Australia is nothing like America, is it?

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The US is often cited as a “beacon of democracy”. I am not convinced. The US, which has the loudest voice, says this about itself, and it simply amounts to self praise.

Many other democracies are substantially fairer and more civilised. Australia is an obvious superior case along with many others. If it is a “beacon” of any sort, it is a warning of where not to go; like a lighthouse helping ships avoid tragedy in the dead of night.

Andrew Barnes, Ringwood Misplaced faith in strong leaders We have the real possibility that “America’s Hitler” will be installed as US president. JD Vance, Trump’s choice as the future vice-president, used that term in 2016, adding that Trump was “a noxious person who will lead Americans to a very dark place”. The hypocrisy and calculation is chilling.

And yet, its forthcoming elections are still being written up as if they are not much different from previous ones. Luckily, in Australia we still believe in the peaceful transfer of political power. What’s happening in America couldn’t possibly happen here, could it? After all, we know our history – we all know what happened in Europe not so long ago when people put their faith in a strong leader, don’t we? Claude Miller, Ca.