COLUMNIST Sonya Fladun’s experience of “Running into airport turbulence” (CN November 13) will be familiar to many. Treating people as cattle is the inevitable result of “economic irrrationalism”, which treats everyone as a mere unit of production.

Firstly, manufactured products are sourced from cheap labour countries, destroying local jobs and skills. This is supposed to be efficient and good because modern information and service industries offer less arduous work. Except that computers can handle most of these transactions, so businesses cut costs even more by getting customers to do their own keyboard work.

This is how it works: In Medicare offices, airports, banks, etcetera, a person with an electronic clipboard (who could have been serving you) will direct you away from the counter whenever possible towards a terminal, ATM or website. The retail duopoly has that non-servant watching you while you put your own groceries through the checkout. Railway stations have no tellers when you need them. You must buy an electronic pass in a shop, but not at the station. The shopkeepers now serve that function. Buy a ticket for a performance, but only electronically, with a big mark-up.

The common factor in these transactions is that you work for nothing for a business.

The clip-board invigilators’ purpose is to put their fellow workers out of a job.

These are the disgraceful outcomes of putting profits for a relative few before socially valuable employment for the many, which should be the rational purpose of economic activity.

1. P Edwards, Holder

The Danish way

A JOURNALIST friend in Denmark has told me of the changes in that country in the wake of the 2005 firebombing of the home of Rikke Hvilshoj, the then Danish Minister for Refugees, Immigrants and Integration in the wake of the prophet cartoons.

Now, if you wish to become Danish, you must attend three years of language classes; pass a test on Denmark’s history, culture, and a Danish language test; live in Denmark for seven years before applying for citizenship; demonstrate an intent to work and have a job waiting.

If you wish to bring a spouse into Denmark, you must both be over 24 years of age, and it is more difficult than ever to bring your family and friends to live with you. You will not be allowed to build a mosque in Copenhagen. It was reported the Danes were upset because the Arab population, five per cent of the total population, were drawing 40 per cent of welfare payments. Is our integration working?

Colliss Parrett, Barton