Greens on the long march to political irrelevance

It looks as if the Australian Greens can’t see the wood for the trees (“It’s out with the old, in with a new breed of young activists”, 30/7). Apparently they still have delusions of grandeur, believing they’re the country’s only social democratic alternative and a potential kingmaker in a minority government.

At the same time there are hints of Leninist jargon, hardcore Marxist infiltration and a culture of “absolutism” that could conflict with their “18-year plan”. Thankfully, they appear to have no idea as to who or what they are, so hopefully they will soon become irrelevant.

Ross McDonald, Gordon, NSW

The Greens are clearly on the march. This is deeply troubling, given the party’s philosophy is essentially a blend of economic illiteracy, half-baked Marxism and postmodern pap. Surely it is time the ALP and the Coalition seriously considered joining forces against the Greens by exchanging preferences. This arrangement, incidentally, is tailor-made for the Greens-held Queensland electorates of Ryan, Griffiths, and Brisbane. Such a strategy could be incredibly effective in re-establishing what was once known as the “sensible centre” of Australia’s polity, or at the very least it is guaranteed to strip the Greens of three lower house seats at the next election.

There is precedent. In 1998, in what was then the federal seat of Blair, all major parties put Pauline Hanson last on their tickets. In the wash-up, despite Hanson comfortably topping the first preference poll, the seat ultim­ately went to the Liberal candidate, who had finished only third on the first count. And let’s face it: the Greens are far more dangerous to our national interest than Pauline Hanson ever was.

Terry Birchley, Bundaberg, Qld

Busy Burke’s challenge

Tony Burke will certainly be busy in the coming months, but in whose interests (“PM’s reshuffle puts the heat on busy Burke”, 30/7)? Just days ago, Judith Sloan informed us that Burke had ensured that CFMEU members had nothing to fear from skilled migration by using his influence over the Skills Priority List. The result was wellbeing consultants and cooks receiving priority over construction workers. It is no surprise to find that employer-sponsored skilled migrants create far better outcomes for Australia as they fill real labour demand. The task of “Busy Burke” will be to restore some respect for the immigration and home affairs portfolios in the wake of the shambles exposed in recent months. However, this is purely for electoral purposes. He certainly demonstrated formidable powers of persuasion in selling those industrial relations “reforms” to employer groups in his first coup as workplace relations minister in 2022.

John Morrissey, Hawthorn, Vic

Boats the tip of iceberg

The decline in surveillance of illegal immigration has produced a trickle of boat arrivals, yet to become a flood (“No stopping boats”, 30/7). Of greater importance is the number of migrants arriving by air, with a valid visa, who then apply for asylum and become involved in a lengthy taxpayer-funded series of legal actions. The overloaded system means there are now more than 70,000 cases awaiting assessment. The next problem is their removal when claims are rejected; currently 30,000 are awaiting deportation. This is exacerbated by an increasing number of criminals who, for spurious reasons, cannot be deported after serving their sentences. It would be a step forward for financial and security reasons if politicians of either party, instead of finger-pointing, addressed the problem and introduced legislation to resolve it.

Graham Pinn, Maroochydore, Qld

Olympic blasphemy

I understand Greg Sheridan’s outrage as he portrays the Olympics opening ceremony (“Paris shame shows West’s contempt for Christianity”, 30/7). Sheridan forcefully makes the philosophical case for what Pope John Paul II called “the culture of death”. However, I must say that I saw the scene he refers to and it went completely over my head. I wonder if this could be a case of “come in spinner”, where we get sucked into an outraged case of over-reaction that is exactly what the creators of the presentation intended, on the basis that all publicity is good publicity.

My position would be closer to that of letter writer Barry Dudding (Letters, 29/7) who, though offended as a Christian, said “it was also a compliment to Christianity”. While it’s great that Christianity has articulate thinkers such as Sheridan who vigorously express their convictions on philosophical and cultural grounds, I believe it’s not weakness to sometimes sit back, smile and let others slug it out.

Kevin Burke, Sandringham, NSW

There is no more egregious example of the decline of Western civilisation than the contempt for Christianity demonstrated at the Paris Olympics.

George Fishman, Vaucluse, NSW