• Reform is often a result of political peril
Michele Gelfand talks of the desire for strong rule by people who feel threatened (There’s a science behind Brexit and Trump, 21 September). However, national crisis is often the catalyst for radical reform. Roosevelt’s New Deal on the back of the Great Depression brought profound and beneficial changes to the United States. Post-war Germany and Japan became models of good government after the disasters of 1945.
With Brexit the UK will end up in the invidious position of a trading nation outside all of the world’s main trade blocs. Whether one regards this as a “challenge” or a “peril”, it is still a threat. Maybe the shock will shake the country to make changes that it needs like few other countries. This is the time for the UK to rid itself of the trappings of 18th-century imperialism.
Robert Horn
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
• Getting rid of Trump is not a real solution
There might well be five and more risks associated with the Trump presidency and possible disaster for the US and the world as detailed in the article High stakes (28 September). There is, however, one certainty: if the response to Trump is merely to get rid of him and to return to the economics, business and the politics as usual of the sensible centre, it will certainly mean a return to public policies that are invariably too little, too late. Ironically it will mean that capitalism is neither sufficiently civilised for the many nor effectively stabilised for the few. It will certainly mean that unsustainable growth and unacceptable inequality continue to dominate our world. Michael Lewis concludes “there is no way you should have this man [Trump] running the country”. There is also no way merely getting back to the so-called sensible centre will be sufficient to drive the changes to the status quo that are urgently required.
Stewart Sweeney
Adelaide, South Australia
• Migrants need to be better differentiated
Your special report on migration (14 September) explained the differences between various groups of people on the move pretty well, except in one case. You appeared to treat all movements of people through non-legal channels of migration by third parties as trafficking, but this would not be accurate. Many migrants pay large sums of money to people who assist them to enter other countries by irregular means, but they are not, in most cases, trafficked people. They took the initiative to migrate in search of a better life, and, once they arrive at their destination, they attempt to find ways of settling down and making a living. The process they go through is more aptly called “people smuggling” than trafficking. The distinction matters, as it has consequences for how these people are perceived.
John Gee
Singapore
• Australia relies on the fairness of the ABC
Thank you for the piece Australia’s ABC must be free from interference (5 October). We can see from the reporting of the persecution of refugees who have tried to get to Australia by boat that the ABC does its best to avoid covering issues where the two major parties have the same policy, even if that means ignoring human rights violations condemned by all human rights organisations.
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation is sometimes referred to as “Aunty”. I would love to know what sort of aunty would refuse to broadcast footage of children refugees, held hostage on Nauru, making a direct appeal to the Australian prime minister to end their torment. Your online Guardian is one of the few publications with the gumption to tell the truth.
Perhaps with this latest embarrassment of the ABC found to be taking orders from politicians, we will see some effort to report Australian scapegoating of refugees, the public protests and the human rights reports. Perhaps the long nightmare of Behrouz Boochani, Australia’s Solzhenitsyn, and his friends, will finally come to an end.
Stephen Langford
Sydney, Australia
• New Zealand PM Ardern shows how it’s done
Thank you for your report Ardern makes history with baby at the UN general assembly (28 September). New Zealand PM Jacinda Ardern won the hearts and minds of the world with her appearance at the UN with baby Neve. While president Donald Trump made himself a laughing stock around the world, Ardern showed that there is a better way to acquire influence, love and respect.
Bill Mathew
Melbourne, Australia
