Menzies questionable on tyranny

The Liberal prime minister was not the defender of free speech you might expect

Maurice Newman’s assertions that Robert Menzies “abhorred all tyranny” and that, if it were left to Menzies, “free speech would now be an inalienable right” in Australia are fanciful (“Menzies had a word for Turnbull — it wasn’t ‘Liberal’”, 4/12). In 1934, when he was federal attorney-general, Menzies used all his powers in an attempt to prevent speaking visits to this country by two prominent anti-Nazi activists, Egon Kisch and Gerald Griffin. In 1938, after a tour of Germany, he spoke admiringly of Hitler — surely already the embodiment of tyranny — and lauded the achievements of his dictatorial regime. In 1951, as prime minister, he instituted a (failed) referendum to ban the Communist Party. Coupled with his government’s support of censorship in the arts, Menzies’ record as a defender of free speech and enemy of tyranny is far from impressive.

David Salter, Hunter’s Hill, NSW

Frightening children

Matthew McConaughey’s character in Interstellar would not win father of the year these days, saying: “When you become a parent one thing becomes really clear. And that’s that you want to make sure your children feel safe. And that rules out telling a 10-year-old that the world’s ending.”

Making children feel safe is the last thing on the minds of our teaching profession. Children are taught to fear the world is being driven to catastrophe by an older generation that doesn’t care. They learn this before they have even learned how to earn a living, cook dinner for a family or put a roof over anyone’s head.

That’s a long way from learning — as past generations did — to consider those less fortunate, to volunteer for charities that feed the poor and to feel excited about the journey of life for which they were preparing.

James McDonald, Annandale, NSW

Thank goodness the Australian larrikin isn’t dead. Last week among comments on placards at the students’ climate change protest in Tasmania was the delightful “I’ve seen better cabinets at Ikea”, which brought fits of laughter to our household. If we’re not going to give licence to the next generation to explore other possibilities what’s the point?

John Bain, South Bunbury, WA

Hard done by

So glad I’m not the only one to notice the increasing tendency of political commentators, a recent former prime minister (and offspring) and old Labor stalwarts to keep banging on about the “hard Right” of the Liberal Party (Letters, 3/12). Once this term was used to describe police states and military dictatorships, but the majority of these have arisen from the Left, not the Right. Using “hard Right” to describe those seeking smaller governments, less debt, lower taxes, less interference, less brainwashing of our children and a return to freedom of speech is deliberately erroneous and misleading, not to mention a calculated attempt to distract from our actual risk of an authoritarian rule via the socialist pathway of the conformist “progressive Left”.

Robin Barker, Bondi, NSW

I’m sick of being described as hard Right because I may have voted No in the same-sex marriage plebiscite.

Glenda Forster, Newmarket, Qld

Service mentality

In her piece “How hard can it be to show women respect” (1-2/12), Caroline Overington claimed the seat of Indi was a blue-ribbon seat held by the Liberals for 60 years pre-Cathy McGowan . Our dad, Rendle McNeilage (“Mac”) Holten, held the seat for the Country Party from 1958 to 1977. A charismatic, hard-working grassroots MP, it is no surprise two of his three daughters pursued a career in the social work profession. In those days, most politicians saw their role as serving their community rather than securing their seats.

Diana Holten Yallop, Surrey Hills, Vic