Dark visions of a diving democracy

Reading Jacqueline Maley’s piece on Trump’s ongoing attack on those expressing any view he doesn’t like brings into sharp focus the diminishing “right to free speech” (“Under Trump, the gradual descent of the US is poised to turn sudden”, September 21). For 20 years I was a member of Rostrum, a public speaking organisation founded by a Congregational clergyman and journalist, Sidney Wicks, in 1923. As members, we took the Rostrum Promise, learnt by rote, which included, “I will defend freedom of speech in the community and will try at all times to think truly and speak clearly. I promise not to be silent when I ought to speak.” I don’t think there are any Rostrum clubs in the US. However, in the present environment, it seems that the dictatorial chairperson will move from the chair that the speaker no longer be heard. Allan Gibson, Cherrybrook

It’s now clear as crystal that not only can we not rely on America to come to our aid in times of conflict, but its current government has abandoned all previous norms regarding international relations, democratic institutions, ethical and moral standards of behaviour. It has gone from being a nation providing elements of appropriate role modelling behaviour to an outlier organisation, the government of which consists of a leader with the mentality of a crime boss surrounding himself with layers of incompetence, self-aggrandisement and self-interest, and a mob of destructive, discriminatory enforcement underlings. It is just a matter of time before the entire edifice comes tumbling down in one calamitous heap of smoke and rubble, as if it hasn’t done so already. Frederick Jansohn, Rose Bay

With the collapse of American democracy imminent, the prospects of recovery are slim. There are too many forces working against it. Trump, of course, is the chief destroyer, and the Republican Party is almost totally under his sway. The Supreme Court is stacked with Trump loyalists, as is the government itself, so these institutions will not come to its aid. Social media is now so thoroughly entrenched that misinformation and hate speech overwhelm any possible voter intelligence and common sense, and there are too many guns in circulation to help solve political differences. The Electoral College distortion of voter intentions will not help either. As an expat, it pains me to say that it will take a miracle to save the US from failing as all previous great civilisations have. Richard Keyes, Enfield

Trump’s first term was too disorganised and had too much opposition from the entrenched systematic safeguards in place to protect democracy. He laid some of the groundwork, then, for dismantling democracy, but with his new MAGA martyr being idolised and Trump’s sycophants sounding like Hitler’s goons, free speech is almost dead in the US. Those whose job it is to speak the truth and ask the appropriate questions need to continue to do their jobs because to stop is to let Trump win. The Republicans are too weak to stand up to Trump. It is now up to a few Democrats who will stand up to Trump, and the fourth estate, who have a little time before they are silenced one way or another. Geoff Nilon, Mascot

With the courts, press and commentators cowed and First Amendment constitutional guarantees of freedom of speech increasingly subverted in America, it seems the US is heading for autocracy with a corrupt democratic facade. Andrew Macintosh, Cromer

Slogans like Band-Aids

Parnell Palme McGuinness seems to be having more than a bob each way on the Coalition’s renewable energy policy (“Voters stop listening to the Coalition”, September 21). She sees the problem as one of marketing, product placement and catchy slogans, when in reality, the Coalition’s failure goes much deeper than “brand trust”. The glaring truth is, it has little or no genuine commitment to tackling the urgency of climate change and remains in the pocket of the fossil fuel industry. Bruce Spence, Balmain

Parnell Palme McGuinness, like the nonsensical “great advertising slogans” she quotes, has definitely demonstrated her “lizard brain”. She does her best to tease out the tiresome and dangerous debate about the politics of climate change and the positive and negative results of this for the Coalition, but her long argument about why “the Coalition is flailing” can be summed up with just one of her comments: the Coalition contains “those who accept human-influenced climate change and those who don’t”. Says it all, really. Kerrie Wehbe, Blacktown

The Coalition lost all credibility over its views on climate change long ago and has done nothing to redeem itself since. Thanks to the overall disunity in the opposition, I suspect that Sussan Ley has no hope of forming a functioning team. Graham Lum, North Rocks