Michael Fullilove says “we should do whatever we can to keep the US deeply engaged in our region” on the basis that downgrading our relations with the US because of President Donald Trump’s policies is implausible (“Divide and conquer”, January 10). These relations with the US were based on order, not the chaos that Trump is sowing; we may therefore have to dispense with “a century of Australian diplomatic and military practice” because things have irrevocably changed. These relations with the US were also based on reliability and dependability – but Trump savages friend and foe alike ... so reliability and dependability now don’t exist. These are perfect reasons not to “keep the US deeply engaged in our region”. Who wants an unreliable, undependable and capricious “ally” such as Trump and the US? David Gordon, Cranebrook

Under US President Donald Trump, it feels like the end of the world as we know it.Credit: AP

The US president is the stereotypical, unscrupulous schoolyard bully who wants what you’ve got and if you don’t give it to him, he’ll take it by any means necessary. With this coloniser in the White House, we should be aware that Australia occupies a strategic position in the world and has significant deposits of the world’s rare earth reserves. Being an ally is apparently irrelevant to being annexed in the push to hoist the stars and stripes across the globe. Lyn Savage, Coogee

Trump has said he does not need to follow international law and is guided solely by what he described as his own morality. The remark comes after the abduction of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro by US commandos. Also in recent days, Trump and several officials from his administration have repeated that the US would take possession of Denmark’s autonomous territory of Greenland, one way or the other. In an interview with The New York Times on Wednesday, the US president made clear that he would not be restrained in exercising his powers as commander-in-chief. “My own morality. My own mind. It’s the only thing that can stop me.” Norman Broomhall, Port Macquarie

If it’s only Trump’s self-professed “morality and mind” that limits his push for global powers, we are all sunk. Judy Finch, Taree

Dozens of people attend a protest in lower Manhattan demanding an end to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) deployments following the fatal shooting of Renee Good in Minneapolis last week.Credit: Getty Images

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz rightly compared Trump’s dealings with those of George Orwell’s 1984 (“Track record of lies and violence from MAGA’s enforcers puts US on dark path”, January 10). In that novel, Big Brother’s overarching grip on society reinforces its ideology with Newspeak, the Ministry of Truth and the Thought Police. The current situation in the US, where cultish red-neck following of Trump’s personality and ideas, disseminated on the internet via Truth Social, his rigging of key players within the legal system and the enforcement of laws by ICE warriors, elimination of “woke” thoughts, the outright lies and prejudicial claims about critical events; these are straight out of the novel. Who needs the rule of law or social justice when deals can be made and oil and minerals can be seized with the snap of a finger? One pities that country, whose citizens are now hopelessly divided and, except for a few protesters on the streets (who will probably be shot or imprisoned on Trumped-up charges), all opposition has ceased to be. Donald Hawes, Peel

Surely, surely the ICE agent could have shot the car tyres to stop the car, but no, with ICE, it’s shoot first, ask questions later. What is even more unbelievable was that US officials led by Kristi Noem said it was self-defence. We’ve all seen the bystander footage and this was not self-defence. When will the American people say enough is enough? Peter Miniutti, Ashbury

War is Peace, Ignorance is Strength, 2+2=5. Ian Bulluss, Pyrmont

During a Fox News interview, when host Sean Hannity asked Trump about reports that Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado wanted to personally give him her 2025 Nobel Peace Prize, Trump said he was looking forward to meeting with her next week, adding that it would be a “great honour” to receive her Nobel Peace Prize (“Trump says he’d accept Nobel Prize from winner. It doesn’t work like that”, January 10). Once he gets it, he may even change the name on the prize to his own and finally get what he wanted all along. Vijay Khandelwal, Winston Hills

So Trump wants Greenland. Does he really think he can sell ICE to the Inuit? Tony Moore, Queens Park

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese calling a royal commission on Thursday after three weeks of public and private pressure.Credit: AAP

PM misread the mood

Rob Harris explains in his front page reflection (“What it took to get Albanese to change his mind”, January 10) what it took for our PM to finally call a Commonwealth royal commission in response to the Bondi shootings. Together with other analyses of the events leading up to that point, it tells the story of a person who is so politically astute that he is unlikely to make a political mistake of any real consequence. Unfortunately, like his pursuit of the Voice referendum, it presents a leader who lacks the insight to read the mood of his own people. Brian Barrett, Padstow

I applaud the Herald editorial’s conclusion that Albanese has done the right thing in calling a royal commission into the Bondi shooting, as it will give some closure for the surviving victims and the families of the victims both living and deceased, whose lives will be changed forever (“As PM acts, attack on Bell is out of line”, January 10). However, in my opinion, the PM in setting up the Richardson inquiry was acting proactively and with the speed required to address the communication failures between federal and state agencies to prevent a similar situation from occurring. Albanese’s delay in agreeing to a royal commission because he was concentrating on an urgent inquiry to expedite fixing flaws in the systems that allowed the heinous attack to slip under the radar has resulted in political opportunism from the LNP, which is disgraceful in light of the tragedy, compounded by objections to the appointed commissioner. Barrington Salter, Elanora (Qld)

Your editorial acknowledges that the PM got the royal commission on the Bondi atrocity and related issues right eventually. For all the fumbling, it is a much better result – more comprehensive, and it ties in the Richardson inquiry neatly – than it would have been had it been rushed in the days following the Bondi shooting. Andrew Macintosh, Cromer

The Herald was correct to point out that vitriolic and partisan attacks on potential judicial appointments are out of line and our habit is to prefer our judiciary to be independent and above reproach, not the preferred personality of special interest groups or individuals. Politicised attacks by Josh Frydenberg and Jonno Duniam on the exceptional Justice Virginia Bell merely demonstrate their unfitness for high office and remind us of the conduct of the Trump administration, stacking the judiciary and attacking it. Paul Fergus, Croydon

I have a very different view of Anthony Albanese to Gerardine Grace (Letters, January 10). After the senseless, vile and tragic murders at Bondi, I saw in the PM a decent man who was trying to balance grief, care and empathy with the need to curb kneejerk reactions and keep a lid on blame-shaming and ugly retributions. As leader of the nation, he knew he would be the target of anger and even political opportunism from the opposition. To me, Albanese is a good man in a crisis, the exact opposite of Sussan Ley and Frydenberg. He acts for all Australians, including the multitude of disparate minorities and communities that are the fabric of the nation. Peter Campbell, Potts Point

Poor old Albo. Damned if he doesn’t, damned if he does. Viv Munter, Tumbi Umbi

Illustration by BadiucaoCredit:

What role a writers’ festival?

This year will mark my wife and my third attendance at Adelaide Writers’ Week. We are appalled at the decision to exclude Randa Abdel-Fattah from participation and the consequential withdrawal of a large number of well-regarded presenters, many of whom we were looking to seeing (“Authors band to boycott Adelaide Writers’ Week”, January 10). In our previous visits to Adelaide the Middle East situation inevitably garnered attention in various ways. In all instances debate was conducted robustly but respectfully, as we should expect. If honest debate about the Middle East causes any of those on either side of that discussion to be upset, the answer isn’t to simply shut it down. All that does is cause rage and upset among even more people. Writers’ festivals are forums for intellectual engagement and quite properly, organisers should not try to shut down that debate to appease I’m not sure who. Alan Phillips, Mosman

Our esteemed prize-winning author Richard Flanagan reminds us of the importance of freedom of not only speech, but an individual’s thought and its creative consequence, imagination (“An appalling exclusion in Adelaide”, January 10). This festival of world-class literary creatives who gather to share ideas and propose constructs that challenge preconceived cultural norms feeds on freedom, not censorship. Naturally, that freedom comes with its own societal protocols – they do not incite violence, hatred or demean any individual or groups (religious, social or otherwise). Without such festivals, we slide slowly but surely downward toward a dystopian world controlled by autocrats. One that great writers like Margaret Atwood, George Orwell and many others, have penned so eloquently. A rethink of Dr Randa Abdel-Fattah’s removal sounds eminently sensible. Cleveland Rose, Dee Why

Palestinian-Australian academic and author Dr Randa Abdel-Fattah. Credit:

Randa Abdel-Fattah has not been silenced, Richard Flanagan, she’s just been dis-invited from a speakers’ festival. She can still spread her message loud and clear through her multiple forums as an academic and in the media. Richard Abram, Bexley

Love letters

It was during the Christmas break that I sorted through some boxes of photos, and thrown in with them I discovered a number of handwritten letters (“Return of the art of letter writing”, January 10) – a few of them going back over seven decades, written to my parents from overseas, while mine were a mixture of intimate love letters, break-up letters and those from friends while travelling overseas. All of them I treasure, along with the special collection of hate mail I’ve received over the years from people who didn’t like the contents of a few of my letters to this newspaper. Even they though no longer write to me. Con Vaitsas, Ashbury

My spirits lifted when reading “Return of the art of letter writing”. It was sending and receiving those blue aerogrammes in the early ’70s that brought my husband and I back together after our earlier relationship in 1968-69. However, that was when Australia Post was completely government funded and not run as it is now as a profit-making business. I have had quite a few letters and cards go missing over the past few years, and in 2025 even a registered letter with theatre subscription disappeared. After complaining, it was traced to the main distribution centre, but nothing after that. I no longer have trust in this business. I hope those described in the article are having better luck with their “snail mail”. Mary Lawson, Marrickville

A storm by any other name

I agree with Angus Dalton that our extreme weather events should be more memorable – and that naming them would help (“Heatwave Hayley? It’s high time we gave names to these dangerous weather events”, January 10). May I suggest a few? “Albanese” should surely be first, commemorating the approval of multiple new coal mine expansions while, on the other side of his face, maintaining that emissions reductions were on track – so long as they only counted within Australia. This will ensure that we will continue with many more extreme weather events. For a second event, how about “Watt”, after Murray Watt, to remind us of the approval of Woodside’s North West Shelf gas extension, widely described as a carbon bomb. And thirdly, “Sussan” (first name only, as she changed it herself for maximum memorability): when she was the environment minister who successfully defended the Youth Climate Case, in which the court decided she owed no duty of care to future generations in relation to climate change. Well done, Sussan. A good way to remember how we got here. Marie Belcredi, Epping

How hot was western Sydney, really?Credit: Max Mason-Hubers

Blessed is the southerly buster! Michael Deeth, Como West

Aussie summer magic

Little wonder we are the envy of the (rest of) the world (“The sacred relics of the beach holiday”, January 10). Blessed with thousands and thousands of kilometres of coastline, a laid-back culture obsessed with sand between our toes and the humble Esky the lifeblood of our aspirations, the Australian summer beckons. Too numbed by the scorching sun to internalise that there are heatwaves, bushfires, cyclones and the odd venomous creature attack, we loll around in our particular paradise. Crikey, how fulsome our gifts: take that British Museum. Pam Connor, Belconnen (ACT)

Time to give third umpire out

Daniel Brettig (“Snicko facing its own review”, January 9) reports on the frustration surrounding the use of Snicko during the recent Ashes series. Surely in this high-tech world, the DRS technology should be foolproof. The time taken for the third umpire to make a decision is ludicrous. The ICC needs to get it right, and soon. Denis Suttling, Newport Beach

Pass the bucket

As well as being entertained by Margot Saville’s opinion piece in the Herald (“My reverse bucket list: a survival guide”, January 10), I was surprised to find we shared some items to reverse bucket. I tried for more than 25 years to sleep on the ground but failed. I’m always wary of any toilet arrangements in the country that involve lots of people and improvised venues. However, I experienced a magnificent 10-course menu in south-eastern France and savoured every mouthful. Judith Rostron, Killarney Heights

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