Long Labor

Sir: The insightfully worded editorial ‘The Sins of Craig Thomson’ (22 February) has historical echoes. The original ‘Blind Freddie’, ostensibly Sir Frederick Pottinger, a dissolute, apparently incompetent yet colourful police inspector, failed to imprison the bushranger Ben Hall, when they both attended the races at Wowingragong. Promoted by dint of entitlement but eventually dismissed from the police force in 1865, he managed to accidentally shoot himself fatally in the upper abdomen (somehow missing his foot). Thomson’s cohorts, adhering to the Richo mantra of ‘whatever it takes’ in a clear-eyed and relentless exercise, governed illegitimately. The challenge is now to find appropriate epithets for both Thomson and Ms Gillard, to secure their place in history.

Fortunately, Australia has only been shot in the foot although they aimed for vital organs. The hope is that ‘fair go’ Australians will have a long memory. Healing our economy and institutions and reasserting our borders is going to be painful. The behaviour of these spivs and urgers was and is un-Australian. With international allegiances, Labor has dictated that being Australian is politically incorrect. Thomson is the tip of a buried dung heap — this pattern of behaviour is deep-seated.
Minas Coroneo
Vaucluse, NSW

No John Stuart Mill

Sir: Professor James Allan’s piece in this week’s Spectator Australia, ‘You’re no John Stuart Mill’ (15 February), assessing the limitations of Attorney-General Senator George Brandis, is both timely and important. Professor Allan’s highlighting of Brandis’s backtracking on section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act is particularly relevant. I was present on 6 August 2012 when it was Tony Abbott — not Brandis — who pledged the repeal of 18C making particular reference to the use of 18C against Andrew Bolt. Abbott made it clear that Bolt should not have been prosecuted for expressing his opinion. And, in delivering his pledge, Abbott fiercely stated ‘we are the freedom party’. Brandis was in the audience. As it turned out, I was seated directly behind Abbott who was seated next to Brandis.

With Brandis now mooting only a partial repeal, Professor Allan is right to say ‘same trial, same judge, same Andrew Bolt and Bolt still loses’. So much for freedom of speech and so much for the pre-election pledge made by Tony Abbott. This was a major factor on which I voted for the Coalition. I note that this assurance was one of the bases on which Professor Allan also voted for the Coalition. If Brandis doesn’t have the capacity to enable Tony Abbott’s pre-election pledge being honoured, Abbott has only one choice — replace Brandis as Attorney-General by, as Professor Allan states, ‘an old-fashioned classical Liberal’.

It should be a given that all Australians have the right to think, speak and write freely on any subject and provide their opinion on any subject without fear of prosecution or persecution. That was the Australia I was brought up in. That is the Australia we need to move back to.
Chris Harrington
St Ives NSW

Political best buys

Sir: Fraser Nelson’s excellent article ‘Cameron’s Northern Alliance’ (1 March) made me wonder whether we, as voters, at the next election could benefit from a simple and independent chart (perhaps a Which?-style guide) comparing the policies offered by the parties, and the outcomes of the varying policies adopted across Europe. We all carry out research before purchasing insurance or booking a holiday by checking guides, so why not have something similar when choosing a government?

It must be better than voters making a decision based on the superficial grounds of the party leaders’ secondary education or resemblance to a cartoon character.
Stephen Marsh
London WC2

The Marxist church

Sir: In the article entitled ‘The Labour party at prayer’ (1 March), your correspondent writes a truthful and deeply thoughtful article, which should be of concern to all who hold the Church of England in high regard. Since the 1960s, the church has become a voice for a politically correct, Marxist doctrine, which excludes the majority of people.

The marginalisation of the Book of Common Prayer and the King James Bible is, I am certain, due to the hierarchy’s being embarrassed by their contents. Many people who support a traditional form of worship find that members of the clergy treat them with indifference or hostility.

A return to the church being ‘the Tory party at prayer’ is not necessary, but if it wishes to remain a part of our national life, it must consider other views, rather than trying to ‘“convert” laity to a “proper” understanding of politics, by which was meant socialism’ — as Mr Pinker explains.
Keeley Cavendish
London SE5

Bad Rod

Sir: In his column of 15 February, Rod Liddle states that: ‘Battersea Dogs’ Home reckoned that in 2011 a good 50 per cent of the more than 6,000 dogs they took in were legal or illegal pit bulls, many of which showed signs of having been used for fighting.’

In fact, in 2011 Battersea Dogs & Cats Home took in 5,941 dogs, of which 168 were identified by the police as banned breeds, which includes pit bull types. That made 2.8 per cent of the total dog intake that year — not 50 per cent.
Dee McIntosh,
Director of Communications,
Battersea Dogs & Cats Home