Ukraine the frontline for democratic freedoms of the West

In his masterful article, Tony Abbott emphasises the urgency with which democratic nations must support Ukraine’s war effort against Russia (“Ukraine’s war with evil tyrant Putin is our war as well”, 17/6).

If Ukraine fails in its efforts, then the next to fall will be Moldova, Georgia, “the Stans”, the Baltic States, Poland etc. Ukraine has become the bulwark to stop Russia’s further expansion.

We see today that Israel is the bulwark to prevent the expansion of aggressive, radical Islamism. As Bob Hawke stated, “If the bell tolls for Israel, it won’t just toll for Israel, it will toll for all mankind.”

Jeffrey Smith, Cannington, WA

If ever there is a time when the free world needs strong leaders, it is now. Tony Abbott once again nails the looming threat that the triad of dictatorships – Russia, China and Iran – poses to our democracy and way of life. The saying “For evil to survive, it is sufficient for good men to do nothing” rings true. To maintain peace, sometimes we must fight for it.

Tim Abrams, Beecroft, NSW

List of failures

In just two years the Albanese government has racked up an impressive list of failures that will haunt this country for decades.

It has developed an energy policy that will guarantee energy poverty and destroy productive land; a defence policy that will guarantee that we are defenceless; an immigration policy that spurs social division and fuels the housing crisis; a foreign policy position presenting Australia as an unreliable friend and an impotent ally; and an economic policy ensuring cost-of-living pressures continue to inflict maximum pain on families and businesses and destroy the aspirations of young Australians. We also have an Indigenous Australians policy that ensures the lives of our most marginalised remain unimproved.

Unapologetic for these failures, the government spends its time arguing about the 1 per cent we contribute to global emissions while the world’s biggest emitters skirt the rules and laugh at this government’s folly.

There is no indication that its priorities will change, that it will engage in any mature debate. The worst part is that because of the government’s failures, we are conditioned to expect failure ourselves. We are losing our sense of worth as a nation and now accommodate, even nurture, those who wish to harm us. The Albanese experiment has a sense of failure around it.

T.Trotter, Brisbane

Voice-like campaign

I can’t help making the comparison between the voice debate and the renewables dogfight that we are supposed to engage in. Anybody who disagreed with Anthony Albanese’s voice doctrine was labelled a racist or worse.

Common sense and sensible argument prevailed, with a resounding defeat to Albo.

Watching Peter Dutton and Ted O’Brien explain how renewables alone will fail to meet Australia’s energy demands, then listening to the string of personal abuse coming back at them from the Prime Minister and Chris Bowen is depressing – no business case, just attack the man. I think we are seeing voice 2.0.

Mark Postle, Mundubbera, Qld

Renewables dilemma

Judith Sloan’s update on where Australia and the world are on emissions reduction targets shows Peter Dutton is treating voters as adults, unlike his counterparts (“Dutton sets sail on the rising winds of climate fatigue”, 18/6).

It is significant that Western Europe is walking back on its commitments to certain climate measures, while it is obvious that the major emitters in Asia are increasing emissions.

Even Chris Bowen should recall that COP28 in Dubai endorsed nuclear power as an option, and worldwide there is recognition that in the short term, gas is required to do the heavy lifting on emissions reduction.

Sloan also reminds us that population growth and the push to electrify everything will put even more pressure on a grid that is being gradually starved of baseload power.

She also points to threatened industries such as aluminium production, and to resistance from regional communities to the depredations of wind and solar and the transmission lines required to connect them.

As for the government’s Capacity Investment Scheme, Sloan shows it to be another misrepresented setup, like the Future Made in Australia policy, where the taxpayer underwrites the risk for those who are in the renewables market.

John Morrissey, Hawthorn, Vic

Humouring them

Acclaimed American comedian Jerry Seinfeld has demonstrated that the best way to counter radical left-wing protesters is satire laced with a healthy dose of mockery and sarcasm (“Meet the putdown: Seinfeld’s answer to pro-Palestine heckler”, 18/6).

Riley Brown, Bondi Beach, NSW