TRUMP: Sorry climate, energy and ocean, must dash

Cath Dyson, Mount Eliza

It's definitely not the look of love

Germany's Angela Merkel and the IMF's Christine Lagarde's response to Donald Trump's late arrival at the gender equity breakfast meeting is priceless ("Trump exits G7 in blaze of disarray", The Age, 11/6). The looks on the faces of two of the world's most powerful women say it all.

Sandra Fordyce-Voorham, Black Rock

Forget the tired mantras

Too many commentators reach for tired mantras when addressing North Korean developments. One is that Donald Trump has to be admired for bringing Kim Jong-un to the negotiating table. This is untrue, and the same pundits who repeat this claim will often agree that North Korea has for decades desired a one-to-one meeting with the US. Previous US policy has been to insist on multination meetings. Previous presidents have warned against rewarding North Korea's "bad behaviour" with any bipartite meeting. Trump has stepped back from this negative stance, but this is a concession, not a victory.

Commentators also repeat the lines that as well as Kim Jong-un being "unpredictable" (he's not – Trump is far less predictable), North Korea has cheated or reneged on its agreements with the US. No mention is made of the US reneging on its agreement in the 1990s to provide the North with lightwater reactors as compensation for denuclearisation then, which led the North to resume its path to full nuclear capability. There are no good guys here, unless we count the South Koreans who seem to genuinely want peace without too many strings attached. But Trump and Kim seem willing to put aside past hatreds – what a breath of fresh air.

William Puls, Mentone

Bored, stubborn, stoned?

They say one picture speaks a thousand words ("Trump's latest Russian game baffles old allies", The Age, 11/6). Not sure if Donald Trump looks bored, stubborn or stoned; but perhaps he is just closing his next tweet.

Marie Nash, Balwyn

It's all good, and that's why it's all bad

How did we get to the point where the supposed leader of the free world is a person whose vocabulary (let alone level of thought content) is that of a grade 2 primary student? Not only do words like "bad", "good", "great", "nice", "big", "small", predominate in his pronouncements to the world, but his comment at the G7 Summit regarding Russia rejoining, "I think it would be good for the world. I think it would be good for Russia. I think it would be good for the United States. I think it would be good for all of the countries of the current G7" probably heralds his relinquishment of any claim to world leadership.

Phyllis Vespucci, Reservoir

He is the bond that ties

Kerry Packer was famous for saying, "You only get one Alan Bond in your lifetime and I've had mine." With Donald Trump's disastrous performance at the G7 conference, Putin, Jinping and Kim will be saying, "You only get one Donald Trump in your lifetime and we've got ours."

Barry Lizmore, Ocean Grove

FORUM

Not here for the sell

It seems that the trustees of the Ramsay Centre have themselves been out of university too long. In their negotiations with the ANU to mount a specific course in Western civilisation they forgot a fundamental fact – the purpose of a university education is not to sell you something. It is to help students to question everything, use primary sources and make independent assessments about the world. The bulk of the ANU's courses include study of Western civilisation – and not just the vocational disciplines such as law and medicine where this is obvious – it is embedded in most courses.

There is no siege, and no siege mentality is warranted. What Tony Abbott and his friends appear to have been pushing for is a course where Western civilisation is presented in a neat parcel for student consumption, presumably whole. The ANU was absolutely correct that this is not consonant with its role in society.

Paradoxically, the only force presently threatening our Western civilisation comes from the right, from Abbott and his friends, who seek to deny the Enlightenment principles of reason and humanism on which our society rests to any sector they deem unworthy such as refugees or unemployed youth.

Kim Andrews, Hawthorn

Wrong targets

Those wishing to punish the church are using the wrong stick ("Confession law change backed", The Age, 11/6). One bishop has pointed out that paedophiles don't go to confession and will certainly not do so after the legislation is passed. The true criminals are the church leaders who have consistently failed to hand these abusers of children to the authorities for prosecution.

Michael Nolan, Capel Sound

Birthday gift

So republican Matt Holden has just enjoyed a Queen's Birthday weekend "not thinking about her majesty very much at all" (Comment, 11/6). He would have been sensible, however, to reflect for a short time on the benefits that we all enjoy thanks to our constitutional structure, which gives us a stability and security that few other nations possess.

Here is a suggestion to try to bring more harmony into our attitudes towards national celebrations. When Prince Charles inherits the throne, let's move the royal birthday festival to the weekend after the Melbourne Cup (he was born on November 14). Let's name the second Monday in June Heritage Day, maintaining it as a public holiday with a special tripartite recognition of our Aboriginal, British and multicultural traditions. Australia Day to remain where it is and to be celebrated as a Founders' Day that includes all who have contributed to our foundations, not just the British.

Nigel Jackson, Belgrave

More, please

Yes Jessica Irvine, we do need more public holidays (Comment, 11/6). Before unrestricted trading hours we effectively enjoyed access to community holidays from noon on a Saturday through to the end of Sunday. We have sacrificed our weekly opportunities to wind down and chill out. Instead we shop till we drop. Our weekends that used to enable us to connect as families and communities have been lost and contribute to our decline in mental health and wellbeing.

More public holidays would restore some of what we have lost. Our public holidays acknowledge Christianity, the Queen, the AFL grand final, a horse race, the eight-hour day, the first fleet, the Anzacs and something to do with boxes. There is one abysmal gaping hole. Despite at least 60,000 years of history on this continent, we have not as a nation, shown the maturity and decency to acknowledge our Indigenous history and culture in our allocation of public holidays.

Stephen Love, Portarlington

Saving lives

It is unfortunate Dr Steve Ellen overstates that reasons or causative factors for suicide are unknown in any individual ("Bourdain, Spade: this much is certain", The Age, 11/6) because in most instances they are very well-known. But who knows or doesn't know what can vary a great deal.

While at times such knowledge of an individual may be literally lifesaving because friends or relatives or clinicians can effectively intervene before it's too late, at other times it can also make no difference.

If high-profile suicides tell "us" (the community) anything it is that suicides can strike anyone. A key point to understand is that people's inner worlds are often out of view to others and often vastly different to how they may present themselves to others.

As a practising clinician who has treated hundreds of actively suicidal patients I know very well there is nothing mysterious about suicide in general and more to the point those who seek help for suicidal thoughts or wishes. These patients are suffering terribly from a range of unbearably painful experiences: traumas, grief, losses, loss of meaning in their lives or sense of hopelessness for their futures. They are very aware of the sources of their pain. That's not the issue. The therapeutic work is how to help these patients who have already sought out help find new ways to live that are bearable. The good news is most of those who do seek out treatments can be saved.

Dr Larry Hermann, South Yarra

Look at penalty

Anthony Martin (Letters, 11/6) is right about too many rule changes in the AFL game. The only rule that needs changing concerns the 50-metre penalty. Quite often a free kick or a mark is followed by a 50-metre penalty because the man on the mark has put his toe over what the umpire deems as the mark, believing that the ball carrier was about to play on. Fifty metres is too big a penalty for such a tiny breach. It often results in a goal and sometimes it is caused by a feint movement of the player with the ball to trick his opponent.

Leo Gamble, Mentone

Canberra, listen up

Justin Trudeau tells Donald Trump, "Canada won't be pushed around." Anyone listening in Canberra?

Damien Ryan, Frankston

Just no good

Ross Gittins wonders why there are fewer VCE economics students (Comment, 11/6). A major issue is that economists are so bad at their job. An IMF researcher noted that economists had failed to predict all but two of the past 150 recessions. Five years ago, the Reserve Bank of Australia noted how bad they were at predicting economic growth and admitted that their predictions of unemployment were no better than chance. Their models don't work: too complex and too many assumptions. It is hard to sell the relevance of economics to prospective students.

Dr Neil Lennie, Box Hill North

Lost habitat

The International Union for Conservation of Nature is so right when it suggests that the government is all talk and no action on its attitudes to Australian flora and fauna and biodiversity ("Doomed plan for nature", The Age, 9/6). Habitat loss as a result of the desire to make a "bigger Australia" has a profound effect, evident in the multitude of new housing developments across Australia. This means habitat loss in the extreme. For example, koalas in NSW are under threat as the result of deforestation to make way for human development. In this money and land grab native animals are seen as collateral damage, not a necessary part of our biosphere. A prime example of this greed is the proposal on the table of the Victorian Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning to ban experienced volunteer wildlife carers from caring for common species such as eastern grey kangaroos and wombats.

Atholie Harden, Williamstown

Monitoring lizards

How exciting that lace monitor lizards have been sighted recently in and around privately owned remnant bushland in South Gippsland. Lace monitors hadn't been seen here for years and were listed as endangered in Victoria in 2013.

How devastating then that this same remnant bushland is the site for offroad motorcycle racing in an application before the South Gippsland Council. The greatest threat to this species is disturbance and loss of habitat. The track pierces the heart of the block that was intact messmate and peppermint forest with trees predating the pioneers. Council did order rehabilitation of the tracks but compliance is unknown.

It is not too late to undo the damage done to the bush block and preserve one of the last refuges in Victoria for this Australian reptile. Australia has the worst record for species extinctions in the world. Let's not add one more.

Gabrielle Smetham, Leongatha South

Last drinks

Richard Barnes is spot on (Letters, 11/6). As Nobel Prize-winning economist Professor Muhammad Yunus points out, the neoliberal model is like a champagne glass. A long, thin stem filters wealth up from the very poor and the other social classes to fill the large cup of the extremely rich. In champagne parlance, the wide bowl allows the bubbles to disperse quickly, enhancing the indulgence.

In Professor Yunus's view, inequality is not a problem of wealth distribution as there is none; there is only wealth concentration. The question is, how long can the over-burdened stem carry the weight of the insatiable, ever-expanding bowl before the lot collapses?

Barbara Chapman, Hawthorn

Precision reporting

Jon Buckeridge points of the precision with which approximate imperial measurements are converted to decimal in news reports. My favourite was The Age report shortly after decimal measures were introduced. "The thief escaped the police by jumping a 1.828 metre fence". Such precision!

Mike Trickett, Geelong West

AND ANOTHER THING

Trump

From Donald Trump's very own mouth: "My touch, my feel. It's what I do." We know, we know.

Diana Greentree, Preston

Trumpism: The art of satisfying one's ego no matter what the cost to everyone else.

Rob Ward, Lake Tyers Beach

If I were a leader I would be delighted to be described by Trump as "weak and dishonest". It would mean I was powerful, honest, and almost certainly intelligent.

John Brennan, Surrey Hills

Comrade Trump pays the piper.

Gary Sayer, Warrnambool

Furthermore

Given the irrelevance of the current dates, what about celebrating the Queens Birthday on January 26 and Australia Day in June?

Ian Maddison, Parkdale

Why would anyone put a noose around their neck, when dressing in the morning? (Letters, 11/6)

Paul Sutcliffe, Fern Bay, NSW

Wow, $26 million over four years to start the Australian Space Agency. Perfectly in line with the government's policy on energy.

Jerry Koliha, South Melbourne

To all those sportspeople who keep saying "Obviously", could you please stop? If it's obvious, we can probably work it out for ourselves.

Tim Durbridge, Brunswick

"You play with my world, like it's your little toy." Bob Dylan's words from Masters of War were never truer than today.

Paul Murchison, Kingsbury

So it looks like our involvement in Afghanistan is becoming more like our involvement in Vietnam was. The difference this time is we seem to be looking the other way.

Roger Dunscombe, Richmond

We certainly don't want false information from foreign countries. We are fed enough of that from our own politicians.

Jean Tansey, Berwick

A horse against a tiny plover chick? Not a fair race.

Diana Snape, Balwyn