With the Queensland State Election only a week away, you could be forgiven for being a trifle uneasy!

We have two main combatants, Bligh and Springborg, neither of whom instill one ounce of confidence in the thinking voters!

Bligh has participated in and inherited the furore and stupidity of The Traveston Crossing Dam, the "forced" Shire Amalagamation process and now the disasterous "It was 30 tonnes oil,... no sorry 300 tonnes of oil, and we have no idea where the missing 30 containers full of Ammonium Phospate are at this time!"

Springborg has bumbled and danced his way across the State making very little in the way of commitment to solving the State`s economic woes, but has made one profound promise that he will (if elected) retain Peter Beattie`s position as the Queensland Trade Commissioner in the US, a position that remunerates Beattie with around $360,000 per annum ( plus a free house in the US! ) an amount that could be seen as obscene, considering he is already enjoying the fruits of an ex-Premiers Superannuated Pension, ( which is assumed to be non-taxable !)

In case you as a voter are starting to wonder why things never seem to change?.....the fact is that you and many others have been "conditioned" by this one-sided system, which itself operates as a Dr Feelgood for the fat-cats and the money-lenders who sit back and enjoy their affluent life-styles, whilst you spend your entire lifetime battling to buy a house and contents, making outrageously inflated repayments to the money-lenders at the top of the heap, who continue to prosper from the ignorance of the uneducated and the impoverished! They continue to trust in your ongoing ignorance and gullibilty and hope that you will continue in your inability to "see the wood for the trees!"

This then is the system that THEY want to remain in place and which can only be changed by change itself,...I therefore urge you to cast a vote for an INDEPENDANT Candidate at the forthcoming State Election!

Not really taking it seriously. The Borg is a tool. Bligh's gonna win it, well, not so much win it, but if you were to vote for tweedle dum or tweedle dee who would you give it to?.

I had an idea though.

It's funny how they all get SOOOO motivated two weeks out from an election and suddenly come up with solutions to all our woes. A joke really. Are we REALLY that stupid to believe it?.

Anyway, my idea. Seeing as the country is the people's, theoretically, then why not have The People's Commission that's made up of like a similar thing to how the jury's done. Each member gets called up - it's optional, but the money's good - but what they have to do is get to the bottom of WHAT WE NEED as a society. Like, a police chopper, child care subsidies for working families, desalination plants ;o), etc etc.

Coming up to an election the candidate that CAN DELIVER our package gets the win. IF they fail, we cut off their head at the end of term. That way is a win win for the people!.

"IF they fail, we cut off their head at the end of term."

But who decides if they have succeeded or failed?

We tend to judge politicians depending what we already believe about them. If we like them but things are going badly then it's all the fault of circumstances outside their control and if things are going well and we don't like them it's easy to see the global circumstances which make it difficult to fail. We pay maore attention to the things we don't like with pollies we don't like than with pollies we do like.

On the main topic, I'm concerned that if the LNP gets up it will be more of the same. Instead of GOC boards being filled with those being rewarded for loyal service to the ALP they will start to be filled with those who have served the LNP (and it's predecessors). I've seen little that leaves me confident that either major party is wanting to change approach, rather they are squabbling over the spoils.

Oh for some sense that someone actually wanted to do things differently.

R0bert

Rather than being apprehensive, I'm pleased at the prospect of a closer result than usual. While I think that the ALP government is most likely to be returned with a reduced majority, the possibility of a hung Qld parliament with the balance of power being held by the Greens and Independents is quite exciting.

Under such a situation, the government wouldn't have dared to implement the arrogant and undemocratic local government amalgamations foisted on us by Beattie - and would be far less likely to try and steamroller through unpopular, environmentally unfriendly and unnecessary projects like the Travesty Dam.

Mr Springborg declares that the Bligh government knew about the oil spill on Wednesday and did nothing. Did Mr Springborg also know of the spill on Wednesday and did he make any suggestions as to what should be done and what would he have done while the ship was still in the vicinity of cyclone Hamish. What could have been done in the storm.

"But who decides if they have succeeded or failed?"

By them not achieving the goals within their term that the Peoples Commission - or whatever I called it - set out and they agreed too. IF they agree to our term of providing a cop chopper and don't achieve it, well, thanks for coming, 'William Wallace'.

I was being silly........or wishful, more like it.

I have sent survey questions to all candidates who are contesting the Queensland state elections and I am publishing the responses, together with any additional comments, at http://candobetter.org/QldElections/survey as they come back.

The questions are:

1. Oppose privatisation: Will you give electors a categorical assurance, if elected, that either you will oppose any further sell-off of public assets, such as Queensland Rail, water infrastructure, electricity generation and distribution infrastructure, ports, airports, schools, hospitals, etc., or you will not support any sales until such time as the Queensland public have shown support for privatisation through a referendum or public opinion polls?

2. Oppose population growth: If elected, will you act to end the Queensland Government's current policy of actively encouraging population growth. Will you make it a policy goal to stabilise Queensland's population as close as possible to current levels and act to prevent our population from doubling from 4 million in 2005 to 8 million by as early as 2031?

3. Oppose high immigration: If elected, will you act to make the Queensland Parliament prevail upon the Federal Government to dramatically reduce its current record high immigration program?

4. No increase in coal exports: Will you oppose any further increase in the rate of extraction of climate-changing coal? Will you oppose Premier Anna Bligh's stated intention made in July last year to triple Queensland's already record levels of coal exports by 2030?

5. Save the Felton Valley: Will you oppose coal mining in the Felton Valley (http://friendsoffelton.blogspot.com) agricultural region south west of Toowoomba?

6. Save Bimblebox: Will you oppose the destruction of the Bimblebox nature refuge (http://www.bimblebox.org) by a planned massive open-cut coal mine?

7. No second aluminium smelter: Will you oppose the construction of a massive, polluting, global-warming, Chinese-government-owned aluminium refinery planned to be built on the wetlands to the north of Bowen?

8. Stop rent gouging: Will you take effective action to protect domestic renters and businesses from excessive rent increases?

9. Housing a human right: Would you support European-style legislation that would enshrine access to decent affordable housing as basic human right for all Queenslanders?

(tobecontinued)

continuedfromabove)

10. Water a human right: Would you support legislation that would guarantee access to water as a basic human right for all Queenslanders?

11. Government-sponsored full employment: Would you support, at the state level, the implementation of the enter of Full Employment and Equity's (CofFEE - http://e1.newcastle.edu.au/coffee/) program to provide full employment in socially and environmentally useful programs for all Australians needing work, fully costed at $9 billion per year?

James Sinnamon
Independent candidate for Mount Coot-tha
http://candobetter.org/QldElections/MountCoot-tha">candobetter.org/QldElections/MountCoot-tha
http://candobetter.org/QldElections">candobetter.org/QldElections
http://candobetter.org/QldElections/survey">candobetter.org/QldElections/survey

CJ,
The government smotherment.
Any choice in QLD is profoundly the lesser of two evils. Neither side does much for me. What bothers me most is the campaigns are about the leaders. Policy is the Herd of randy Bull Elephants in the corner. They’re what are going to make the difference.
This election seems to be more substance free than previous. From the political parties perspective that’s fine few promises = fewer broken ones at the next election.
It seems that providing the premier is personable then he’s okay.
In several Bayside electorates there are candidates who have local government records that stink but likely to get up because of their leader. To me it’s like putting a gold RR symbol bonnet ornament on a 60’s Skoda the car still sucks.
LNP is still the same old national Skoda with an ideological/ambitious edge.

Lalor’s ministers are tired and compromised either by long-term arrogance/previous compromises or less than impressive performances. This lack lustre campaign proves that.

A hung parliament anywhere else would be good but look at the likely cross benchers! God bless Qld.

While is doesn’t really matter who has the treasury benches from one perspective. The only think that Qlders can bank on is development up to your ear holes. Houses in the south east and mining elsewhere. I wonder how many developers have funded this election. If LNP gets up any odds on what will go first? The SE plan and in its place, a developers picnic.

There is a precedent. The candidate for the Redlands was a key player in dragging back the previous council’s strategic plan. And then went nuts making developer millionaires by “facilitating” subdivisions left right and centre. Some of the tactics were well…interesting.

Personally I view Bligh as a better premier than Beatie because she is/was actually doing something besides being ‘a media tart’. And Queensland is still a curmudgeonary place. 80’s economics, 50’s attitudes to sexism,capitalism and personal responsibility

We will get the government that the majority want, it may not be the government that we want but thats life.

Richie 10,
That's the theory but in reality it is some what less democratic.
Ultimately we are choosing between two options that two other undemocratic minorities have decided for us.
E.g.
• In theory I can influence who is to be my representative in either the LNP or ALP but not both.
• What do you do as a voter if you are partial to one party's policies but not the candidate?
• What happens if as a branch member if the decision was made from H/O rather than at state or locally.
• What if the branch has been stacked etc.
One party I know of branch was 25 people. Those 25 chose the branch committee. of 7 people the members choose 2 on the selection committee the other two were the president and the secretary. This 4 ‘vet’ those who want endorsement. Usually 2 are recommended. Then the branch votes.

From here on the following is indicative.

The Branch committee chooses 2 to go to the State Committee of say 400 debates/ votes on state policy. 20 are elected the State Executive and 20 are chosen to sit on the National Committee. These 120 debates/votes on the National Policies and vote for the National Executive of 25 the NE can override a SE or branch.
Policy can be passed up from the branch but has to face all these levels to become endorsed. It may/ may not be in the same form as suggested. Each level has its own politics.
Then the Parliamentary Leaders/reps maybe able to override the lot and go on their own ideological binge (i.e. Howard with core /non core promises and Work choices).
This convolution i.e. Choices by 1, 25 or 5000x2 is therefore hardly voter participation or democratic.
Real choice is illusional in a party dominated system. Responsibly the voter has to choose one but it’s Hob’s.
Hence I would take parties out of the equation.

Given the modern malaise and antipathy towards government, most elections are a choice between the lesser of two evils.

I agree with CJ if the dissillusionment of the major parties can bring in some good independents and Greens that will be a positive step.

Crossing my fingers for Queensland in the hope than in future dubious projects won't be rubberstamped without democratic scrutiny and consultation.

"I agree with CJ if the dissillusionment of the major parties can bring in some good independents and Greens that will be a positive step."

Pelican,

As CJ says, that only works if the minor parties have the balance of power (like Xenophon, Fielding et al. in the Federal Senate).

Obviously, if minor parties get seats in Parliament, but their votes don't count, they and their views don't count.

Hopefully, the vote between the two major parties will be very close with the minors gaining enough seats to force the elected Government to negotiate. Would that be a first for Queensland?