police forces, promotion on merit and so on.

If, however, it refers to the Australia envisaged and increasingly realised by the woke, including many in the ABC and radical politicians on the left, perhaps it’s good if only a minority looks forward to the continuation of that kind of Australia. It may be a vain hope but it would be wonderful if most of our people looked at the good things that have happened in our history and genuinely tried to continue and improve on those. Those who try to ruin our way of life by continued negativity about our past, our Constitution, our institutions, our tolerance and our sense of “live and let live” ought to be ashamed of themselves.

David Morrison, Springwood, NSW

Nick Cater reveals the effects of identity politics on social cohesion and patriotism in Australia today. That we are more divided, less proud, more pessimistic and more tribal does not bode well for the defence of the nation in troubled times. Identity politics is stock in trade for this government, yet thankfully the leadership of Jacinta Nampijinpa Price and Nyunggai Warren Mundine at the voice referendum inspired us to vote for unity rather than victimhood and induced guilt. However, recent events have shown up deep fissures in our society, and Labor’s inability to take a principled stand or condemn anti-Semitism without reference to Islamophobia is significant. Cater’s response to this mealy-mouthed moral equivalence is neatly expressed in his question of where are the hordes of Jewish people threatening mosques in Coburg or Lakemba.

John Morrissey, Hawthorn, Vic

Nick Cater contrasts the Prime Minister’s divisive principles with that of former prime minister John Howard. Australians, except those on the left and far left, long for the days when we were “relaxed and comfortable”. Progressives always want to change things socially, politically and economically. They are never satisfied. They cannot understand why others do not agree with them. When their arguments fail to resonate they resort to attacking opponents with labels such as racist, sexist, bigot, homophobic, transphobic and xenophobic. Rather than using a “crash through or crash” approach the Prime Minister needs to pick policies that impact on a majority of Australians, not just minorities.

Riley Brown, Bondi Beach, NSW