Woke thinking in legal studies just the tip of the ideological iceberg

Janet Albrechtsen is right to highlight political speech is masking as core content at our university law schools and it may well be the tip of the ideological iceberg (“Degrees depend on woke ideology”, 22-23/3).

The long march through our institutions must have been encouraged by the newly revised Australian schools curriculum where maths teachers are expected to link core mathematical skills such as addition, subtraction, statistics, algebra and trigonometry to Indigenous culture and dance. When you get your head around this, it becomes clear our schools and kids have become ripe pickings for the whims of certain political puppetmasters.

This so-called intellectual takeover of our society correlates nicely with the dumbing down of education, and society as a whole.

Lynda Morrison, Bicton, WA

The plot thickens as revelations continue apace regarding certain universities’ Marxist, critical race theory-imbued law courses, which, coupled with oppressively totalitarian expectations of compliance, would ensure students toe the prescribed ideological line or face negative academic repercussions (“Uni’s political approach to legal studies”, 24/3).

The initial expose was thanks to the courage and conviction of certain Macquarie law students, who showed the nous and independence of mind and spirit to not only resist and oppose what is being forced upon them, but also to bring it out in the open, exposing a mother lode of political and activist extremism that has invaded law courses. The students’ act of coming forward and speaking out – may their numbers increase – should be approved by their universities’ critical race theorist bastions of “right think”.

After all, they have recognised they are being victimised by an oppressive and discriminatory system and are exposing, and opposing, it.

Deborah Morrison, Malvern East, Vic

The questionable subjects or approaches that now seem to infect university legal studies should not be too great a cause for concern because the solution is at hand.

As has been the case in the UK for decades, it should fall to the professional bodies to set admission examinations, rather than allowing law faculties to dictate who enters the profession.

If the professional bodies set the examinations, there is every likelihood that those examinations will focus on black letter law, practical subjects, rather than the wishy-washy woke junk that apparently now passes for critical legal education and jurisprudential technique.

This would allow the universities to set their own course content, pursue feel-good academic licence and give students a choice about whether they wish to actually study legal subjects that just might be of some use to the benefit of their future clients. I have a pretty good idea which path most law students will select. Demand will determine supply.

Neil McPhee, Camberwell, Vic

Renewables ‘stupidity’

Subsidies for renewable energy generators and now more relief payments for consumers – this is nonsensical and the height of economic stupidity.

We as a nation need to step back and think logically about the huge sums of money being spent on renewable energy and its benefits. Straining the economy when we are already struggling is suicidal.

Graham Nash, Eleebana, NSW

In defence of spending

Paul Dibb and Richard Brabin-Smith (“ ‘Trendy’ calls on defence spending miss the point”, 22-23/3) label the calls for increased defence spending as “trendy”.

While they rightly argue for defence spending to be focused on platforms that use unmanned technology, the importance of public recognition of the need for increased defence spending is crucial on the eve of a federal election.

To this end, Peter Jennings (“Cost of dying is higher than cost of living”, 22-23/3) reveals the importance of what he describes as Beijing’s rehearsal for war in the Pacific. Chillingly, he also notes the recent repositioning of satellites by China in manoeuvres that threaten US military and communication satellites. It was just such a development that was predicted by the late Jim Molan in his prescient book, Danger On Our Doorstep.

Vicki Sanderson, Cremorne, NSW

Price rises no mystery

It is difficult to understand why people are concerned that supermarket prices have risen in the past two years (Letters, 24/3).

The cost of production, wages, energy, service and transport have all risen. Everyone along the line is feeling the pressure. Whether it is a matter for the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission, or for Australian consumers to also better understand the cost of production and delivery in this country, is another matter.

Joanna Wriedt, Eaglemont, Vic