Politics Election 2019

[Raven]

I'm not sure if it's identity politics, but it certainly isn't positive politics. All they do at the moment is say how bad ideas are without coming up with anything realistic themselves. Any criticism of the Tories from them is just wishy washy, long after the event.

 

[Wij]

Find me some shit where Starmer has been going on about identity politics.

This is exactly my point, I'm happy for the criticism of Labour being London centric but I do feel like the identity politics thing is a massive over reaction from gammons that are upset that all their policies aren't to suit gammons.

Again, Boris has been accused of being a sleazeball (again) and he managed to turn the debate around into 'we're getting on with the job and you're just stoking this hysteria' which fucking worked.

Divide and conquer.

It works because when most of the media, especially the BBC, frame it as 'but in a time of crisis does the public really care about a few corners being cut?' rather than 'corrupt cunts think rules apply to you not them and happy to piss your money away to their mates' then that framing sticks. No-one wants to be seen as a whinger swimming against the tide of the public mood.

 

[Embattle]

Lots of criticism of Starmer, and rightfully so after he declared he would take responsibility for the outcome.

A lot of it is that he is just a man of sound bites and zero action.

Some of it is valid but it is funny when the corbynites think they have a right to criticise the Hartlepool outcome considering their utter trashing at the last election.

 

[Aoami]

Find me some shit where Starmer has been going on about identity politics.

This is exactly my point, I'm happy for the criticism of Labour being London centric but I do feel like the identity politics thing is a massive over reaction from gammons that are upset that all their policies aren't to suit gammons.

Again, Boris has been accused of being a sleazeball (again) and he managed to turn the debate around into 'we're getting on with the job and you're just stoking this hysteria' which fucking worked.

Divide and conquer.

I didn't say Starmer, I said the party. I actually think Starmer himself has done well to keep himself away from it, but I think the party still has a long way to go.

 

[Aoami]

Some of it is valid but it is funny when the corbynites think they have a right to criticise the Hartlepool outcome considering their utter trashing at the last election.

Yeah right, it was definitely all the Corbynites fault.

 

[JBP|]

I dont know about other areas but our local labour council have just been bouncing from one bad idea to the next. A motion was put forward by the Conservatives to scrap car park fees to encourage people to come in to town and offer small businesses/market traders relief on reopening. The council said no and an uproar ensued.
Also they greenlighted knocking down parts of a grade 2 listed building and placing a 90 bed hotel (that looked like it was designed in 1972) in it's place and over half of a large car park.
Its those sorts of policies that lose an election to be fair.

 

[Raven]

Our council did that a couple of years ago for 6 months, free parking in town (Northampton centre is dying and was long before Covid) They actually saw a boom in people shopping in town, then they decided to reverse it, instantly back to a ghost town.

 

[Moriath]

Our council did that a couple of years ago for 6 months, free parking in town (Northampton centre is dying and was long before Covid) They actually saw a boom in people shopping in town, then they decided to reverse it, instantly back to a ghost town.

We got free parking across cornwall until the 17th May.

been like that since xmas.

 

[Tom]

I dont know about other areas but our local labour council have just been bouncing from one bad idea to the next. A motion was put forward by the Conservatives to scrap car park fees to encourage people to come in to town and offer small businesses/market traders relief on reopening. The council said no and an uproar ensued.
Also they greenlighted knocking down parts of a grade 2 listed building and placing a 90 bed hotel (that looked like it was designed in 1972) in it's place and over half of a large car park.
Its those sorts of policies that lose an election to be fair.

Making it easier to drive automatically makes it more difficult to walk and cycle. We should be prioritising walking and cycling. People walking and cycling tend to spend more in shops than those who are driving.

Around here the local council have been removing on-street parking and replacing it with parklets. And local people like it.

 

[JBP|]

Around these parts walking and cycling is much quicker than driving but that's just down to the ring road going through the middle of the town.
On a typical saturday or during rush hour traffic it will take you 20 minutes to get from one side of the town to the other in a car

 

[Raven]

Cycling is also easy round here, dedicated cycling lanes and more being added all the time. I can get to work by bike lane alone, except for about half a mile in the village then about half a mile of shared (very wide) cycle/foot paths near work.

I don't because A, I have been working from home for a year and B, I cba to cycle to work (I cycle out of work) I just want to get home when I finish, and it takes 6-7 minutes by car, the distance is actually much further using the dedicated cycling infrastructure. https://www.northamptonshire.gov.uk...o-cycle/Documents/Northampton Cycle Map 2.pdf

They are building a mountain bike centre near to work soon too ‘An opportunity for youngsters and tourism’: Northampton's proposed off-road bike park backed by biker

 

[Moriath]

They are trying to shoe horn cycle lanes into roads that were never wide enough for the traffic in normal roads here.

its fine in big cities that have been planned and all. In smaller towns that have grown organically over hundreds of years it doesnt work.

 

[Tom]

You have that the wrong way around. Old roads weren't designed for cars, they were designed for people, horses, carts, waggons etc. And yes, later, cycles. In fact it was cyclists who first started moaning about poor surfaces, who got councils to asphalt them.

If there isn't room for anything, it's cars. Stick them on the modern trunk roads - the smaller roads should be reprioritised for active travel. Here's an example near me - a gigantic freeflowing motorway running parallel to an 18th century residential road (Dane Road). The local cycle forum want the residential road filtered with a bus gate, so it is no longer possible to drive from one end to the other. There's no logical explanation as to why this can't be done. Filtering it with a bus gate means that public transport and emergency vehicles can still drive along it, as can pedestrians and cyclists. But anyone driving will be forced to use another route, on pain of a penalty charge. The end result is that all through-motoring is eliminated, leaving access for residents and a nice quiet route for walking and cycling.

 

[Embattle]

Cars really aren't going to go away, they'll just change over time.

 

[Raven]

You have that the wrong way around. Old roads weren't designed for cars, they were designed for people, horses, carts, waggons etc. And yes, later, cycles. In fact it was cyclists who first started moaning about poor surfaces, who got councils to asphalt them.

If there isn't room for anything, it's cars. Stick them on the modern trunk roads - the smaller roads should be reprioritised for active travel. Here's an example near me - a gigantic freeflowing motorway running parallel to an 18th century residential road (Dane Road). The local cycle forum want the residential road filtered with a bus gate, so it is no longer possible to drive from one end to the other. There's no logical explanation as to why this can't be done. Filtering it with a bus gate means that public transport and emergency vehicles can still drive along it, as can pedestrians and cyclists. But anyone driving will be forced to use another route, on pain of a penalty charge. The end result is that all through-motoring is eliminated, leaving access for residents and a nice quiet route for walking and cycling.

View attachment 44230

The last thing we need is yet more roads taking cars over greater distances. There are plenty, just badly managed, everywhere.

Then there are the elderly and disabled, they can't cycle everywhere.

I get people should be cycling more and driving less but people that drive don't do it for something to do (well, most) it's not like they want to be sat in a metal box. I'm certainly not putting a weeks shopping on a bike, or whatever else I might be out buying. As for work, as mentioned, at the end of a work day I just want to get home, as soon as possible, especially if I've had an active day, in the warehouse or whatever.

 

[Raven]

Roughly 30% turnout round here, apparently. Pathetic, just what the Tories want.

 

[Raven]

Nene Valley:
Samuel Isra Akbur - Lab: 820
Lizzy Bowen - Con: 1,727 - Very helpful, very active. I voted for her, though I was a little bit sick in my mouth for voting for a Tory, she is aligned to the wrong party. I work with her quite a lot through the parish council.
Leila Gilli - Lib Dem: 838
Phil Larratt - Con: 1,507 - useless
Jonathan Nunn - Con: 1,558 - useless.
Hilary Judith Wilson - Green: 781 - voted for them, not a bad result and hopefully sends a bit of a message, I thought there was another green too, but maybe I was still in a haze.
Turnout: 35.26%

 

[Moriath]

You have that the wrong way around. Old roads weren't designed for cars, they were designed for people, horses, carts, waggons etc. And yes, later, cycles. In fact it was cyclists who first started moaning about poor surfaces, who got councils to asphalt them.

If there isn't room for anything, it's cars. Stick them on the modern trunk roads - the smaller roads should be reprioritised for active travel. Here's an example near me - a gigantic freeflowing motorway running parallel to an 18th century residential road (Dane Road). The local cycle forum want the residential road filtered with a bus gate, so it is no longer possible to drive from one end to the other. There's no logical explanation as to why this can't be done. Filtering it with a bus gate means that public transport and emergency vehicles can still drive along it, as can pedestrians and cyclists. But anyone driving will be forced to use another route, on pain of a penalty charge. The end result is that all through-motoring is eliminated, leaving access for residents and a nice quiet route for walking and cycling.

View attachment 44230

Yeah dont think about disabled people who cannot walk far or cycle

 

[Tom]

Yeah dont think about disabled people who cannot walk far or cycle

It's a common anti-cycling argument this and is bullshit. Many disabled people benefit from cycling, there is a huge range of adapted cycles open to them. From simple trikes, to cargo trikes, to hand cycles - all readily available and popular. I met a pretty old bloke a few years ago on a normal e-bike. He couldn't walk 100 yards as his hips were fucked, but he was doing a 20-mile-ride that day. I'm part of an advocacy group where one girl rides an e-cargo-trike and has limited use of her arm. She loves riding it about.

Not to mention that mobility scooters easily fit in a minimum spec cycleway. And next time you're walking down the road, have a look at how many cars are parked blocking the pavement. Ask yourself where's the outrage at making it extremely difficult for disabled folk to get around, especially blind people (dogs don't understand pavement parking or blocked dropped kerbs)?

And where's the outrage at the hundreds of thousands of completely illegal (Equality Act 2010) barriers that block disabled access to simple footpaths around urban areas, under the pretence that they stop motorcycles?

It's funny how people only get concerned about the disabled when it comes to restricting driving. Not everyone can cycle or walk, that's right. But let's not pretend that we shouldn't make it easier for everyone just because it'll inconvenience a few people who can't be arsed to walk 5 minutes to the shop.

 

[Raven]

It's a common anti-cycling argument this and is bullshit. Many disabled people benefit from cycling, there is a huge range of adapted cycles open to them. From simple trikes, to cargo trikes, to hand cycles - all readily available and popular. I met a pretty old bloke a few years ago on a normal e-bike. He couldn't walk 100 yards as his hips were fucked, but he was doing a 20-mile-ride that day. I'm part of an advocacy group where one girl rides an e-cargo-trike and has limited use of her arm. She loves riding it about.

Not to mention that mobility scooters easily fit in a minimum spec cycleway. And next time you're walking down the road, have a look at how many cars are parked blocking the pavement. Ask yourself where's the outrage at making it extremely difficult for disabled folk to get around, especially blind people (dogs don't understand pavement parking or blocked dropped kerbs)?

And where's the outrage at the hundreds of thousands of completely illegal (Equality Act 2010) barriers that block disabled access to simple footpaths around urban areas, under the pretence that they stop motorcycles?

It's funny how people only get concerned about the disabled when it comes to restricting driving. Not everyone can cycle or walk, that's right. But let's not pretend that we shouldn't make it easier for everyone just because it'll inconvenience a few people who can't be arsed to walk 5 minutes to the shop.

Speaking of which, can you recommend a decent pannier? I have a 90 litre rucksack that I use camping sometimes and would like to get that on an e-bike, I could shave off 20 litres or so.

Mostly for camping, what's weight distribution like? It would be tent, food, water, clothing etc. Ive found a few sites I want to wild camp fairly locally that I could access by bike and also further afield with a bike rack on the car.

 

[Gwadien]

It's a common anti-cycling argument this and is bullshit. Many disabled people benefit from cycling, there is a huge range of adapted cycles open to them. From simple trikes, to cargo trikes, to hand cycles - all readily available and popular. I met a pretty old bloke a few years ago on a normal e-bike. He couldn't walk 100 yards as his hips were fucked, but he was doing a 20-mile-ride that day. I'm part of an advocacy group where one girl rides an e-cargo-trike and has limited use of her arm. She loves riding it about.

Not to mention that mobility scooters easily fit in a minimum spec cycleway. And next time you're walking down the road, have a look at how many cars are parked blocking the pavement. Ask yourself where's the outrage at making it extremely difficult for disabled folk to get around, especially blind people (dogs don't understand pavement parking or blocked dropped kerbs)?

And where's the outrage at the hundreds of thousands of completely illegal (Equality Act 2010) barriers that block disabled access to simple footpaths around urban areas, under the pretence that they stop motorcycles?

It's funny how people only get concerned about the disabled when it comes to restricting driving. Not everyone can cycle or walk, that's right. But let's not pretend that we shouldn't make it easier for everyone just because it'll inconvenience a few people who can't be arsed to walk 5 minutes to the shop.

@Moriath is missing the point though, this is to stop through traffic, not to stop car access to the houses completely.

It's pretty common around here to be fair, but Leicester has terribad traffic though.

They're also doing a bit for park & ride here from the outskirts which is pretty cool, but I think it needs to be incentivised so people can leave their car there all the time, oh and add bikes to it.

 

[Embattle]

I used to have a couple of Ortlieb panniers on my old Trek Soho Deluxe, good stuff but only 20l each side.

 

[Scouse]

Speaking of which, can you recommend a decent pannier? I have a 90 litre rucksack that I use camping sometimes and would like to get that on an e-bike, I could shave off 20 litres or so.

Mostly for camping, what's weight distribution like? It would be tent, food, water, clothing etc. Ive found a few sites I want to wild camp fairly locally that I could access by bike and also further afield with a bike rack on the car.

I've a pair of carradice panniers and i think they're amazing.

Never used them.

I'm looking for an excuse tho

 

[Scouse]

Cars really aren't going to go away, they'll just change over time.

As soon as they become self driving half the roads on the planet become pointless wastes of space. It's why I object to almost all new roadbuilding and widening - it's a massive waste of cash in anything but the shortest of terms.

Once self-drive is properly a thing, traffic jams disappear completely.

 

[Raven]

Eventually parking won't be an issue either as car ownership will be long gone. We will pay a sub and just call a vehicle when needed.

Can't wait, I hate driving...well actually I quite like long journeys on my own, great time to think.

 

[Embattle]

As soon as they become self driving half the roads on the planet become pointless wastes of space. It's why I object to almost all new roadbuilding and widening - it's a massive waste of cash in anything but the shortest of terms.

Once self-drive is properly a thing, traffic jams disappear completely.

Well the government is allegedly going to look at various transport projects, depending on what actually happens with work patterns in the next few years and if more people do work from home.

Self-driving still has a long way to go both technically and legally.

 

[Scouse]

Self-driving still has a long way to go both technically and legally.

Legal is easy.

If technically we can do full autonomous within the next 20 years then halt *all* roadbuilding now.

 

[Aoami]

London Mayoral race is tight. Little Sadiq expected to clean up in the 2nd choice vote tho. 24,000 dickheads have voted for Fox so far. Most surprising count is perhaps that 10,000 people have voted for professional nutter Piers Corbyn.

 

[Moriath]

It's a common anti-cycling argument this and is bullshit. Many disabled people benefit from cycling, there is a huge range of adapted cycles open to them. From simple trikes, to cargo trikes, to hand cycles - all readily available and popular. I met a pretty old bloke a few years ago on a normal e-bike. He couldn't walk 100 yards as his hips were fucked, but he was doing a 20-mile-ride that day. I'm part of an advocacy group where one girl rides an e-cargo-trike and has limited use of her arm. She loves riding it about.

Not to mention that mobility scooters easily fit in a minimum spec cycleway. And next time you're walking down the road, have a look at how many cars are parked blocking the pavement. Ask yourself where's the outrage at making it extremely difficult for disabled folk to get around, especially blind people (dogs don't understand pavement parking or blocked dropped kerbs)?

And where's the outrage at the hundreds of thousands of completely illegal (Equality Act 2010) barriers that block disabled access to simple footpaths around urban areas, under the pretence that they stop motorcycles?

It's funny how people only get concerned about the disabled when it comes to restricting driving. Not everyone can cycle or walk, that's right. But let's not pretend that we shouldn't make it easier for everyone just because it'll inconvenience a few people who can't be arsed to walk 5 minutes to the shop.

You know you are talking to someone with a disabled parking badge and chronic back painand sciatica which wouldnt allow me to walk with out pain. Let alone cycle?

 

[Moriath]

@Moriath is missing the point though, this is to stop through traffic, not to stop car access to the houses completely.

It's pretty common around here to be fair, but Leicester has terribad traffic though.

They're also doing a bit for park & ride here from the outskirts which is pretty cool, but I think it needs to be incentivised so people can leave their car there all the time, oh and add bikes to it.

Show it working. London is just as crowded. Tho now they pay to sit in their car inside the zone.

not including the pandemic