Mark Latham — a beacon against political correctness

I once saw Mark Latham as a bombastic bogan bruiser; over time I have gradually come to admire him, a reader writes.

Mark Latham.

Straight talker hits the mark

Years ago, when Mark Latham was a politician, I saw him as a bombastic bogan bruiser, epitomised by his famously aggressive electoral eve handshake with the then PM John Howard. Either Mark has changed, I have changed, or we both have. “Crazy or brave” (Apr 2-3) showed a better, more thoughtful Latham. Over time I have (against my will) gradually come to admire him. I read most of what he writes and find I agree with almost all of it. I like the way he says what he thinks and doesn’t get caught up in the claptrap of political correctness. He is a beacon of straightforwardness and common sense among commentators who, unlike him, have nearly all retreated from saying what they really think for fear of retribution from the progressive academic left.

Bruce Bland, Rose Bay, NSW

Weekend Australian Magazine, April 2-3 2016.

It had been a pleasant Saturday morning. And then I saw Mark Latham on your cover. Whenever I see him, I think of what was famously shouted at the former British Labour leader Ramsay MacDonald: “Sit down, man. You’re a bloody tragedy.”

David Morgan, Ashfield, NSW

Thank you for your story on Mark Latham. I may not agree with everything he says, but I defend his right to say it. Those critics who try to shut him down or selectively quote him only make me more determined to listen to what he says.

Trevor Marshall, Hobart, Tas

Although I didn’t want him as PM in 2004, I respect the Mark Latham who emerges from Kate Legge’s article. The Latham Diaries and A Conga Line of Suckholes made good reading too, along with Latham’s earlier writing on economics. But it is his preparedness to say what no one else dares which really impresses me, especially his aversion to “identity politics”. Long may maddies like Latham inject good sense into the PC-ridden public debate.

John Morrissey, Hawthorn, Vic

I laughed, I cried

Trent Dalton’s “One small snip for mankind” (Apr 2-3) is up there with his best. It should be required reading for all men contemplating a vasectomy. Specialists should hand out copies with pre-surgery information packs. Hilarious and informative at the same time. Brilliant.

Beverley Browne-Baldock, Kensington Gardens, SA

I laughed and laughed while reading Trent Dalton’s article but spare a thought for my husband, who was on the operating table and halfway through the procedure when the power went out. Cheerily, the surgeon said: “Never mind, we’re close enough to the window and should have enough natural light to finish the job.”

Elizabeth Medley, Stirling, ACT

A vasectomy was the right decision for us as the doctor had said that if my wife fell pregnant again she might not survive the pregnancy or the birth and we might lose the baby. So I gave up my fertility to keep my wife alive and I have never regretted the decision. It was the right call. I encourage men in a similar situation to have the snip. It’s so much easier for a man to be made infertile than a woman.

Phillip Cunningham, Mount Druitt, NSW

Trent Dalton’s attempt to write about his experience of a vasectomy struck me as an inconsequential and verbose load of rubbish. Fancy devoting about a third of the article to the purchase and application of a depilatory cream. Was this supposed to be amusing? At least his wife got it right: “You’ll put it all out there and you’ll make yourself look like an idiot.”

Chris Phillips, Tanawha, Qld

It was my 34th birthday present from my husband — the consent form for his vasectomy. But what struck me about Trent’s article was not the search for a depilatory cream but his references to nuts, taters, plums, olives, spuds, balls and (surely hyperbole) seedless watermelons. After racking my brain I couldn’t think of a euphemism for ovaries. It’s obviously something we girls don’t do.

Pam McEwin, Royston Park, SA

What the Dickens

I enjoyed Phillip Adams’ “Is this a hospital?” (Apr 2-3). As a nurse who worked in psychiatric hospitals across Sydney, I vividly remember unions advocating for community services to be built prior to patients being evicted. Many of these buildings, damned as Dickensian at the time, are now comfortable offices, while many of the former occupants drift from homelessness into the prison system.

Andrew Saint, Trevallyn, Tas

Write to: [e-mail]; The Weekend Australian Magazine, GPO Box 4245, Sydney 2001. Letters must bear a full address and contact number.

The writer of April’s best letter wins two dozen bottles of Marko’s Vineyard oakless chardonnay and sauvignon blanc, made using fruit from 23-year-old vines grown in the high-altitude, cool-climate Adelaide Hills. Value: $648 or $27 per bottle