The Election and Cycling

[briztoon]

I am curious, would people consider changing their political allegiance to support a pro-cycling Party?

http://www.smh.com.au/national/bike-rid ... 2qxdg.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

How far would a party have to go to obtain your vote?

[AKO]

All else being equal then yes, definitely. But I feel there are far more pressing issues (for me at least) at the moment for cycling issues to swing my vote.

[Farside]

I sincerely hope this isn't an ALP last gasper....politics aside...the sight of Kevin in knicks on the tele would be enough to make a man pluck out his own eyes...


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[il padrone]

As opposed to the 'budgie-smuggler' ??

[briztoon]

I sincerely hope this isn't an ALP last gasper....politics aside...the sight of Kevin in knicks on the tele would be enough to make a man pluck out his own eyes...


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Nope. I've been a Liberal voter for the best part of the last 20 years. But not this year.

No this stemmed from a discussion with my sister. My sister plays poker for a living, and has done so for over 5 years now, so to do quite a few of her friends and acquaintances. The Liberals will look to ban online gambling, gaming and sports betting (bye bye Tom Waterhouse, TAB online, etc) if (when) they come to power. My sister started a FB page on Friday night to bring this to the attention of the poker player community in Australia. Quite a few Liberal supporting players, have said they will be switching their vote because of this.

So I was just wondering, in terms of cycling, what would it take for you to change your vote?

[g-boaf]

Nothing. Because it is all lies. No politician will ever upset the motoring lobby.

This was an old article - so it hardly matters in comparison to three word Tony's latest slogan.

[rkelsen]

[Xplora]

If you voted for Wilkie to change gambling laws, you would be humiliated.
If you voted for Brandt to provide a progressive influence for the ALP, you would be humiliated.
If you voted for Windsor expecting a conservative independent, you would be humiliated.
If you voted for the ALP expecting them to achieve a progressive agenda on immigration, you would be humiliated.
If you voted for the Coalition expecting a kinder, gentler polity in the Parliament in line with the swing to progressive around the world, you would be humiliated.

You have to vote based on a record, based on an ideology, and lastly, based on promises if you have nothing else to work with. The ALP had a chance with the stimulus package to basically gold plate the cycling infrastructure network and chose to put up school halls, whether they needed them or not. It's just ridiculous to think that cycling is on the ALP's radar, when they had control of the major states and chose to do nothing when they had responsibility for it.

[RonK]

Hmmmm - Nobody is actually standing for election?

[Xplora]

Well it is worth voting for Nobody this time it seems

[g-boaf]

I have to agree with Leigh - everyone is making themselves out to be what they are not.

LNP are the new progressive socialists supporting all kinds of big government interventions and even paid parental leave, while one of their candidates says "we support families" like a robot, while preferring to hide from everyone.

Labor are the new fiscal conservatives and hard line right wingers, the Greens appear to be the centre of the field and the left is now Wikileaks.

How things have changed, the more they remain the same.

It's like the shape of water. But water doesn't have a shape you say... Oh yes it does! It has the shape you give it

I can't see Labor building cycleways everywhere - and the LNP will never do it, based on their NSW record of blocking and holding up existing plans.

[Xplora]

^^ I reckon the Libs are more likely to do it once the cost/benefit swamps them. The car has failed absolutely and unequivocally for certain areas. Getting some paths through those areas is unlikely to be overly onerous when faced with billions upon billions upon billions of dollars and millions upon millions of lost hours waiting for the upgrades. That's one thing you can rely on from the Coalition. They will pony up hard when it makes sense and is an easy sell. You will see it with tax reform and IR reform if they get a double dissolution. It will be presented as the obvious choice, and the previous progressive government's poor record will give them enough wriggle room to do it. GST ring a bell?

I think the biggest challenge is building adequate paths... I don't need another M2 situation ever again.

[g-boaf]

M7 style paths everywhere thanks! particularly from my place to Circular Quay!

I'd be in heaven.

[briztoon]

I'm not say Labor will support cycling infrastructure, I just don't see the Liberals supporting it or spending any money on it.

The ALP had a chance with the stimulus package to basically gold plate the cycling infrastructure network and chose to put up school halls, whether they needed them or not.

Yeah I wasn't particularly impressed with how they spent the money, but the package was about keeping people employed and getting the money back in to the community and economy. The schools project kept many people from the housing construction industry in jobs while the housing industry experienced a down turn.

When the Liberals came in to power in QLD they cut the funding to many of the state government public works projects that were keeping people employed. While Labor can be lambasted for the growing deficit, much of the borrowing (and money raised from selling State assets) was spent keeping people employed. Unless the world economy recovers, I don't see 2 million new jobs being created by the private sector under the Liberals.

[RonK]

I have to agree with Leigh - everyone is making themselves out to be what they are not.

LNP are the new progressive socialists supporting all kinds of big government interventions and even paid parental leave, while one of their candidates says "we support families" like a robot, while preferring to hide from everyone.

Labor are the new fiscal conservatives and hard line right wingers, the Greens appear to be the centre of the field and the left is now Wikileaks.

How things have changed, the more they remain the same.

It's like the shape of water. But water doesn't have a shape you say... Oh yes it does! It has the shape you give it

I can't see Labor building cycleways everywhere - and the LNP will never do it, based on their NSW record of blocking and holding up existing plans.

Wedge politics - has driven all parties further to the right. Just look at the major parties trying to outbid each other on boat people. This is a shameful situation for all Australians. Thanks to Howard's and now Abbott's Liberals.

[briztoon]

Oh dear, we're in danger of having a real political discussion, and that never was my intent. Still, as long as it remains civil, I don't mind. Just don't let it get to heated.

[sogood]

Wedge politics - has driven all parties further to the right. Just look at the major parties trying to outbid each other on boat people. This is a shameful situation for all Australians. Thanks to Howard's and now Abbott's Liberals.

Yep. The Greens will also need to take some blame here. Idealistic yes, but needs to be practical. Stubbornness just took the issues that they care even further away from their desired position. Libs should thank the Greens for their present winning position.

[RonK]

Wedge politics - has driven all parties further to the right. Just look at the major parties trying to outbid each other on boat people. This is a shameful situation for all Australians. Thanks to Howard's and now Abbott's Liberals.

Yep. The Greens will also need to take some blame here. Idealistic yes, but needs to be practical. Stubbornness just took the issues that they care even further away from their desired position. Libs should thank the Greens for their present winning position.

Yes, the Greens everything or nothing attitude has gotten the wrong result many times.

[sogood]

Yes, the Greens everything or nothing attitude has gotten the wrong result many times.

Stupid! They are just further damaging the causes they verbally aspire. They are far more effective as a NGO.

[Xplora]

Would never blame the most recent incarnation of political leadership for the woes of the current situation, simple fact is that the electorate can be relied upon to react in certain ways, because it is sales, and not policy. Policy is not developed by politicians. It is promoted by politicans. If you want someone to blame, blame the ALP's hubris in the 90s - Keating's behaviour was shameful, and he backflipped just as well as Howard ever did to hold onto power. I feel that the welfare grab that we saw during the Howard years was simply a realisation that you need to put money into the voter's pockets, which was amply supplied by the ALP during the 80s and 90s.

If you want political leadership, you have to be prepared to take some bad medicine sometimes. The current Lib lines about budgets etc are precisely that - medicine that will taste AWFUL; but how do you fix the problem? Let it get worse?

I feel it is like the choice between having a weight belt put into your panniers with a nice clean drivetrain vs a light race bike that has such a rusty chain that it might snap soon and forgot what oil was. Sadly, I'm being promised some oil and a new chain for my light bike but I just know that it won't happen because talk is cheaper than oil.

[clackers]

Cycling infrastructure is really a state and council issue. Even if a Federal Government wanted to fund a project or change a law the states would have to agree and implement anyway.

I early voted last week, and I think everyone who wants to vote in the Senate above the line is going to have an interesting time ranking the nutjobs on offer. Go the Pirate Party!

[rkelsen]

but how do you fix the problem?

What problem, precisely?

In Australia, it seems that we don't understand what "problems" really are.

Try working in a professional career for 40 years of your life and having only €1,800 per month to show for it. That's what you'd have if you lived in Spain or Italy at the moment.

We have it pretty good here... You can't get a seat at any decent restaurant in Melbourne on a Tuesday night in winter!

[RonK]

Would never blame the most recent incarnation of political leadership for the woes of the current situation, simple fact is that the electorate can be relied upon to react in certain ways, because it is sales, and not policy. Policy is not developed by politicians. It is promoted by politicans. If you want someone to blame, blame the ALP's hubris in the 90s - Keating's behaviour was shameful, and he backflipped just as well as Howard ever did to hold onto power. I feel that the welfare grab that we saw during the Howard years was simply a realisation that you need to put money into the voter's pockets, which was amply supplied by the ALP during the 80s and 90s.

Why stop at Keating - for hubris, why not go back to Menzies?

[Xplora]

^^^ you're bang on, Ron. Unfortunately, for all the drivel about Abbott's style, he is infinitely more in line with the Aussie image than Rudd is. Latham was pretty much perfect for the mold except that he couldn't control his temper at the final hurdle. We want our politicians to be aggro, just not violent. Because testosterone is able to recognise the difference between those behaviours, as you know

rkel, driving the bus off a cliff singing "we are better than the rest" isn't good policy. We should have it better; sadly there are a few incredibly unjust policies which will drive us off the cliff, and we have to accept that the Government can't fix anything. They can only guide the fundamentals and prevent distortion in the marketplace. When we realise we've managed to develop a class society in 50 years (homeowners vs renters) it will be too late. When we stop pointing at the Reinharts and point at the investor class instead, we see a very different vision of haves and have nots.

[Mulger bill]

Hmmm

The following topics / content does not belong in this forum:
• Religion / Sexuality / Sex / Politics / Race & Ethnicity

Having just smashed myself doing an hours hill repeats of Menzies Drive on the FG I'm feeling great (if wasted and covered in salt) and won't go hard on this topic.
Until one or more posters forget themselves and make me want to.

Keep it civil and discuss the issues and we'll be fine. Unless another mod or admin decides otherwise.

Shaun