‘Handsome boy’ strikes again

Chris Bowen has just confirmed his light bulb is as dim as we thought.

Alex Cleave, North Fremantle, WA

Productivity should be judged like the brickies’ payment – that is, per brick.

LM Silbert, West Leederville, WA

The sight of our “handsome boy” clinging to Xi Jinping’s hand so gladly is cringeworthy.

Julie Winzar, Palm Beach, Qld

China fired flares at our helicopter blades over international waters. Anthony Albanese responded that we needed to improve communications, as though our poor communications caused the Chinese to attack our helicopter crew. President Xi now promotes Albanese as the exemplar of how other nations should treat China. Yeah, good one, Albo.

Nils Marchant, Ocean Reef, WA

As ever, the climate gabfest in Azerbaijan ends with guilt-ridden Western nations being blackmailed into paying trillions in compensation to developing countries, including China. And as ever, none of the promised largesse will be delivered. A case of good COP, bad COP?

Trevor Farrant, Hackney, SA

The international student debacle can be fixed with a set of rigid rules, stipulating each student receives one only visa and returns home at the completion of their course, or at the time of a de-enrolment. There should be exceptions only for those who obtain an employer-sponsored skilled visa.

The underlying assumption is that the skilled visa system is a tightly managed shortlist that accurately reflects demand reality.

William Mapleston, Ashgrove, Qld

I appreciate the way The Australian has had several articles, including editorials, about the huge flaws in character and competence of some of Donald Trump’s cabinet nominees. Trump chooses those awful people because of their loyalty to him. He wants the new Senate to go into recess so they can’t consider and vote about each cabinet pick.

He’d then just appoint them all himself. This is a critical period for America.

Bob Cowley, Broadview, SA

As columnist Timothy Lynch writes, thank goodness that so-called “progressives cannot easily translate cultural power (in schools, universities, Hollywood and the media) into political power”. But I doubt this is what “drives them nuts”. I think they’re nuts already.

Alan Baker, Mansfield, Qld