The Guardian 24 August, 2005
Readers are invited to submit letters to The Guardian.
Letters may be e-mailed to guardian@cpa.org.au, or posted to:
The Guardian, 74 Buckingham Street, Surry Hills NSW 2010, Australia.
Letters of 300-400 words are preferred.
Letters to the Editor
Size but not service
The supermarket Goliath Woolworths is now pushing to dispense doctor’s scripts, at present issued by chemists under the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme. Chemists have served communities in health care for many years.
Earlier they made powders, syrups, salves and ointments with vaccines for cure alls. Today we get medicine from the chemist to cure infection, help the injured, for people on their sick bed, and to assist the elderly.
They know each client, greet us by name and ask after family members. The role of the local pharmacies is needed, as part of the services from middle and small businesses. All are important under the rule of capitalism, and socialist change in the local shopping centres.
Does you, man, woman or child, want antibiotics cheap this week, cut prices now, buy one get one free? Supermarket advertising tries to tell us we can benefit buying anything from a pen to a pineapple, a tin of baked beans or a banana, just to grab consumer dollar.
They are now planning to sell tinned and packaged food under one brand name, theirs, like it or lump it.
Woolworth’s now keeps selected newspapers and magazines, has seen butcher shops close and threatens the local green grocers and makes corner shops feel the pinch. If your bill is big enough at the checkout, your prize is discount petrol.
No more latecomers. The supermarkets have got too big for their boots.
Phyllis Johnson
Padstow, NSW
Howard’s latest gong
I notice that John Howard is to get a "prestigious" US award for outstanding leadership in public life. How appropriate for him but how humiliating for the people of Australia!
The award is to be presented to him this week at a ceremony in Sydney. I’m sure he will puff up his chest and set his jaw at a suitable angle — strong enough to show determination in the face of terrorists and the labour movement; humble enough to acknowledge that this is an award from his superiors attached to the Bush administration. (By the way, if you haven’t noticed, the Howard swagger, sneer and downright arrogant body language are reserved for gatherings with representatives of developing countries.)
There is no doubt that this gong will be very special to Howard. The Woodrow Wilson Award comes from the political centre of the same name in Washington and is named after the 28th president of the US. He had the top job during and just after WW1 and is remembered mostly for his enthusiasm for mapping out a new world order that would be "safe for democracy". It is a moot point whether or not he was more, less or just as sincere as recent presidents in pursuing those noble-sounding goals. In any case, the gathering will hear a recorded message from current head honcho, George W Bush.
It seems US Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice, was a member of the judging panel and would have had quite a bit of influence over the decision. It is the first time a serving political leader has been recognised and Mr Howard is the first person outside North America and Europe to receive the honour.
There can be no doubting what this award is for. On the world stage John Howard is the sort of non-descript leader that has heads of other states checking their speakers’ notes for his name before blurting out their deep respect for the Aussie PM. The medal is being pinned on him for staying the course through all the humiliation of his own people as he dragged them unwillingly into a war based on lies; for keeping them involved in an un-winnable and ignoble campaign to re-colonise a resource rich sovereign country; for increasing our commitment while other governments have pulled out at the insistence of their people; for caring nothing for fuelling the escalating cycle of terrorism.
Congratulations John, you’ve well and truly earned this recognition.
L Garami
Lismore, NSW