Letters to the Editor: Christmas a poor second to backbiting

It has always been a great family day, to which Christmas obviously runs a poor second.

In response to Father Peter Day and other Christian whisperers, Danny Katz ("Modern Guru", The Good Weekend, December 23) brilliantly voiced the new and old underbelly of Xmas, particularly with his referenceto the December 25 celebrations in the Chumbivilcas province of Peru, where they celebrate Takanakuy. They wake up in the morning and start drinking alcohol at brekky.

Once they are smashed, they meet up with good friends and loved ones and start beating the crap out of each other to settle old conflicts and family disputes, drinking more alcohol between skirmishes to dull the brain.

Actually, it's not so much different from a traditional Canberra family Christmas.

In the new world represented by the massive change in religious views and ethnic cultures charted by the 2016 Australian Census, common sense suggests shopping complexes such as Westfield could at least provide an aluminium pole near Santa so that while the kids do whatever on Santa's knee, their family members can unbutton and get into it around the pole.

The ACT government could advance the cause by doing the same around its publicly provided Xmas trees.

It's called equality isn't it?

Wayne Grant, Swinger Hill

Re Geoff Rohan's letter "Get out of the fast lane" (Letters, December21).

He expressed a wish to point out why drivers race around and cut in in front of other drivers. The answer is already well known: they are idiots.

It is not "common" for vehicles in the ACT to "saunter"in the right lane. Vehicles exceeding the speed limit outnumber the "saunterers" enormously.

Vehicles travelling at the speed limit are not blocking anyone. If a driver in the right lane is "ambling" alongside a vehicle in the left lane, probably many other drivers in the left lane are also ambling,and probably at the speed limit.

Very importantly, often drivers in the right lane cannot safely move to the left. With the officially recommended three-second separation of vehicles, the spacing is only about 30metres.

Cutting into such a space (which rarely exists) would dangerously create two spaces of only about 12metres, thus cause following vehicles to temporarily reduce speed to re-create proper spacing – all so that one speed hog in the right lane can move up in itsqueue.

Staying in the right lane is often the right thing to do.

Also, right-hand lanes in cities are not provided primarily for overtaking.

They are provided to permitadequate separation ofvehicles.

Continually changing lanes is dangerous. There are not many kilometres of 100km/h roadway in Canberra.

Driving just below the speed limit on these roads because of "a righteous right-hand lane hugger" is unlikely to cause more than a minute's delay on any journey.

Keep to the speed limit,Geoff.

If you adopt this simple "civil" behaviour, you will seldom be disadvantaged by alane-hugger.

Bob Salmond, Melba

The comment that Canberra "will get a gold-plated tram network at the expense of people in Melbourne's outer west" is accurate.

Infrastructure Australia – the apolitical national organisation funded by taxpayers – has never ranked the tram as a national priority.

Hence, it is the case that people in the rest of Australia have missed out because some of their money has been spent on the tram, rather than on a priority project.

Furthermore, the agreement with certain unions means the tram and nearly all other construction activities in the ACT cost more than they need to – "gold plating" – that the community pays for via higher taxes and/or directly (for example, via inflated house construction prices).

At least 2017 ended with some truth from a politician. May the trend continue in2018.

Bruce Paine, Red Hill

Derek Wrigley (Letters, December16) is right to highlight the need for reliability in the driverless cars of the future.

However, he can expect that the computer technology and artificial intelligence built into these vehicles will assure adequate safety, in conjunction with compatible traffic infrastructure.

The technology will follow that used in aircraft, which for many years now have used safe, triple-redundant computer control.

Modern aircraft are in fact "driverless" for most of the time in the air. In respect of his complaint about lack of discussion in the media, he is being somewhat remiss. On the internet there is no end of information, for and against, about driverless vehicles and their technology; one only needs to read it.

M. Flint, co-ordinator Smart Canberra Transport, Erindale

Roger Quarterman fears a "lawyers' picnic when the first car/cycle collision occurs" under the trial rule allowing cyclists to safely use pedestrian crossings without dismounting (Letters, December21).

He effectively concedes that his fears are overblown, since such a collision evidently hasn't occurred in at least the two years of the trial.

During that time, considerable inconvenience and time has been saved by those cyclists who would have complied with a dismount rule. Of course, the kind of idiot the old rule was designed around would never have dismounted anyway. And what about joggers?

Should they have to remove their shoes to prevent them running across unsafely? Users of mobility scooters?

Ian Douglas, Jerrabomberra

So the United States, having invaded well over 100 countries since the end of World WarII, manipulated domestic politics in almost every continent, not to mention causing havoc and massive destruction (eg Vietnam, Afghanistan, Iraq), the Trump administration now wants to make the locals pay for all this?

Do we just ignore the massive profits US companies have made from everything from the arms trade to reconstruction after the devastation the arms trade hascreated?

Cost-benefit analysis please. Who is winning?

Kerry Foster, Allambie Heights, NSW

It is now nearly eight years that the derelict Albemarle and Alexander Buildings have remained an eyesore for the people of Woden Valley.

Nearly every window has been smashed in the 10-storey buildings, and all external walls have been substantially covered in graffiti.

In the past Andrew Barr has attempted to wash his hands of the matter by claiming the condition of the building is a matter for the private owners, and they in turn – Doma group – have claimed it's too expensive to demolish or renovate the buildings and that they can't sell them.

Surely the government can do more than this, and similarly these costs are business risks the owners have to bear.

If the ACT regulations are so weak that the Woden situation can be replicated elsewhere, then it's about time Labor and Liberals stopped their tit- for- tat politics and joined together for the public good.

I sincerely hope the new town plan reference to "government discussing with property developers ways to make vacant buildings safe" is not put forward as the solution. What really is going on?

Bill Bowron, Farrer

Keith Croker (Letters, December 21) feels strongly that moving the agriculturally oriented APVMA to rural Armidale in Barnaby Joyce's electorate is evidence of pork barrelling, but leaving it in the totally urbanised one-party state/territory of the ACT isn't.

I wonder what he thinks of all those middle-class Canberrans heading out to the middle-class corroboree at EPIC every Saturday for the "farmers" market, desperate to transfer money anywhere (mostly the Sydney Basin, but also some country electorates) but Canberra?

He also thinks that sensible decision is evidence of how Joyce will act now that he has been given theinfrastructure portfolio.

Turnbull likes and trusts Joyce, and as Turnbull is no doubt Keith's choice of Liberal Party leader, he should too.

I'm pretty sure Barnaby Joyce is not the problem for Infrastructure Australia Keith alleges.

How about Christopher Pyne, supported by Labor, and the waste of $20 billion on building submarines in the mendicant state of South Australia?

Nobody says anything, because both sides like a bit of pork especially if the generic taxpayer is paying.

Keith has overlooked the biggest threat to Australia and Infrastructure Australia. That is the add-on cost of our unions.

The next federal boondoggle for Joyce to correct is the Murray Darling Basin Authority. It should be moved post haste to Albury-Wodonga, largely in the independent electorate of Indi so anticipated claims of pork barrelling will be seen for the self-serving nonsense they are.

The further we can get the MDBA away from the malign influence of urbanites like Christopher Pyne and the Greens, the better for all, especially the river.

Christopher Smith, Braddon

No small irony that J. Adamson's rejoinder (Letters, December 16) to Phillip Benwell (Letters, December 14) was published on such a significant date in the constitutional-monarchy versus republic argument.

On December 16, 1653, the Protectorate succeeded the Commonwealth that had been established after the second civil war and the execution for treason of the would-be absolute monarch, Charles I.

Chiefly because the republican Commonwealth's parliament tried to assume all authority after monopolising power irresponsibly and arrogantly to benefit its tiny franchise.

But the Protectorate also failed in 1659, chiefly because the pendulum swung too far the other way and concentrated both power and authority in the Lord Protector, Oliver Cromwell.

Under our modern Westminster-system constitutional balance, based on centuries of trial and testing, those governing us through Parliament now rightly exercise power, but only for their elected term of office.

Elected governments never hold supreme constitutional authority — the path offered to imbalances of power such as entrenched corruption, oligarchy and risk of authoritarian rule.

Nor do elected governments embody national sovereignty or symbolically and practically represent the longer-term, enduring and broader non-political interests of every citizen equally.

This sovereignty and authority is instead vested in the Crown as a particularly successful form of above-politics national institution.

The separation of power and authority is why constitutional monarchy works so well preserving democratic stability and continuity in 32 out of 32 countries — versus only 30 or so of 156 odd republics.

Neil James, Burra, NSW

R. Boxall asks some questions about charging of electric vehicles (Letters, December 22). Our household uses a car I converted to electric drive nine years ago and four years ago we added a commercial electric car.

Electric cars typically have two built-in charging options. The slower option is an ordinary power point at home.

How long that charging takes is rarely relevant. It is very quick to plug in and walk away. Next time you go out, the car will be full or a few hours will have given it a useful top up. The other option requires a visit to a rapid charger. Most would only use these on trips out of town.

These can get a near empty battery to 80 per cent in around 20-30 minutes — a good break after a few hours of driving.

There have been quite a few studies on electricity network requirements. So long as charging mostly avoids times of peak demand, there is plenty of generating capacity and the infrastructure is already capable of handling the extra load.

Electricity retailers offer incentives to avoid the peak through reduced tariffs on dedicated charging outlets and general 'Time of Use' metering.

Cars can be programmed to avoid charging on the peak.

Finally, as B. Elliston pointed out (Letters, November 11), the output of a modest one kilowatt of rooftop solar generation, about four panels, is sufficient for 10,000km of driving per year.

Peter Campbell, Cook

DRIVERLESS CARRIAGES

I concur with Brian Hale et al (Letters, December22). This reminds me of the joke about the first proposed pilotless passenger aircraft recorded message: "Welcome to your inaugural pilotless flight. Nothing can go wrong ... go wrong ... go wrong." No doubt driverless vehicles will have an inbuilt option to close windows and then reopen to avert collision. Not sure what to do in the rain, however. Off to feed my horse.

Phil O'Mara, Pialligo

STILL NO TREASURER

Ministers here, Ministers there. But still no Treasurer anywhere.

Warwick Davis, Isaacs

STAY ON THE BUS

Ryan Hemsley's hedge-betting letter (December21) on light rail crossing the lake, and Barton's employment growth, etc., reinforces the case for staying with buses.

Jack Kershaw, Kambah

SUMMERNATS CRUISE

Did Mick Gentleman, a car enthusiast, get outvoted in Cabinet over the Braddon Summernats cruise?

Greg Cornwell, Yarralumla

GOOD ON YOU, GEORGE

Some people say that there needs to be more women in federal cabinet, buttwo of the three portfolios noted in the constitution, Defence and Foreign Affairs are held by women. Wishing George Brandis well on London. He has been a great attorney-general and a rational small-L Liberalin a cesspit of conservative thought.

Adrian Jackson, Middle Park, Vic

ANOTHER LINE OF THOUGHT

If the tram line cannot come to the hospital, perhaps the hospital can come to the tram line.

Matt Ford, Crookwell, NSW

REASONS FOR THE WAIT

I query whether medical negligence and the proliferation of ambulance-chasing law firms are contributing factors to lengthy waiting times for public elective surgery.

Frank Donnan, Canberra

TRULY A TERRORIST ATTACK

The PM said the vehicle that was driven into the Melbourne shoppers was not a terrorist attack. That is total rubbish, PM, the people were terrified and Melbourne was terrorised – that was a terrorist attack.

G.J.May, Forestdale, Qld

BEHIND THE MASK

The sad truth is that Donald Trump is not actually a mistake or, even, an aberration. He is what we have always dealt with in the US – simply without the mask.

Gary Frances, Bexley, NSW

WHO STANDS TO GAIN?

The tram debate centres on a traditional query, one potentially embarrassing to the town council. Cuibono? ("Who stands to gain?"). The classical question goes a bit beyond: "What's the benefit?"

Gary J.Wilson, Macgregor