Your say: week beginning March 16

Every day, we publish a selection of your emails in our newsletter. We’d love to hear from you, you can email us at yoursay@theconversation.edu.au.

Monday March 16

A lesson from Gallipoli

“When British and ANZAC troops landed during the Gallipoli Campaign in 1915 they expected weak resistance. Instead they met determined Turkish soldiers who wanted to defend their homeland with ferocity. The planners in London, politically backed by Winston Churchill, had badly underestimated both the logistical complexity and the terrain, but more importantly underestimated the resolve of those defending their own soil. The result was slaughter and failure. Gallipoli’s enduring lesson is simple: people fight fiercely when their country is threatened. When Donald Trump escalated tensions with Iran […] his hegemonic rhetoric carried a tiresomely familiar illusion: that US distant wars will be popular, quick and easily controlled. War is not a hedgefund trade. Gallipoli shows who pays.”

Bill Leigh, West Pennant Hills NSW

Australia’s blind spot

“With regard to your article around social cohesion, I believe that the current piecemeal reactive approach is catastrophically flawed. What we desperately need in my opinion is a coherent and comprehensive Bill of Rights that provides for everyone in Australia of all cultural backgrounds, races, religious or political beliefs, sexuality or gender identity etc. We are the only Western democracy without one? Why has it not been part of any major political party’s agenda? Despite it being raised in the past by a number of prominent academics, why has it never really been part of the conversation in Australia?”

Mark Dibblin

Culture comes at a cost

“I’m surprised your article on opera and ballet attendance didn’t touch on the cost of living. I can’t speak for past trends as I’m only 28, but a major barrier many people face are ticket prices. Many people just don’t have the wiggle room to drop $100+ for nosebleed seats on a show they might not know anything about!”

Zahro Muladawilah

Tuesday March 17

Australia’s oil woes

“Tony Woods’ article on the current fuel problems made some interesting points. First, the fact that successive governments have allowed the closure of almost all of Australia’s oil refineries, which in turn has led to a reduction in storage capacity. The Iran War demonstrates clearly what a danger this short-sighted policy is to our economy and even living standards - not to mention the real threat to the livelihoods and sustainability of our farmers and transport operators. And don’t get me started on Morrison’s ‘brilliant’ strategy of having ‘Australian’ fuel reserves stored in the US!”

Stuart Kennedy, Parramatta NSW

Where are the opera and ballet audiences?

“Your article on declining audiences for opera and ballet is another illustration of the changes in discretionary spending in our society today. The potential audiences for opera and ballet have less discretionary spending after astronomical mortgage payments are made. As a self-funded retiree I can afford a subscription to the Sydney Symphony Orchestra but opera and ballet are beyond my financial reach.”

Elaine Langshaw

How to make Australia more cohesive

“Thank you so much to Keiran Hardy and Rebecca Wickes for their article on social cohesion. Resentment and the urge to blame others (migrants, people of different faiths) builds up when we see that others have much and we have little. Redistributing Australia’s wealth, making sure everyone can afford a home to live in and has a decent welfare safety net, that we can afford aged care and disability care, that public education is taken seriously, would go a long way to rebuilding this country’s cohesion.”

Jane Rawson, Mountain River, TAS