Poisonous critics can't accept that Abbott spoke for middle Australia Former prime minister Tony Abbott in Canberra on Tuesday.
Tony Abbott's final speech was both poignant and pertinent, especially in his affirmation that the nature of political commentary has been "mostly sour, bitter, character assassination".
Indeed, despite his success in fulfilling signature election promises, his measured manner, his active community service and his ardent social conservatism in regard to the family, he continually earned the ire of the hashtag activists, who simply could not accept that he represented overall, the aspirations and attitudes of middle Australia. 
It was particularly nauseating on late Monday evening to see ABC personalities duly acknowledging that our politicians are first and foremost human beings, after lavishly laying on years of unbridled criticism upon the former Prime Minister.
In his book Sideshow, former federal Finance Minister Lindsay Tanner rightly affirmed that it is now more important for our elected candidates to be interesting than right, and genuine debate thrives on simplicity and synopsis that is glib and emotive.
We do our nation a disservice, if our elected leaders are turfed out every couple of years, simply because they don't instantaneously tick all the superficial boxes of persona, camera presence and likability.
Peter Waterhouse, Craigieburn, Vic A decent legacy The spiteful and infantile comments against Tony Abbott in these pages and by the left in general say more about the authors than any shortcomings in Tony Abbott. Indeed, I am sure history will be kind to Abbott, recording him as a far better person than his detractors.
None other than Bill Shorten recognised the uncommon decency of Tony Abbott in his personal and generous valedictory address to Parliament.
For all his faults, Tony Abbott started the conversation on the economy that we had to have and must now address. He dealt with seemingly intractable problems such as stopping the boats and most importantly, unlike Rudd and Gillard, he did no harm.
Thanks to Abbott, the country is now on a much better footing and this is a gift that Malcolm Turnbull must build upon.
Some time ago I warned that Bill Shorten was squandering his time in opposition by remaining stuck in Labor's past and he is about to learn the lessons of his myopic tactics.
H.Ronald, Jerrabomberra, NSW Shorten is next Because people actively like Malcolm Turnbull and are indifferent to Bill Shorten, we know Shorten will lose to Turnbull at the next election.
We know, therefore, that it is in the ALP's self-interest to knife Shorten and install someone else. But: please don't.
Put the nation above your self-interest; do the honourable thing and let Shorten lose gracefully, restoring some stability and dignity to Australian politics.
Post-election though Shorten will have had his chance.
Please replace him with someone (anyone!) else.
Christopher, Budd, Belconnen Nothing has changed The blood is hardly dry on Malcolm Turnbull's hands, yet it is already clear that they have been trussed up in the same short-sighted and dangerous policy agenda as his predecessor and victim.
Barely two days into his premiership he blurted, in classic Abbottese, that the opposition's perfectly affordable and, frankly, only barely adequate target of 50 per cent renewables by 2030 was "one of the most reckless proposals the Labor Party has made".
That is one of the most recklessly irresponsible and destructive claims I've heard for some time.
Felix MacNeill, Dickson Leaking's long history In the wake of our very latest change of prime minister, it is worth noting that leaking to the media to damaging effect is hardly a new thing in federal politics. In the National Library of Australia on Friday, I came across a manuscript which contains a resolution passed unanimously by the Mortdale Branch of the Australian Labor Party in the winter of 1956. This 59-year-old resolution reads in part: "That this Branch is perturbed at the persistent leakages of activities and decisions of the Federal Labor Caucus, to the Press, and considers that urgent action should be taken to eliminate such leakages." This practice seems to be endemic.
Stephen Holt, Macquarie US imperialism It would be so nice to think Tony Kevin ("Joint effort needed to solve the Syrian tragedy", Times2,   September 16, p5) could be right that Barack Obama and NATO could work with Vladimir Putin to solve the Syrian tragedy. But unfortunately to do so would be hopelessly naive.
Kevin very fairly corrects the baseless anti-Assad propaganda of the Western media, including that perpetuated by Fairfax Media's David Wroe, but he is simply misguided in imagining that the US or NATO will ever genuinely embrace peace.
Kevin correctly notes that the US and NATO are sponsoring extremist jihadist groups to destabilise the region. Yet one need only contemplate this fact to realise that such monsters are not in the business of seeking peace. The purpose of NATO is to act as the instrument of US imperial power in Eurasia. Syria, Iran and Russia stand directly in the way of the resources of central Asia and the greed of the US imperialist machine to have that wealth is such that it will not stop until it is defeated -- and that means overthrowing the cabal currently wielding power in Washington by another genuinely popular revolution. Chris Williams Griffith The Rude Flag Re Bert Castellari's query (Letters,   September 18) about the full version of the parody of The Red Flag. A popular version in English rugby clubs goes: "The commissar from Potters Bar/ Has bought himself a brand new car/ The Workers Flag has changed its hue/ Its colours are now red white and blue/ The proletariat can kiss/ My fundamental orifice/ And if I'm out of work I'll draw the dole/ So shove your red flag up yourhole."
A more vulgar version of lines five and six went: "The working class can kiss my arse/ I've got the foreman's job at last".
Bill Deane, Chapman