Mark Colvin on vigorous questioning:

ABC’s PM presenter Mark Colvin writes: Re. “Marrickville meets Bethlehem, controversy erupts” (Wednesday, item 4). Antony Loewenstein claims that I did a “hostile” interview with the Mayor of Bethlehem in which I demanded that he condemn terrorism. Alert readers who clicked on the link would have realised that I did no such thing. Regular listeners will know that I do my best to test the arguments of my interviewees, regardless of their position, with vigorous questioning whenever I get the opportunity.

What if Jesus went to Cronulla?:

Chris Graham writes: A brilliant article by Irfan Yusuf on what would happen to Jesus if he arrived in Australia. The only thing I think Irfan should have covered is what would have happened to Jesus if he went to Cronulla for a kebab? Now that would really be a riot!

Sol Salbe writes: Re. “Jesus was a sand n-gger. Deal with it” (yesterday, item 4). To use the Yiddish, of course Jesus and his “Gantzeh Mishpoocheh” [extended family] were Middle Eastern. I’m glad Irfan Yusuf concentrated on Mary and her headscarf. It is something that Jews in Australia are very much familiar with – just ask Ramona Koval who, in one of her cookbooks, tells the story of her mother reminding the teacher that Mary was one of us, while young Ramona was donning a tea towel playing the role. Pity Kevin Rudd and Morris Iemma have decided to stoop to John Howard’s level on this score. The one quibble I have is with Yusuf’s assumption that Lekhem (as I would pronounce it) means the same in Aramaic as it does in Arabic. It is indeed meat in Arabic but definitely bread in Aramaic and Hebrew, which are much more closely related languages. Every Passover in the Seder ceremony we Jews recite the Aramaic passage “Ha Lakhma Anya” about the bread of affliction.

James Rosenberg writes: It is not unusual for “modern” cultures to attribute their own experience to the period of Christ and before. Many a renaissance painting of Madonna and Child has a distinctly Tuscan countryside. Even Michelangelo got it wrong. His David is not only out of proportion, but the statue is uncircumcised. David was a Jew, and therefore would have been “cut”.

Steve Martin writes: Sorry far from being offended, I found Irfan Yusef’s piece hysterical!

The IPA on WorkChoices:

George Pantela writes: Re. “Has WorkChoices won in the IR reform debate?” (Yesterday, item 3). I think it’s time we (the Australian Public) express some opinions about this “Institute of Public Affairs” (whatever the heck their name means!) which keeps getting an airing in Crikey (and elsewhere) – just like ACCI and Peter Hendy, who are now so obviously up the Liberal Party’s proverbial date, the Institute of Public Affairs is little more than a gang of right-wing scare-mongers, who believe in some alchemical model of the universe, a direct antithesis of everything scientific and universally obvious. Whether it’s “comments” on global warming (no, it’s not called climate change), the stolen generation (no it’s not called the displaced or saved generation) or “Union Bosses” (no they aren’t under your bed – just go and check!), their “research” (cough, cough) is laughable, purposely ignorant and downright dangerous. I challenge any of their “experts” to provide even one article they have had published in an internationally acknowledged, peer reviewed journal.

Greg Wood writes: Yet again Crikey publishes the classist garbage of Ken Phillips of the inaptly named Institute for Public Affairs. Representing the affairs and views of the wealthy minority of the Australian “public”, his absolute disconnect from the real daily life of the majority of the Australian “public” is both insulting and disgraceful. Oh, those poor downtrodden employers and companies who have suffered for so long until WorkChoices arrived! Yes, the very same end of town that has seen massive increases in corporate profits, CEO wages and the like while real wages fall, long fought for conditions are stripped away and the frightening increase in the working poor in this country. Perhaps Mr Phillips and his ilk should stop feeding from the corporate taxpayer funded trough and go out and try his hand at working on a WorkChoices retail wage for a year. Enough of the IPA garbage please Crikey. I subscribe to Crikey for debate and analysis, not ruling class ideology passed off as informed research. If I want to read their opinions I’d pick up any paper in the country.

Niall Clugston writes: Ken Phillips suggests that “Howard has won most of the work reform policy debate.” This is despite widespread public disquiet, the ditching of the brand name, and the miniscule take-up of AWAs. This is despite the reality that Howard, by reintroducing a “fairness test” (a.k.a. a “no-disadvantage test”), has backed away from the replacement of an Award-based, centralised benchmark with market forces. The fact that Kevin07 – Licence to Copy – has made himself a “small target” on workplace relations, while simultaneously basking in the glow of a union-stoked fear campaign, merely indicates that Howard has finally met an opponent as unimaginative and opportunistic as himself. The outcome may be that the Award system is terminally maimed, but neither the Great Pedestrian or the Pale Imitation is likely to deliver the coup de grace.

The NT intervention:

Marlene Hodder writes: Re. “Goodbye Aboriginal workers, hullo KPMG” (yesterday, item 10). I have to add my voice to the others who are speaking out about the acquisition, assimilation etc. proposed under the federal government’s intervention. Every day another part of the grand plan is being revealed. Yesterday it was kids’ work gangs, acquisition of assets and Aboriginal communities to be used as AFP training grounds. Today it is privatisation of CDEP. This is an outrageous abuse of human rights against the most disadvantaged in our community. I am ashamed to be Australian and am considering relinquishing my citizenship and going back to being a Pom, I don’t think more campaigning against a government that has demonstrated so clearly how unable or unwilling it is to listen will do any good. There has to be a legal challenge.

Chris Hunter writes: Re. “Howard signals the end of a distinct Aboriginal identity” (yesterday, item 11). Alan Austin points towards the abolition of ATSIC as being one of the main recent examples of white Australia’s stripping of black self-determination. Us non-indigenous Australians abolished ATSIC, not black Australia. We are very expert at giving then taking back. The answer for us is simple — get the message — black Australia wants the opportunity to recover its own destiny. It wishes us to aid this process, but not direct it. These are the aspirations of a shell-shocked race, wishing to be free from their oppressors, wishing to be autonomous from the “master” that utterly betrayed them. I say let us re-establish ATSIC (or a similar body) and move forward not backwards. One day, when indigenous Australia is ready to assimilate, it will. It is on their timing not ours. Forced assimilation is not the answer Mr Howard. Forced assimilation is pure racism.

Gunns:

Helen Scott writes: Re. “Unlikely Gunns coalitions leave Malcolm in the middle” (Wednesday, item 14). There are many more of us than the media would know trying very hard but often unheard to oppose the Gunns/Lennon stranglehold in Tasmania, so all the clout that celebrities and Geoff Cousins can bring is fantastic. In response to Geoff’s crack about some only objecting at dinner parties, a 50th birthday dinner held in our neck of the woods in Victoria raised nearly $7000 to oppose Gunns. The birthday boy was so appalled on a holiday in Tasmania by the constant thunder of log trucks, the devastated clear felled sites and the shonky deals revealed that he called in his mates to become gourmet cooks, vignerons and gourmands – we all put our money where our mouth is. Malcom Turnbull please take heed.

The terrifying collages of Tsunehisa Kimura:

Anthony Barrell writes: Re. “Howard’s Kyoto alternative will have dire economic consequences” (yesterday, item 1). Thanks for Clive Hamilton’s stirring piece about the nuclearisation of the nation, but how about a credit for the photo-montage used to illustrate it? I know if comes from the cover of a Midnight Oil album but you should also know this, and many other astute and terrifying collages are the work of Tsunehisa Kimura, a veteran Japanese artist. His work can be seen at various sites but a good start for anyone who is interested would be here.

Unfair dismissal legislation:

Andrew Cameron writes: Re. “Business owners will hire less under Labor: Morgan Poll” (yesterday, item 9). The reaction of business to the proposed changes in unfair dismissal legislation was entirely predictable. Unfortunately many employers rely on legislation rather than introducing proper management practices to solve such issues. After 9 years as an advocate for employers in industrial tribunals and courts, and four years in human resource management and consulting, I found that many of the businesses I dealt with did not spend enough time and money on ensuring that they managed their staff effectively. Many of those that lost an unfair dismissal claim were those where policies and procedures were either absent, ignored or acted on inconsistently, appropriate advice was not sought, staff weren’t trained and communication was poor. Often their recruitment processes were flawed, there was a lack of proper induction, training was inadequate with many staff not aware of their positions or what they were supposed to do or were allowed to do. Obviously, no matter how good your policies and practices are, you will always have a poor employee. But it isn’t that hard to either change this or get rid of them. ILO Convention No 158 on Termination of Employment, apparently ignored by the Howard Government in WorkChoices, provided a fair and reasonable process and criteria that if followed, was protective of both employer and employee rights.

Brian Crooks writes: The hiring of staff is dictated by business demand and the need to fill orders or serve customers, not industrial laws. Any fool knows that, or you would assume they would.

The real reason for high bank charges and profits:

John Turner writes: Re. “Costello twiddles his thumb as the bank cartel gouges away” (yesterday, item 23). I wonder if you understand the real reason for high bank charges and profits. I do not know just how much of the $20 billion of gouged profits are paid out as dividends but assuming it totalled about $8 billion. That would allow $12 billion to flow direct to the banks’ capital adequacy plus whatever they glean from DRPs. For each loan type the inverse of the capital adequacy ratio for that type acts as a multiplier allowing the banking system to increase their loans. Banks have been increasing their loan books (the money supply) by an average of about 15% per annum compound for at least eight years. Is it any wonder that money has been losing purchasing power when it comes to the purchase of assets and housing is becoming unaffordable, particularly for young families without rich close relatives? This is entirely attributable to bank deregulation which was based on the Campbell Report commissioned by John Howard. That will prove to be his real legacy. The present system could only have been dreamed up by bankers, a group not known for their concern for the wellbeing of the general population.

Bruce Wilson writes: Stephen Mayne could have just bought some more Commbank shares and sat back and enjoyed the ride!

Telstra’s spin:

Michael Walker writes: Telstra’s Andrew Maiden wrote (yesterday, comments): “I’ve yet to see an example of accurate reporting of Sol’s salary.” And that’s the way you like it. The more obscure the calculation to come up with a total remuneration package amount, the more you PR flacks like it. You seem to think you can’t receive adverse spin on something you can’t put a figure on. As soon as somebody attempts to make a ballpark estimate, you trot out the old line about base salary, bonus, etc. You’re not kidding anybody. Sol, like so many other snouts in the trough at the big end of town, is grossly overpaid and even you know it Andrew Maiden. The never ending flow of spin such as that makes me sick in the stomach.

Jim Hart writes: After reading two offerings this week from Telstra spinmeister Andrew Maiden. I’m curious to know if it is now official Telstra house style to refer to the CEO almost exclusively by his first name. Is it because (a) it’s short and easily pronounced by Australians, (b) Telstra is such a casual laidback workplace that all surnames are left at the security gate, or (c) he’s just as well known as Elvis, Jesus and Oprah. I’m only asking.

The equine flu:

Keith Thomas writes: Re. “The equine flu ramifications may be very long term” (yesterday, item 19). Is it right that the risk of spreading equine flu and other diseases of horses are exacerbated by the preference of the thoroughbred industry to prefer shuttling horses around the world to the simpler, cheaper, less snobbish practice of artificial insemination?

Shaun Brown:

Cathy Bannister writes: Re. “Cunning Browne sells a red herring” (yesterday, item 21). On 3 April 1998, National Business Review of NZ published a letter by Shaun Brown (then the boss of NZ TV network TV One) in which he justified the axing of the only serious, single issue current affairs program in New Zealand, on the following grounds: TV One already had a significant current affairs output in the form of the Holmes, Breakfast and Backchat (which were a Hinchesque current affairs program, a standard morning show and an arts program respectively); the opposition, TV 3, didn’t support any current affairs of that sort at all (so why should TV One); TV One news and current affairs didn’t get any funding from the NZ licence fee; and finally, that even the BBC1 was axing single issue current affairs shows! The upshot of this action was that New Zealand was left for a while without any serious current affairs programs whatsoever. With such a record, Brown was clearly was not appointed to keep to the SBS charter. Oh, by the way, better tell Glenn Dyer that it’s Shaun Brown, not Browne.

A satirist to rival the subtlety of Garrison Keelor:

Bruce Graham writes: For two days, I believed that Crikey had found a satirist to rival the subtlety of Garrison Keelor, but Mr Hardcastle corrected my misunderstanding. “The market is always right” is a great mantra. It speaks of a genuinely moving faith in the intelligence and integrity of the collective people. That is why Harry Potter is the best fiction ever, the most expensive hairdressers are worth every penny, and real estate agents are so honest. The infallible open marketplace in religions guarantees us that god is a Christian – at least in Australia: perhaps god markets under different brands in other countries. India has a particularly free market for gods, although the competition is sometimes quite robust. I will guess that Mr Hardcastle is not a builder or doctor or pilot or mining engineer, or any other occupation where physical reality trumps opinion. Perhaps he believes that the market place is always right eventually, in the long run. That is like saying that an airplane always lands.

Mike Hughes writes: Ah Hardcastle, a man who sounds like he dines on the manly fare of Quadrant, then tucks into night with an iPod filled with the musings of Hendo or Duffy. Hardcastle praises the mighty free markets then claims that 70% of people buy Murdoch and therefore seemingly agree with the views there in. Obviously everyone who buys the Hun or Terror do so for the analysis by the Bolts and the Akermans, and like Hardcastle, rail against those Stalinist teachers. Has nothing to do with the tabloid easy to read public transport friendly format and focus on sport, sport, sport and other light fare at all. Thank god for those Hardcastles. Because we live in a world that has walls. And those walls have to be guarded by men with guns. Who’s gonna do it? Lefties? I think not. Go burn your bra’s hippies.

Duncan Beard writes: After reading Mark Hardcastle’s latest satiric missive, I snorted latte through my nose I was laughing so hard. Keep ’em coming.

Michael Noonan writes: Crikey, thank you so much for Mark Hardcastle. He’s much more fun than poor old David Flint!

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