The Liberals call in the doctor:

David Havyatt writes: Re. “The Liberals call in the doctor” (yesterday, item 3). We have the delicious irony – the ALP leader isn’t a former union leader, while the Liberal party leader is (the AMA). How delightful the Liberals saw the error of their campaign!

John Goldbaum writes: The Liberal Party made a dreadful mistake in their leadership ballot. Brendan Nelson does not have the clout to re-set their policies agenda nor to re-structure the party machine. His majority was too slender to give him authority and the de-stabilisation won’t take long to begin. Tony Abbott will obstruct from the right and Malcolm Turnbull will white-ant from the left. The Liberal Party will wander in the opposition wilderness for at least the next fifteen years. Kevin Rudd will govern for three terms and hand over early in the fourth. His successor will win the following election. The Liberal Party may win government after that but only once the rotating leadership between Nelson and Turnbull has been resolved by electing the next generation leader, whoever that may be. If you thought the Peacock/ Howard bunfight dragged on too long, this will be much worse.

A nonexistent portfolio?:

Andrew Dempster writes: Re. “The PM elect shows he has been a bureaucrat” (yesterday, item 2). And now for the big question – will the Liberals appoint a shadow for Penny Wong, given that the subject of her portfolio (the non-water bit anyway) does not exist?

Political appointments:

Paul Macken writes: Re. “The Howard Government’s record of political appointments” (yesterday, item 20). Thanks for your amusing list of the “political” appointments of John Howard. Now can we have a similar list for the political appointments of the NSW Labor Government. You will need to publish this over about seven editions of Crikey!

No pity for ministerial staffers:

Leah Marrone writes: Re. “… And now for the backroom blues” (yesterday, item 15). People that lose their jobs because of an election (ministerial staffers and MPs that lost their seat) should not be looked on with pity. The people that chose to work in this environment have made that choice knowing very well that their term will end when the governments does. Parliamentarians (and their staff) have jobs that are not like any other. They are in a position which they should not take for granted, they are the functioning arms of our democracy. Their role is to fulfil electoral promises and to generally steer the country in the best way possible (following the policies that their electors voted them to carry out). I hope, and have optimism, that Kevin Rudd’s government will be more accountable and active, not only at the ministerial level, but backbenchers and staffers too.

Islamofascism:

Guy Rundle writes: Re. “Remaking Australia, part three: John Carroll” (yesterday, item 7). John Carroll, whose work I admire, made a convincing case that “Islamofascism” is a threat no matter what your government, with his argument that Spain was bombed despite having an ‘anti-American’ government – save for the tiny fact that, at the time of the bombing, Spain had not only a pro-American government, but the only European one to participate in the actual invasion of Iraq. As more attentive readers may remember, the Aznar government blamed ETA, despite it being obvious that the Madrid bombings were nothing like an ETA style-attack. That cynical bit of spin helped convince Spanish voters to select the Socialists instead in the election days later. Still, not to worry – it’s only evidence that proves the exact opposite of Carroll’s claim. Is Carroll one of those postmodernists we keep hearing about?

Therese Rein:

John Bevan writes: It’s predictable that your readers attacked Stephen Mayne (yesterday, comments) over his very reasonable questions about the Rudd family businesses. The Rudd family has made (from all appearances) substantial money from federal government contracts and it would seem essential that a proper and full disclosure system be set up. I can imagine the outrage from these same readers if a Liberal prime minister’s wife was a prime contractor to the government. Let’s have clear rules applied to all.

Peter Costello:

David Hardie writes: Re. “Leave Peter Costello alone” (yesterday, comments). If people leaving politics “to spend more time with the family” does that imply that people will go into politics in order to spend less time with the family? Is ‘Family First’ as a political party a contradiction in terms?

First-term opposition leaders:

Charles Richardson writes: In response to Maureen Chambers (Wednesday, comments), perhaps I should have been more clear; a “first-term opposition leader” is one who leads their party immediately after its defeat – that is, it’s the party’s first term in opposition, not just (and not necessarily), that person’s first term as leader. Hence Chifley 1949, Snedden 1972, Whitlam 1975, Peacock 1983 and Beazley 1996, none of whom won a subsequent election, although Chifley and Whitlam had both won them previously.

Cycling the new golf:

Steven McKiernan, Executive Member, Bicycle Transportation Alliance of Western Australia, writes: Re. “Cycling the new golf? Enough already” (yesterday, item 33). As Lance Armstrong famously stated: “It’s not about the bike”. There are certainly plenty of newcomers to cycling who buy their favourite team colours, ride three kilometres to the cafe and talk loudly about leveraged buyouts, yet these Poseurs are easy to weed out from genuine cyclists. Indeed it isn’t about the bike, but about riding in all its incarnations, whether riding to the shops, along the river, heading to the hills for a 150 kilometre training ride or spending a couple of hours at the velodrome – it is about the purity of a mode of transport that does not pollute, is silent, has positive mental and physical health impacts and saves the wallet. Cycling avoids traffic congestion, strengthens communities, is appropriate for all ages and forms a major way that Australia can solve the problems of climate change. According to the World Health Organisation a 30 minute cycle trip a day gives the exercise needed to half your chances of becoming obese or diabetic, something most middle-aged men and women are looking for, some may even be brand marketing noobs.

Crikey Correction:

The information at the bottom of “Lifting the lid on GM crops: What is Brumby hiding?” (Wednesday, item 9) was not supplied by the author, Katherine Wilson. It was compiled by Crikey staffer Thomas Hunter.

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