Surely not another "pandemic" in 2021? If so, election fever will once again break out with all its associated symptoms and reactions. Over the coming months, we will be subjected to assaults on our intelligence with daily hyperbole, rhetoric and endless promises.

This condition will be hard to recover from and as polling day looms, our temperatures will rise to dangerous levels.

Election pandemic symptoms will manifest themselves in a variety of ways ranging from fever, hallucinations and irrational behaviour. They wreak havoc on the economy, sow division in society and delay decisions and reforms affecting the economy, health, welfare and national security.

Another symptom convinces some politicians that they alone possess the ability to be leaders and that nothing can allow anyone else to shine and lead.

Another symptom of this "pandemic" is the creation of new groups and parties, all of whom promise salvation to the long suffering electorate.

The worst part of this pandemic is that there is no vaccine as no amount of research has been able to discover an antidote to this pandemic which occurs without fail every three years.

The summer holiday period this year is different because of the coronavirus but holidaying "family" boofheads who travel interstate think that nothing has changed.

We were told months ago to holiday in your own state or stay home. Returning interstate travellers waste police and other state resources at the border and with testing which leads to large queues.

Recently the news said organisations should have masks for their employees or visitors. Again, it is the individual's responsibility to buy masks from the supermarket and keep some in the car, handbag, reusable shopping bag and at home. Holidaying "families" get your act together.

Bob McDonald (Letters, January 4) doesn't like repetition and criticises Mr Mackenzie for so doing on climate change.

Yes, repetition does wear one down, but might Bob's real motive be disbelief in anthropogenic climate change, in common with those governing Australia?

And if so, when ScoMo et al continue repeatedly to evade balanced debate on the subject, and repeatedly promote fossil fuel energy, does Mr McDonald object to that repetition?

Do those with contrary views, and there are many, have any alternative but to emulate ScoMo's repetition?

Another area of repetition is opinion on Australia's human numbers and their rate of growth. Debate on that at the political level is selectively confined to the short term supposed economic benefits of growth, all social and environmental impacts ignored. Why?

Because full debate would offend big money interests and the property and construction industries, all beneficiaries of rapid growth. No surprise they are so influential in shaping immigration fuelled "big Australia" government policies. How they must be hating COVID-19.

Those with longer term, more balanced, views embracing society and looming water shortages, have no alternative but to promote them by repetition.

Wouldn't it be one of the bitter ironies of the trading consequences of Morrison's ill-judged remarks to China if the Americans, the scheming architects of our disastrous loss of trade, step in to sell their agricultural products, those that were previously sold by Australia, to China?

Well, it is happening. Surprised, anyone?

There is a valuable lesson to be learned from this exercise, but the Australian political leadership shows no signs of having learnt anything from such experiences.

Australia in 2021 will continue its role as an American vassal state, but it is now costing us millions of dollars every day.

The article "You're the doctor: PhD topics marching to a different tune" (January 4, p5) brings to mind a comment made by a housemate while I was living in a modest terrace house in North Carlton and working on my PhD thesis at the University of Melbourne in the early 1970s.

Barry, who had a specialist degree in dermatology, commented one day that people with a PhD qualification were more worthy of the title doctor (Dr) than most medical doctors.

This was because qualifying as a GP takes four to seven years of university study and a good memory, whereas to qualify for a PhD requires at least seven years (commonly nine years) of study, research, and writing a thesis containing original and unique findings worthy of peer-reviewed publication.

Dr Katie Cox's medical doctor mother was right to say "we finally have a real doctor in the family".

Each year about this time the same trouble arises; bark peeling and falling leaves, let alone having leaves fall all year over my yards and filling my gutters.

I live on a corner block and my little house is set down from the nature strip. I am getting too old to clear up all the mess. I have to rake off the nature strip and this year just piled it up in the gutter, and I mean piled.

I have sent pictures to Mr Steel and have a response that the road sweeper has been requested and the gum trees will be trimmed. No time frame though.

ScoMo came out from under his doona just long enough to say we're not getting the COVID-19 vaccine that has already been given to the President-elect of the USA and millions of people around the world because to "rush" it would be incredibly dangerous.

In other words, the clinical trials can't be trusted and the vaccine isn't safe, so we need to use people in other countries as guinea pigs while we continue to hide under our doonas.

That sounds like anti-vaxer talk.

And apparently we can afford to wait because COVID-19 isn't an emergency in Australia. I guess the state premiers will be giving up their emergency powers then. Right after hell freezes over, which is about when Morrison's debt will be paid off.

My pet gripe is the way Christmas gets commercialised. As a Christian, I regard Christmas as essentially a religious festival. It is, of course, a time for celebration, but I find the hypocrisy of "Christmas" advertising quite offensive. It occurs to me that other religions - Islam, for instance - would probably not tolerate having their religious festivals hijacked in that way. I may be wrong, but I doubt whether Muslims would accept, say, the advertising of "Eid sales".

It is all too easy to sound like "the Grinch who stole Christmas", and I suspect that the Christian community is reluctant to complain for fear of sounding like killjoys. I think we must accept that Christmas festivities have been largely secularised. In truth, though, there is every reason for Christians to protest about the misuse, for purely commercial purposes, of what should be a sacred concept.

Murray May (Letters, January 4) asserts, along with others on various subjects, that inquiries on various proposals are "self-serving" in that opponents do not usually win the argument to prevent the proposal. Invariably objections outnumber supporting comments; it is rare for those in favour to comment and also rare for those opposed to refrain from commenting.

My experience is that assessors divide responses into those of substance - which contribute to the proposal even if opposed - and those, usually objections, that are of no substance, irrelevant or irrational.

May has quoted two inquiries, one into 5G transmissions and the other into the Australian War Memorial expansion, as examples of his complaint. Objections to 5G will almost all be of the irrational type; fears that COVID19 can be spread through 5G or that some supernatural power will use it to fry people's brains for example.

Similarly, the expansion of the war memorial is not about glorifying war nor encouraging it, but about exposing the actions and terror involved, thus creating a distaste for war. This is also what the objectors wish. Thus their objections have no rational basis.

I was about to write a New Year's resolution asking all of us to stop our political and social divisiveness and start being nice to each other. But the Prime Minister beat me to it by amending the national anthem. So that's fixed it; with a one word change we are now "one and free", including, as Mr Morrison informs us, our First Australians. That's decisive leadership for you!

The new year has come and with it the countdown for Trump's reluctant exit from the White House. It is the fervent hope of many that the new occupant, President-elect Biden, will put that important house in order for the common good of all Americans and the world community, and not be preoccupied with the pursuit of special interests as Trump was during his reign in power.

It's a bit rich for the royals ("Princely podcast sees royal rebels working for a better world", January 2, p25) in their Los Angeles 20 room mansion (18 bathrooms) while sucking in their suggested A$200m Netflix and A$50m Spotify deals to preach about discrimination, inequality and compassion with their super rich pals. It's very much like the standard hypocritical evangelistic burn that has no credibility at all.

The gold standard has slipped to bronze. The question remains if the TPA approve the vaccine for use in January why is the government waiting for a surge when things may get out of hand before getting the vaccine out? Maybe the agreements they have established later than others prevent an acceleration? If not get on with it before we get a major surge.

The trifecta. Firstly Bob Hawke, in September 1982, said he would not introduce a capital gains tax if he was elected.

Secondly, Julia Gillard in August 2010, said: "There will be no carbon tax under a government I lead'.

And now, thirdly, Anthony Albanese in January 2021, has said there will be no franking credits ban under a future ALP government.

Let's hope the voters see through how hollow Labor is with its promises, and not elect them at the next election.

"I am a celebrity...etc" is back on television. It is a big sign that the industry is going downhill. For God's sake stop this rubbish.

Why bother with potentially difficult to "turn" academics when some politicians are eager to "sell" their services, frequently slithering easily into sinecures hostile to Australian's interests, even overtly, unashamedly acting as quislings. ("University researchers targeted by foreign actors: ASIO", January 2, p6).

For "For those who've come across the seas/ We've boundless plains to share" we should now sing "For those who've come across the seas/ We've splendid concentration camps".

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