Vile extremists threaten democracy

It is worrying and upsetting to hear that the neo-Nazis were permitted to hold their vile rally outside parliament (“Police allowed Nazi rally outside NSW parliament”, November 9), let alone hold their provocative banner up behind them. How could the police commissioner not be made aware of this, seeing that the intention of holding the rally was lodged earlier with the Sydney City Local Area Command? Where is communication among the police and whoever else was responsible for letting this happen? Dorothy Gliksman, Cedar Brush Creek

When I asked my father in 1962 why we came to Australia, the World War II Russian soldier and Holocaust survivor said that he wanted to get as far away from Europe as possible, meaning the horrors that he and many others had endured at the hands of the Nazis. He would turn in his grave if he knew that a Nazi rally occurred in Sydney. Sonia Borenstein, Mullumbimby

The National Socialist Network holding a rally outside parliament in Sydney on November 8. Credit: Flavio Brancaleone

Some might argue that the neo-Nazi rally in front of state Parliament House reveals that these hateful right-wing extremists have “friends” in the NSW Police. In fact, the opposite is more likely to be true. The police may have misstepped, but the occurrence of the rally has provoked such anger and disgust from decent people everywhere that this scum will be unlikely to be shown such lenience again. Surely, the majority of the people of NSW, and everywhere else, will be repelled by this display of hate and arrogance. Most people are aware of what Nazism represents, and it is an ideology with which very few would be comfortable. Already, conservatives with a concern about immigration have had their image tainted by unplanned association with these extremists. Australia’s record as a tolerant liberal democracy and a welcoming multicultural society should not be sullied by misfits of this nature. Derrick Mason, Boorowa

Neo-Nazis were reported to be demonstrating against the power and influence of Jews. Apparently, they want to stop 0.5 per cent of the Australian population from victimising the remaining 99.5 per cent of us. Similarly, Jews represent 0.2 per cent of the world’s population, but are apparently victimising the remaining 99.8 per cent of the world. Does this sound possible to you? Ben Basger, Bondi Junction

UNSTABLE FOUNDATIONS

The roots of many of today’s problems in the Australian building industry (“He owns his dream home … he just can’t live in it”, November 9) have their roots in another century, when state and local governments took responsibility for various checking and supervisory procedures in the public engineering and private building industries, when government agencies had first-rate training programs for engineers, technicians and tradespeople, and the private sector was paid sufficient fees to allow first-rate design and checking procedures. However, the economic rationalists in government destroyed all that by making government agencies outsource much of their engineering, and introduced cutthroat tendering processes. Roll forward into the world of design and construct and so-called quality assurance and self-certification, ie, building something before it has been fully designed and checked. Add to that the progressive watering down of technical standards and materials testing so that cheap substandard imported materials can be used – of course at the same time as destroying Australian manufacturing. And now into an era when people with little or no real building experience, but plenty of interest in running off with the money, can dominate our high-rise apartment building industry – and with independent certifiers, whose background is more likely town planning than it is building and engineering, who are incapable of seeing the problems and, worse, have no responsibly to the ultimate owners. Is it any wonder we have problems? Peter Thornton, Killara

CYCLING HELMETS A TOP IDEA

I had been cycling for nearly 60 years (“Use your head, cyclists - before it hits the road”, November 9). I had bought a new bike helmet a few weeks earlier. Then ... I was going slowly through a roundabout – maybe 10-20km/h. The car did not give way. Clipped my rear wheel. My head hit the road, but I was OK, the helmet absorbed the full impact. I get angry at people not wearing helmets. If you are injured and become incapacitated, the impact is devastating, not just to you, but also to family, friends and the community. Grant Robinson, Springwood

DON’T BANK ON INHERITING

Well done, Victoria Devine (“Young banking on inheritance”, November 9). This article gives a clearer picture of how boomers achieved their present lifestyle. My parents lived into their 90s and my inheritance from them, while very much appreciated, made little difference to my lifestyle. The hard work to achieve a comfortable lifestyle had been done well before their passing. Stop counting on a future windfall and work and plan today to achieve this on your own. Although, a timely gift from parents, if they can afford it, is always welcome and much appreciated in times of need. Barbara Tregear, Ashfield

DIVINE DECEIT

The methodology of self-proclaimed psychic mediums is deftly dissembled by Susan Gerbic in her interview with Peter FitzSimons (“Calling out the ‘grief vampires’. How psychic mediums ply amoral trade”, November 9). As one who devoutly believes in a Creator, I am deeply sceptical of those who spruik that they speak for God and dogmatically claim that it is because God has spoken to them, but “not the others”, of course, and like mediums, invite donations to help them call the shots on what they spruik to be the “orders from on high”. Andrew Cohen, Glebe

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