Public Transport Party - it's time

[ozbob]

The failure of both the LNP and ALP to actually grasp the urgent need to address public transport in a meaningful way, means that those citizens who understand the real situation need to become a force for change and real progress.

Forming a political party is a major step and process, but it may be the only way to sort out the festering mess of incompetence that abounds in George St, Mary St and wherever else the clowns shine chairs.

--> http://www.ecq.qld.gov.au/political_parties.aspx?id=86

I think 500 members could be rustled up. 

A long term plan.  Anyone able to assist with a constitution?

[somebody]

A single issue party?  Might be better to talk to the greens.  That's what's happened recently in NZ - Julie Ann Genter got in.

[Set in train]

The failure of both the LNP and ALP to actually grasp the urgent need to address public transport in a meaningful way, means that those citizens who understand the real situation need to become a force for change and real progress.

Forming a political party is a major step and process, but it may be the only way to sort out the festering mess of incompetence that abounds in George St, Mary St and wherever else the clowns shine chairs.

--> http://www.ecq.qld.gov.au/political_parties.aspx?id=86

I think 500 members could be rustled up. 

A long term plan.  Anyone able to assist with a constitution?

Try not to end up like these guys:
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-09-16/sun-sets-on-queensland27s-daylight-savings-party/4263742

The inside story... the mind boggles, put it that way.

[ozbob]

A single issue party?  Might be better to talk to the greens.  That's what's happened recently in NZ - Julie Ann Genter got in.

Yes, you might be right.  It is a big task, but the problem with the majors is that they are just so spread across everything, nothing of any real long term merit comes out.  Advisers are part of the problem I believe as well.

[SurfRail]

Not a fan of this idea personally.

So much extra effort when we already have enough to do with advocacy and high-level meetings.

[ozbob]

Not a fan of this idea personally.

So much extra effort when we already have enough to do with advocacy and high-level meetings.

Yes, it is a difficult thing to do for probably not much result.  Back to the drawing board ... lol

[ozbob]

Seems not alone with frustration with the failing system ..

From the ABC News click here!

Business council urges radical bureaucracy overhaul

Business council urges radical bureaucracy overhaul
PM
By Alexandra Kirk

The head of one of Australia's leading business groups has called for a radical overhaul of the way governments are run at the top.

Jennifer Westacott from the Business Council of Australia says political gatekeepers have eroded the role of the public service.

She says a "culture of reticence" has affected the quality of public policy.

"The kind of custodianship of the long-term policy agenda, I think, has been eroded by what I'd call short-term thinking," she told PM.

"I sense frustration in every part of the public service, from the highest to the lowest level."

Ms Westacott says she hears complaints from business about not being able to plan for the long term.

"[They're frustrated] that they're at the beck and call of short-term requests from ministers' offices [and] that their advice is second-guessed by political advisors," she said.

"They don't feel that they've got the authority and respect and legitimacy that they once would have had to give governments advice on the long-term direction of the country."

Her solution is to halve the staff of Government ministers and give the nation's top bureaucrats back their permanent tenure.

"The numbers in ministerial offices have grown considerably over the decades. We now have more advisors per minister than many other comparable countries," she said.

"The more people there are in ministers' offices, the more likely they are to want to second-guess policy work and redo things from the public service.

Ms Westacott has also called for a comprehensive audit to decide how far to cut the public sector.

"What we're calling for is an audit on the scope and size of government, and that would include the states as well," she said.

"In my view, it has to be a smaller public service as we go forward.

"We need to be saying, 'Look, what are the roles that people are playing? What are the things they're doing, are those things adding value? Could we get more productivity, could we do them more efficiently? Could we use technology better?'

"Those are the questions. They get you the numbers."

[#Metro]

I would also be strongly against a PTP

(1) A 'Full Service' party is what people vote for, a PTP is not full service
(2) Conflict of interest - can't be an advocate and a party at the same time;
(3) History shows that single issue parties usually ineffective and die a long slow death, and it is unlikely that 'this time will be different'.

[Arnz]

If Qld still had their upper house, I'd be for it. 

But since they only have one house, a single-issue party won't be of much assistance in parliament outside of their specific issues, IMO.

[Stillwater]

A Public Transport Party could extend its PT philosophy to all areas of government.  For instance, it could:

place a strong emphasis on preventative health measures
support sustainable industry
place active transport at the heart of town planning and master-planned communities (i.e. Caloundra South etc)
support community policing
and so on

[Stillwater]

Perhaps all that's needed is to stand 15-20 candidates in the most marginal seats.  Even if you don't win one of those seats, all that's required is to capture a crucial number of votes in each of those seats and to have the major parties working to undermine your voting base -- by pledging to do things locally that cause people to want to vote your (PT) way.  That way, whether a seat swings left or right is not due to a PTP being left or right, but by the left or right parties taking a stronger PT stance.

[#Metro]

Look at the History of SIPs - terrible.

Daylight Savings Party
The Sex Party

Even smaller 'trying to be full service' do terribly:

Australian Democrats
One Nation
Katter Party
Queensland Party
The Nationals
The Greens

That's the statistical odds - SIPs or small issue parties don't work.
Sorry, but this has no support from me.

[SurfRail]

Some of the minor parties do very well with proportional voting - which we do not have in Queensland at State level.  Hence the current composition of Parliament with 78 out of 89 MPs forming the government with less than 50% of the vote.

This is not a specific criticism of the current government or its legitimacy - both sides have been guilty of engineering the system like this for years.  Labor abolished the Legislative Council, which (while it was not an elected body when abolished in the 1920s) could eventually have been democratised the same way every other upper house was.  The conservatives and the ALP have engineered electoral boundaries to suit ever since.

[SurfRail]

^ The composition of the NSW upper house is very instructive.