Keep the new hospital in its well-marked lane
When the government builds the next so-called ‘‘Road of National Significance”, and the cost goes above whatever figure is set for its budget, as it inevitably will, would they perhaps not ashphalt it, or leave out road markings and safety signs, or maybe cut down on the number of lanes? I doubt it.
Aren’t all hospitals of national significance, because our population’s health is right up there among the most important responsibilities of any government?
It seems we must just keep trying, in every way possible, to help this government see they risk getting their priorities so wrong, by doing to our southern regional, or any other, hospital, something that they wouldn’t do to a road.
Mike Cowell
Dunedin
Sneaky feelings
The PM sneaks into Dunedin via the back door to tell our best and brightest to ‘‘set lofty goals”. Prime Minister, your hypocrisy is truly breathtaking.
D. Edwards
Mosgiel
A new challenge
It has been reported that English rugby prop Joe Marler wants to ban the New Zealand All Black team from performing the haka (ODT 31.10.24).
Nowadays this is seen to be a challenge to the opposition rather than an original war-dance based on Maori tribal customs. This spectacle, enacted just prior to the actual game, is done mainly with respect, but at times disrespect, from some sections of the assembled crowd..
For many years the haka was only performed by the All Blacks when overseas playing in international matches. Now it is being performed by both male and female of all ages in many sports.
Other Pacific Island countries are now doing similar challenges, e.g. Samoa, Tonga, Fiji.
I would suggest to Marler that the English rugby team should also get into the act by doing on their side of the half-way line, a two-minute Morris or Maypole Dance. No need to do any outlandish grimaces, but do the more effeminate movements with the arms, body and legs.
I think this will be a real crowd pleaser when performed by very muscular forwards.
John Neilson
Ravensbourne
Garbage talk
The past few days witnessed an interesting discussion about ‘‘garbage’’ in the US election.
One of the supporters of Mr Trump suggested that Puerto Rica was floating garbage. In reply, President Biden is alleged to have said, “The only garbage I see floating out there is [Trump's] supporters”.
The current argument in the media is if President Biden has said it with or without an apostrophe: the meaning being very different if there was no apostrophe.
This would please my old English teacher, who insisted on the correct use of the apostrophe - in written English. I never questioned him how I could put an apostrophe in spoken English.
Mathew Zacharias
Mosgiel
Leadership
After seeing Andrew Coster interviewed on Q+A recently, and being impressed with his openness and integrity, I reflected on some of the other main players who led us through such a difficult period in our recent history, Dr Ashley Bloomfield, Grant Robertson and in particular Dame Jacinda Ardern. Surely they have been outstanding leaders and I for one will be forever grateful to them. I consider it a privilege to have witnessed it.
William Parish
Gore
On with the show of getting on with the show
Hasn't it been a long time since we have had a concert at Forsyth Barr stadium? We often hear of acts coming to New Zealand, but not to our stadium, the latest being Metallica, who are only coming to Auckland.
Let’s hope that our new Dunedin Venues CEO, Paul Doorn, is busy in negotiations with artists.
We could inform the artists that we are in dire need of funding for the building of our Otago/Southland main hospital and that concerts would help us raise funds towards it. Also it should be mentioned that our hospital is part of the Otago Medical School, a school that places a big emphasis on medical research and any proceeds raised would benefit them as well. Mr Doorn could use this as an enticement when making his approaches to the likes of The Rolling Stones, recognising that Mick Jagger has had medical treatment. They are worth a go.
The Christchurch stadium is being built as I write and it is imperative that we attract some big names to Dunedin before 2026 arrives, to help us attract good top shows in the future.
Charlie Wilson
Green Island
[Abridged: length. Editor.]
Unpleasant but most show more humanity
Encountering Chris Trotter's essay ‘‘Two states, but no solutions’’ (Opinion ODT 25.10.24) was an unpleasant surprise. I had thought that most Kiwis were relatively free of the anti-Palestinian bias found in so much Anglophone journalism.
Alas, Trotter manages to distil generations of Zionist bias into a few paragraphs on ‘‘the Gaza tragedy’’. In his view, the tragedy seems to consist of October 7, 2023 rather than the slaughter of civilians carried out by Israel every single day since that time.
Thousands of women and chlidren have been killed as they tried to escape to safe zones targeted by the Israeli Air Force, but Trotter doesn't so much as mention the more than 100,000 Palestinians who have died. Instead, he recycles the old, discredited Likud lies that are so absurd that even the US Republicans have stopped using them. Perhaps he assumes New Zealand readers know little and care less about Palestinian civilians?
Happily, I've found New Zealanders to be much more knowledgeable and humane on this issue than Trotter seems to anticipate.
Katherine Liddy
Dunedin
Quite reasonable
Three apt points re the current plethora of letters on the Otago Uni lecturers’ quite reasonable request that Israel be treated the same way as Russia is currently in university policy.
No country has a “right to exist” - People have a right to life. Nations have regularly ceased to exist while the people remain.
The tired, vulgar ahistorical meme that Hamas/ Iran/Hezbollah is totally responsible for what Israel is doing is no different to what violent domestic abusers say to their victims “Look what you made me do”.
What would a student Grant Robertson have said in response to the request? Funny how the trappings of power dull the sense of right and wrong.
Andrew Nichols
Kew
