Dump it, Trump, dump it! Save us the trouble.

Before we consider increasing the defence budget we should be looking at how this money would be better spent now (' AUKUS review a chance to rethink our alliances ', June 13). It's fairly obvious that AUKUS is a bad investment. Apart from the fact that our submarine delivery looks to be jeopardised by the US failing to meet the quota for its own fleet, according to experts, nuclear subs are not the type we need. The delivery time is too distant, and they are likely to be made obsolete by other defence technologies. We should cut our losses and ditch this dud deal. Roger Johnson, New Lambton Heights
Trump's administration is reviewing the AUKUS deal to see if it meets the criteria for 'America First'. That says it all: America's interests will always be its primary concern. We need to rethink the AUKUS deal and create a defence strategy that maintains our sovereignty while we are still an active partner in the alliance with the United States. Australia cannot afford to plough billions of dollars into a strategy for an end product (nuclear submarines) that may never materialise, or be superseded by new technologies. Leo Sorbello, Leichhardt
The longer Trump is president, the more Australia's ties with America become quicksand. If Australia is to have any chance of building a credible defence capacity, we jeopardise our security by putting our faith in the increasingly erratic and autocratic leader of a once-great ally. Trump's America-first agenda and contradictory political allegiances are plainly a serious threat to Western democracy. Do we really want to be America's vassal in such a precarious world? Bruce Spence, Balmain
May I humbly suggest that our PM tells Donald Trump to keep his non-existent submarines and that we simply pretend we have some? Given they're supposed to be so stealthy and invisible, our non-existent enemies will never know. Thus, we get the deterrence effect and can now afford a truckload of public housing and other useful social services. Tim Parker, Balmain
Disaster it is but ironic to say, 'It's time to recognise that since the AUKUS deal was announced, circumstances have changed'. No, they haven't. The circumstances under which AUKUS was announced involved a hubristic Australian prime minister, Scott Morrison, desperately trying to salvage a reputation he had already trashed before the electorate finally woke up and voted him out of office. In America, we face the prospect of having to relate to an even greater threat to intelligent leadership, the world's biggest liar, egomaniac, self-absorbed buffoon, Donald Trump. No change. Just different individuals. Let's get us the hell out of AUKUS, away from a USA-dominant sphere of influence, and be 'the grown-up country'. Frederick Jansohn, Rose Bay
Morrison and Turnbull are both in this paper talking about submarines. I'm sure if I looked hard enough I'd find Abbott bemoaning the end of Western civilisation or whatever cultural crusade he is on this week. I long for the days when the Letters page was filled with indignant outrage and calls for ex-PMs to be silent whenever Paul Keating had the temerity to comment on Sydney's architecture. Derek Elmes, Faulconbridge
Something seems very wrong. The party (the Coalition) that claims to be the best economy managers has, in about two decades, saddled Australia with two massive white elephants. First, Tony Abbott ruined the NBN with his fibre-to-the-node scheme, which cost more than the original and left us with a horse-and-cart model. Not to be outdone, Scott Morrison left us with a World War II defence plan that focused on submarines. We can only hope Trump cancels it with a child-like stamping of his feet. Meanwhile, the Coalition is still focused on keeping Trump happy in an equally childlike display. Philip Dowle, Wickham
We can only hope and pray that Trump scraps the nuclear submarine deal. It would save us the embarrassment of having to cancel it ourselves. I suspect most Aussies would prefer not to be tied to the untrustworthy Trump regime, on this or any other deal, for that matter. Let's face it, subs will probably be useless war machines by the time they are delivered. Should the deal survive, it will probably cost us twice the original estimate and take twice as long to complete too. Unsurprisingly, the Coalition already has its knickers in a knot over the review. Without the AUKUS subs deal, they'd have to come up with another thought bubble – and vision isn't one of their strong suits. Graham Lum, North Rocks
Rumour has it that Donald Trump thinks AUKUS is the month before September. Brian Roach, Westleigh
I reckon this might be at least the 250th letter today opposing AUKUS and the submarines deal, but we will still be stuck with this horrible deal made at the whim of Scotty and Boris. I'd back the combined wisdom of Herald letter writers. Tom Lockley, Pyrmont
Offer for Albanese
James Massola muses (' Albanese needs to make Trump an offer he can't refuse ', June 13) on what our PM needs to do to respond to Trump, AUKUS and all the other uncertainties with our US relationship. While I think most Australians worry about Trump, we can't ignore the fact that the US has run its economy into the ground being sheriff for democracies the world over. While it would be nice to spend more on aid than defence, that's wishful thinking. Maybe us grey nomads could endorse some tax reform to fund increased defence spending that keeps our kids and grandkids safe. After all, our fathers and grandfathers did much more by laying down their lives for us. It's time to act, not react. Brian Barrett, Padstow
As James Massola reports on the 'big meet', the Trump administration demands the rest of the world do what Trump wants. This leaves Australia isolated in a fragile part of the world. Albanese expects (maybe) to get a sideline meeting with Trump at the G7 summit. What an insult to Australia. Despite our once close relationship, we obviously can't expect any favours from the world's No.1 bully. Time to review our strategic partnerships and call Trump's bluff. Denis Suttling, Newport Beach
Don't seize, desist!
So, the Liberals have 'seized' on the AUKUS review (' Turnbull, opposition seize on AUKUS review ', June 13). What hypocrisy! The 'deal' they instigated involves us paying the US a bucketload of money now in order that they may, if they feel like it, sell us a couple of submarines in future for an even more eye-watering sum. I hope the review ends it. Brenton McGeachie, Hackett (ACT)
They told us Crown would not have pokies. We didn't bet on it
If every other state in Australia can function without the ridiculously high number of poker machines that NSW has, then our state government can no longer fail to set targets to reduce gambling harm (' Crown ramps up push to allow 500 cashless pokies in casino ', June 13). The most recent audit incredibly predicts it would take 55 years for NSW to reduce its poker machine numbers to the national average. How did we get here? These symbols of greed and misery cannot be ignored indefinitely, nor indeed be added to the Barangaroo behemoth. Lorraine Hickey, Green Point
It wasn't that long ago that we, the people of Sydney, were assured by the NSW government that poker machines would not be allowed at Crown Casino. It would be a classy joint, we were told. In 2013, then premier Barry O'Farrell said: 'Star City has 1500 poker machines. The VIP gaming facility at Barangaroo, should it proceed, will not have any. It's a high value, high worth individual enterprise. It's not a full-blown casino. It'll be restricted.' The cynics among us said: Sure, just give it a few years and see; before long, there will be pokies at Crown Casino. Perhaps the cynics were only realists. Politics, big business, property development and gambling – it's always a heady, if sadly predictable, mix in our fair state. Ross Duncan, Potts Point
I might be the odd one out to say this, as I have never played a pokie in my life, but Crown casinos having cashless pokie licences is probably a lesser evil than the reluctance to introduce cashless pokies in all parts of the state. The government must stop pussy-footing and instead introduce drastic reforms to reduce harm from pokies on families, which has a domino effect on our health system due to depression, even suicide, and economically for families who lose their house and/or relationship. Giving Crown cashless pokies will be a boost, not that it is going to solve any problems, but at least other pokies in various clubs will be forced to follow the cashless methodology quickly. Mukul Desai, Hunters Hill
If this passes, and poker machines are introduced into Crown Barangaroo, it will make a mockery of the original agreement and the trust that the people of Sydney and NSW had in the government to uphold it. Jenny Stephenson, Wollongong
Free to air discontent
Loss of employment through restructures, often driven by business decisions, is a fact of life, and dealing with it can be challenging; I know, I have been there twice (' TV pushed out by scary alternativ e', June 13). Waleed Aly has naturally sought to lay blame for the axing of his pet project on Channel 10's parent, US Paramount, along with a rapidly evolving alternative to traditional free-to-air station offerings for a diverse and highly discerning audience. Will I miss The Project? No. In all its 16 years I have never watched it. Allan Gibson, Cherrybrook
Waleed Aly spells out how the rise of social media and streaming is destroying free-to-air television. Now with AI and the personal information that the tech bros control, the danger is to democracy itself as they line up behind Trump. It is encouraging to see, Michael Koziol ('Marines deployed as Trump says governor should be arrested', June 11), that the Californian governor is at last using words such as 'dictatorial' and 'shock troops out of control'. It has been plain to see for years that Trump plans to be a dictator. It may already be too late to protest. Gary Barnes, Mosman
Online streaming and social media have changed how people consume news and current affairs, sadly resulting in free-to-air channels cancelling programs such as Q&A, The Drum and The Project. Social media undercuts traditional media. It is created at low or no cost by persons unknown and is rarely moderated or reviewed. The content often polarises opinion, as algorithms amplify existing bias and/or illusion. Trump's greater reach via social media contributed to his election win over the Democrats, even though the masses who elected him will experience worse outcomes under his regime. Free-to-air stations need to ensure they educate us with in-depth political, environmental and economic news and provide a platform for civil discourse for better policy formation, or we risk following the US down a rabbit hole. Anne Matheson, Gordon
My children, born in the mid and late 1990s, never read newspapers and rarely watch TV, yet they are still tuned in to news events and current popular culture, which they get from other sources. Once us oldies go, there will be even less support for the traditional print and TV news outlets, which will possibly become an oddity. Con Vaitsas, Ashbury
Supermarket planning
Thank you, MP Kellie Sloane (' Lib calls for Rose Bay to be spared housing bid ', June 13), please add Roseville and Killara to your list of suburbs that have been unfairly targeted. Neither of these suburbs has a major supermarket. Margie Christowski, Roseville
Aside from not being a town centre, Rose Bay is on a narrow peninsula. There are basically only two roads in and out. Irene Thom, Vaucluse
He made life a beach
The beauty and power of music is evident in Brian Wilson's life (' Pop music's genius composer Wilson rode waves of brilliance and torment in equal measure, dead at 82 ', June 13). Despite his damaged life, he created songs we love. Thank you. Music gives us joy, solace, dreams and memories, and touches every emotion and our souls. Today I am remembering Saturday night dances with fast feet, swinging skirts, many petticoats and big smiles. Bea Hodgson, Gerringong
Postscript
This week the first subject of note, which went on for days, was the King's Birthday Honours List. Honours lists normally bring in opinions, usually along the lines of 'Why are the lists so male heavy?' and 'Why do so many men get gongs for simply doing their well-paid jobs?' . We certainly got plenty of those this week, but nothing like the number of letters about Scott Morrison getting the country's highest honour, the Companion of the Order of Australia, just for being prime minister, or, officially, for his service to the public and the parliament (in other words, his well-paid job).
The collective intake of breath was heard across the land, followed by the sharpening of knives. Yes, a few people wrote in saying that the honour was well-deserved because Morrison got Australia through COVID-19. The rest stopped choking only long enough to mention holidays in bushfire emergencies, hoses, handshakes refused, extra ministries and, most of all, robo-debt.
Then there was discussion about sanctions being applied to two senior Israeli politicians. Opinion was generally in favour, although there were strong arguments against. Also, many questions about who deserves punishments in this world (spoiler alert: mostly Donald Trump).
Trump always brings in letters, sometimes at the end of the week there have been so many high crimes and misdemeanours that it's hard to keep them in order. At the start of this week, it was Trump and the ongoing misery of Gaza. In the middle of the week, it was Trump and the Los Angeles troubles. And by the end of the week, it was all about AUKUS as Trump seemed to be vacillating about the agreement. The letter writers strongly advise walking away from AUKUS without a backward glance.
There was also spirited discussion about illegal house building with the hope of forgiveness afterwards. There was, shall we say, no support at all for this.
The last big story was mourning the Herald 's wonderful cartoonist John Shakespeare, who died this week at 63. Letters of lamentation poured in, remembering a lovely man.
Harriet Veitch, acting letters editor

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