POSTSCRIPT
Sydney Morning Herald
Saturday March 13, 2010
Yesterday we ran a letter listing the number of people who had been reading particular stories on the Herald's website on Thursday afternoon. The Michael Clarke/Lara Bingle imbroglio was miles out in front, suggesting online readers were less than gripped by the more weighty issues on offer.Our letters told a similar story. The visit of Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono apparently left readers cold. They were only moderately agitated by Tony Abbott's parental leave scheme. Defence overspending attracted the odd angry shot. Even Belinda Neal's preselection defeat incited a mere flicker compared with the inferno of the Iguanas days.Among the overflow from last week's letters about the government's plans for the health system were several recounting positive experiences of treatment in public hospitals. We rarely run those (or their negative counterparts), since it is impossible to draw wider conclusions from a single episode. But their steady accumulation is a useful reminder that not all those at the sharp end of the hospital system see it as "Third World" or in crisis.And so, when all else drew a blank, we turned the lamentable Clarke/Bingle affair inside-out. Each had supporters and detractors (I can't recall positive words for Brendan Fevola, Max Markson or the media), but if there was a consensus it was surely that we should all find something better to do.HAVE YOUR SAYEach week the panel gauges responses on issues that shape the nation. Here are the results of this week€™s questions:TOTAL RESPONDENTSShould big business be taxed to finance Tony Abbott€™s (six-month) parental leave scheme? Is it now time for water restrictions in Sydney to be lifted?Do you think that Australia€™s relationshipwith Indonsesia is ...Should children of returned servicemen be allowed to march on Anzac Day?
© 2010 Sydney Morning Herald
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