You know, it's been 20 years or so since we Queenslanders have had a decent alternative party to vote for.

With Campbell Newman about to embark on his crusade to become our next premier, I think we will at long last see some confidence come back to the business community which in turn will have positive effects on our economy.

Bring it on I say!

Dear rechtub,

I also would appreciate a decent alternative party but do not believe in any sort of messiah. A decent alternative party requires not only a popular leader but a membership committed to decent alternative. The LNP remains the party of the real estate developers, corporate polluters and religious fundies. If Campbell Newman can attract a different membership then it might become a decent alternative party. It will probably be the sme old LNP w a new leader.

I hope you do get a viable political alternative and someone who can lead Queensland into the future; it's been a pretty tough past (few months anyway).
As a Victorian, my view of Queensland politics is whatever makes the national news. I also sense that Anna Bligh is not at all popular (mind you, that was before the floods when I think she would have won many new admirers) but I don't really know why that is so.
I think we have pretty shabby options at a Federal level; neither of them give me confidence; but we tend to vote for the "lesser of the 2 evils" in many cases, and sometimes see "see-saw" voting where we vote "against" one candidate and not necessarily "for" the other. I guess we get what most of us vote for at the end of the day.
Good luck with the "options", it will be interesting to see what happens.

<< The LNP remains the party of the real estate developers, corporate polluters… >>

Agreed David.

So does the ALP. That’s the insurmountable problem. No matter how good Campbell Newman might be, he’s not going to be able to address the core issues of overpopulation and overdevelopment in southeast Queensland, or up the Qld coast.

Major problem – how can business confidence be fully restored without a paradigm of rapid expansionism?

SEQ quite desperately needs to STOP expanding its population, and everything that goes with it, and coastal Qld doesn’t need a big boost to its population growth rate, which could result if the current SEQ growth rate was diverted elsewhere.

Some population growth is needed in inland towns but basically Qld (and Australia and the world) needs to gear towards a stable population, by way of a careful steady reduction in the growth rate.

This is absolutely essential for a healthy future. But I bet that Mr Newman completely disagrees!!

Bligh (and Beatty before her) has expressed concern about there being major problems with growth in SEQ. But she hasn’t done a razoo about it!! Even if Newman did hold a similar concern, he wouldn’t be able to do anything meaningful about it.

Sure, Campbell Newman may well win the LNP power. But it will be meaningless for the people of Queensland. Afterall, the LNP and ALP are just two peas in a pod, hanging on the big business and real estate pea vine.

So rehctub, in what significant ways do you think Newman and the LNP would be better than Blight?

"Dear rechtub,
I also would appreciate a decent alternative party but do not believe in any sort of messiah. A decent alternative party requires not only a popular leader but a membership committed to decent alternative. The LNP remains the party of the real estate developers, corporate polluters and religious fundies. If Campbell Newman can attract a different membership then it might become a decent alternative party. It will probably be the sme old LNP w a new leader.
Posted by david f, Wednesday, 23 March 2011 10:18:51 AM"

Making the LNP exactly the same as the ALP who is owned by mining companies, developers and religious fundies. Time to replace them both.

The only people who have as little integrity as modern Labor are those who vote them in.
I fear that Campbell Newman will only last one term as was Rob Borbidge's fate.
Because people are so devoid of vision they'll just turn towards Labor again as soon as a Newman government lets it slip that there's enough money in the till for a Labor government to start squandering again.

I'm a bit excited about the prospect of "Can-do" as premier. I've never lived in Brisbane city, and reading the comments on the Courier-Mail website suggests that many in Brisbane don't like the guy or what he is doing to/for their city. Of course, those who comment on news sites are not always truly representative of the people.

My only concern is that, if a Brisbane mayor becomes premier, our state will become even more Brisbane-centric. While I'm sure Newman would like to think he'd be out there for the whole state, Brisbane is a city he knows well and its concerns have been foremost in his working mind for several years. To suddenly expand those horizons may be catastrophic.

Still, I have a lot more confidence in him than in old J-P. At least he has a track record of running something and, from what I have seen of Brisbane in the past few years, running it quite well. There will always be the knockers, but that's the nature of politics in Australia.

>>So rehctub, in what significant ways do you think Newman and the LNP would be better than Blight?

Interesting question, ludwig.

To answer I would firstly suggest that he does not have to be better than bligh, just better than the current (former) leader of the LNP.

You see labor have obtained office here for many years simply by default. There has been no credible alternative, full stop!

I myself have voted for labor, under duress, simply due to lack of choice.

Furthermore, rather than prance around the odd check our, or pretend to mop the odd floor, CN has actually worked in many areas, including rural QLD.

In any case my prediction is that QLD will see a 'mini boom' out of this because people in business, just like myself will feel safe in borrowing once again.

Business life here for the past few years has been in 'protection' and 'reactive mode' as opposed to 'pro active' mode.

I think it is fair to assume that AB will call a 'snap election' in an effort to try to defeat the LNP before they gain to much momentum.

Thanks rehctub.

You wrote:

<< I would firstly suggest that he does not have to be better than bligh, just better than the current (former) leader of the LNP. >>

Hmmm. I’d suggest that he would have to be a whole lot better than Bligh.

Oow hold on. Unfortunately he probably won’t need to be seen to be better than Bligh at all, just different. In fact, the majority of the votership would probably vote for him simply because he isn’t Bligh, and is someone with a bit of a public profile that can engender a certain degree of respect. In other words, he’ll probably get voted in by default, because people are sick of the incumbent. Same old story really. Then he’ll proceed to do nothing significantly different or better, and get booted out in a couple elections time on the same basis!! Such is Australian politics! Yawn ( :>|

<< In any case my prediction is that QLD will see a 'mini boom' out of this because people in business, just like myself will feel safe in borrowing once again. >>

Well, it would be nice if we could have an increase in confidence and dynamism in our economy, but it needs to NOT spur a higher rate of population growth (transmigration from southern states) in Queensland, and indeed needs to accompany a reducing rate.

THIS is the big deal for me – a dynamic, vibrant society… without the constant expansionism that pressures our future wellbeing, our environment, and which undermines or cancels out economic growth on a per-capita basis.

Would Campbell be concerned about this, even with southeast Queensland’s highly obvious population pressures?

Now, if old Bob Carr, former NSW premier, was to run for premier in QLD, I’d be excited, as he is one of the few politicians (now ex pollie) who has expressed genuine concern about the overriding issue of balancing our population with the resource base and environment.

But I’m afraid I can feel another yawn coming on just thinking about Premier Newman! ( ;~(

Dear Ludwig,

I share your concern about the transmigration of population into Queensland, but it is not primarily a local problem. There are pressures from Australia and the rest of the world. I belong to Sustainable Population Australia, but my membership is merely an expression of my concern. It does little to help with the problem.

So many politicians just seem oblivious. Howard talked about every Chinese eventually having a living standard equivalent to every Australian. We would choke to death like the anerobic bacteria that excreted oxygen into the atmosphere poisoning themselves but creating an atmosphere suitable for our type of life. Rudd seemed to think there was no practical limit on the amount of human biomass Australia could produce or import.

At the Cairo population conference representatives of the Catholic Church joined representatives of Islam in opposing population planning. They supported the Islamic objection to education for women in return for Islamic support for their opposition to birth control and abortion.

There are pollies such as the Labor MP who has joined with Dick Smith in promoting SPA, but he is a backbencher. Nobody in any position of power that I know of shows any degree of awareness.

David, I am pleased that you share my concerns. I too am a member of SPA and have been for 21 years.

The crying shame is, that with Campbell Newman coming to the fore as Queensland’s probable next premier, in most unusual circumstances that have really grabbed the media’s and community’s attention, that one of the first issues up for discussion or for him to express his views on isn’t GROWTH and the negative things that go with it such as issues of congestion, water, power, housing, etc

Given that there have been some quite critical growth-related issues in SEQ in recent times and that Bligh had commissioned a population summit, and given the high profile of Dick Smith, Kelvin Thomson, Bob Carr, David Attenborough and others on population growth, I would have hoped that the community would be demanding that a new potential leader shows some very strong down-gearing of growth and genuine sustainability views and policies.

It is only the second day after the Newman-for-premier story broke. But I bet there won’t be any significant discussion of this huge issue involving Newman and Bligh between now and the next election, let alone any real policies put forward by Newman for addressing it.

Ludwig >>Oow hold on. Unfortunately he probably won’t need to be seen to be better than Bligh at all, just different. In fact, the majority of the votership would probably vote for him simply because he isn’t Bligh, and is someone with a bit of a public profile that can engender a certain degree of respect. In other words, he’ll probably get voted in by default, because people are sick of the incumbent

That pretty much sums it up, well said!

I agree with Lawrence Springborg that there is something very wrong with the elevation of Campbell Newman to effective leader of the LNP, just out of the blue... and long before he is even an elected member of parliament!

This is new political territory, and new legal territory I should imagine. It seems to be totally beyond the bounds of the Westminster system, if not in legal detail, then certainly in intent, and therefore surely wide open to legal challenge.

Ludwig, Anna Bligh can always call an early election, IF SHE IS GAME!

You see, they (labor) are very very scared right now. At last there is a possible alternative for Queen slanders and they know it.

I have often said that all that the LNP needed was a 'trained monkey' as a leader and labor would fall, well, we have better than that.

Labor, the greens and the independents will all be S...ting themselves today after the outcome of the NSW election.

My prediction is that Anna will come out next week and try to divert her focus back to the 're-building' and not the election as any thoughts of calling it early would have been dealt a serious blow.

She will then run a campaign based on the 'what if's', what if CN does not win the seat, then what.

After all, it's about her only real option.

One down, two to go.

<< At last there is a possible alternative for Queen slanders and they know it. >>

Nah rehctub. I reckon most Queenslanders won’t see much of an alternative at all. Anyone in the old-fartish age range (about 35 and over) will know that there ain’t a hoot of real difference between the bloomin Liborials and Laborials!

As per my previous comments, neither of them are going to go against the vested-interest manic pro-growth big business lobby or the absurd belief that we’ve got to be constantly and forever rapidly expanding everything or else we’ll fall into severe economic recession. And that means that they are not going to address growth-pressure issues in any meaningful way.

I think that the most we can hope to see from Campbell Newman is more addressing of the SYMPTOMS of rapid expansionism, as we have seen from him before – tunnels and bridges and new roads… but not a hint of any policy that would actually slow the growth rate and put us on a path towards a stable population.

He’ll just implement things that will FACILITATE rapid population growth and hence dig Queensland (especially SEQ) into a deeper and deeper hole!

Unfortunately, he has gained a positive reputation from this sort of ‘can-do’ stuff. But I’m afraid it just isn’t the right sort of approach at all, at least not in the absence of growth-mitigation policies.

Ludwig and rehctub,
I just started to read this thread tonight and was interested to see your exchnges. Surprised that you both agree on much, as I know Ludwig is anti high immigration and rehctub is a business man and business generally favours high immigration.

Incidently Davids post was also interesting as i think there will continue to be high population shift to SEQ as long as the Feds maintain a high immigration policy. Strange situation is that the Feds run immigration but the states have to provide the additional infastructure.

I saw a report by a retired builder that nearly half the homes flooded in Brisbane were constructed since 1974. In my town no home building is allowed in known flood areas, so how come? It would seem to me that the State or City council were very incompedent, or worse, to allow development and home building in the flood prone areas.

I know Jim Sooley was Lord mayor of Brisbane for years when Labor ran the show. How long has Newman and the LNP been in charge?

David,
In your post to Ludwig you said "At the Cairo population conference representatives of the Catholic Church joined representatives of Islam in opposing population planning. They supported the Islamic objection to education for women in return for Islamic support for their opposition to birth control and abortion".

Canyou tell me when the Cairo conferrence was held and any oother details. Also some verifacation of what you said, even a media article will do.

I am not questioning what you said and I take it you are aware of the low birthrate in Iran. They showed that birthrates can be lowered.

Dear Banjo,

The conference was held in Cairo in 1994. The Vatican tried to make an alliance with Islamic representatives but was not successful. I read that they were trying to make such an alliance but was not aware that it was not a success. The Islamic representatives supported abortion in some cases. There are many references one can google.

I was not aware of the Iranian birth rate. I am on a limited public access terminal & will be in PNG until the 17th of this month. When I get back we can discuss it further either on or off the net.