Last Post: Ex-PMs and their relevance-deprivation syndrome

Malcolm Turnbull and Kevin Rudd should take counsel not just from Confucius (Last Post, 12/11) but also from Socrates, who proclaimed, “When the debate is lost, slander becomes the tool of the losers”. Both are fond of impugning everybody else’s integrity yet cannot stand the heat of scrutiny. They both suffer from relevance-deprivation syndrome and should fade away gracefully.

Bruce Kennedy, Cammeray, NSW

Could the ex-PMs and former ministers such as those on the most recent episode of the ABC’s Q&A start their own party? How about the Neo Narcissists, with a mirror as their logo? Donald Trump could be the first guest speaker and honorary member.

Anne Lindsay, Stanthorpe, Qld

Generally speaking, when the head of an organisation is changed it presages a change in culture to something other than it is. When the head of the ABC changed, I thought this would follow. Not so. Come on Ita, do your job.

David Johnston, Woronora, NSW

Humble genius that he is, perhaps Donald Trump should have spent less time tweeting and more time reading. Had he done so he may have stumbled across some genuine wisdom from Abraham Lincoln, who so famously observed, “You can fool all the people some of the time, and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time.” Time’s up, Donald.

Brian Middleton, Margaret River, WA

Donald Trump should accept defeat graciously, like Hillary Clinton and the Democrats did in 2016.

Alan Franklin, St Ives, NSW

Greg Sheridan’s concern that Donald Trump “may be inclined to create a great deal of chaos on his way out” would appear to be an understatement (“Foolish sacking of Mark Esper leaves America exposed”, 10/11).

Paul Connelly, Gawler South, SA

I started school in Townsville in 1948 and learned to read with phonics (“Phonics trend will help reading”, 8/11). My daughter started school in Canberra in 1979 when they were teaching reading with a word recognition method. She really struggled with this, so despite the teacher’s assurances that all would be well, I taught her to read with phonics, which she found easy and fun. She is a university graduate and has always been an avid reader. Some things stand the test of time.

Barbara Campbell, Urangan, Qld

The media continues to use “epicentre” incorrectly. It is the point on the Earth’s centre closest to an underground earthquake and is not a fancy synonym for centre. It came into vogue after Wuhan.

Haydn Dixon, Mount Claremont, WA