Thought it was time to start a new thread without the Paris connection.
CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Debate!
Holyrood2016
(586 posts)-
Posted 8 years ago #
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From HankChief on previous thread -
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Thought I'd write up my dealings with Western Edinburgh Candidates...
https://hankchiefblog.wordpress.com/2016/01/04/cycling-politics-in-western-edinburgh
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http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=14787&page=3&replies=80#post-207589
Posted 8 years ago # -
@HC I see you've got Toni Giugliano to go on a cycle ride with you..
That's good.
As you may recall 3 CCEers took Andrew Burns on a trip along the QBiC a while ago.
We made it clear that we wouldn't turn it into a circus by inviting lots of people or telling the press.
He wrote quite a critical blog afterwards (of the facility not us!)
Sadly little has changed.
Posted 8 years ago # -
Yeah - I just hope my blog doesn't put him off.
I appreciate that they have lots of people pushing their own agendas, and they have limited time to understand all the issues, but I do think that in this case walking (or cycling) a mile in their shoes will really help understanding it.
Cycling has come on a lot since we were all kids...
Posted 8 years ago # -
I've now fixed a date with him and have the LibDem & Labour candidates asking me for a tour.
:-)
Posted 8 years ago # -
Obviously you'll be pointing out pedestrian 'infrastructure' inadequacies too.
Posted 8 years ago # -
Here's a chance to shape the debate. Even if you're not a Scottish Green voter.
Posted 8 years ago # -
If you think Scottish General Election should have a Green balance to it then please submit.
OfCom have now ruled to minimise their voice. Don't expect this to be reported on BBC Radio 4 btw(!) I reckon the 'plan' is to keep Holyrood 2016 low key in the hope that all these new people energised (exhausted?!) by the referendum and last year's GE will go away. Huge media and business interests desperate to keep the status quo.
-The Scottish Greens polled 8 per cent on average in 2015, nearly double the 4.4 per cent achieved in 2011 and well ahead of Lib Dems’ average of 5.7 per cent. Greens have consistently outpolled Lib Dems for over two years.
ofCom have a non-user friendly site. Any response is better than none though.
As I say you don't have to believe in everything the Greens propose but they have made a significant contribution to the tone of debate in Scotland over the last few years. One term of government depended on their support.https://www.scottishgreens.org.uk/news/ofcom-scottish-greens-express-concern-at-unequal-coverage/
Express views here. Link to their huge pdf here as this includes NI and England and Wales as well
https://stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk/consultations/review-larger-parties-elections-5-May-2016/howtorespond/formPosted 8 years ago # -
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Labour, the Conservatives, the Lib Dems and the Greens will all be left competing for the list seats – some of which could still go to the SNP as well.
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Posted 8 years ago # -
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The commentators are already wearily writing that this election is a foregone conclusion. I disagree.
“I think it’s going to be the most exciting election in the history of our parliament.
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Posted 8 years ago # -
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Incumbent MSPs, including those who have been in place since the opening of the Scottish Parliament in 1999, are now in a fight for political survival in a way they probably never saw coming a few years ago.
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http://www.scotsman.com/news/andrew-whitaker-selection-lottery-grips-labour-msps-1-3999203
Posted 8 years ago # -
Did my first cycle tour with Holyrood candidates this morning. (I had one booked for last Sat but that got ice'd off)
Alex Cole-Hamilton (LibDem) joined me in admiring how easy it was to get around West Edin during gridlocked morning rush hour.
We had a good chat and I showed him the cycle routes around Murrayfield, Pinkhill and Balgreen before a more in depth review of Roseburn options.
I'm kind less concerned about what he said to me this morning and more about what he says in the future now that I have opened his eyes to some of the issues we face.
Posted 8 years ago # -
Did you visit any cafes?...
Posted 8 years ago # -
Alas no. But we did see eddie_h taking photographs.
Posted 8 years ago # -
@hankchief
LOL. So that was your impressive rig? ;-)
Good to bump into another CCE-er
Posted 8 years ago # -
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What seemed best about the Yes movement’s openness, diversity and free thinking now seems to be being corralled into a stupefying dead-certainty. An air of negativity hangs over much of the remnant movement. Critical voices, dissenters and those of us deviating from the party line are dismissed as heretics and 'splitters'. Even to mention the Greens and RISE can mean being monstered by a fragile minority suffering from an unhealthy obsession with 'SNP 1 &2’ - both votes for the SNP at the Holyrood 2016 election - as if it is a panacea for all our woes.
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Posted 8 years ago # -
Well, for those of us who loathed the referendum and the cries of quisling & traitor, it isn't any surprise. For worse or for worse we're stuck with nationalist vs unionist politics for decades to come. It's destructive and dead-end, but that's where it is. You could see it when the Forth Road Bridge shut. If you said it might have something to do with Scottish government policies you were jeered at #SNPBad.
This comment summed it up pretty well:-
"It seems to me that closing down debate and focusing on a single party is the true and essential essence of "yesness". How could a nationalist movement ever go any other way than this? If you truly believe that independence in the greatest of all political goals and that all others should be subordinated to this then it is natural to identify the strongest party and seek to concentrate all efforts and all votes within this party. What on earth do you think a nationalist movement is for?
That's why many of us have a problem with the whole concept of independence for Scotland. It assumes that nothing matters more than separating out Scotland from the UK and that by definition makes any nay-sayer no better than a traitor. It's the logic of nationalism. That is why in the 20th century nationalism became the most toxic political creed of all and most of us hoped and prayed that we might have seen the last of it. And are you worried that debate and behaviour in general might be getting a bit nasty? Even a bit anti-democratic in the way it closes down debate? That goes with the territory. It's what nationalism is like, for heaven's sake! What did you expect? Suggesting that once there was an idealistic band of brothers (and sisters) marching towards a new dawn of enlightenment and that now maybe the roundheads are hijacking this glorious movement... I fear that says more about your naivety than anything else."
Posted 8 years ago # -
@rosie, who is being quoted in your comment?
Seems on the money to me. But I have an old school fondness for international socialism over parochial tribalism.
SNP almost certain to get all the actual MSP seats. That is what 37 per cent of the electoral roll voting for you gets you. I cannot argue against such a powerful mandate I merely hope that there is some sort of opposition and we can avoid moving to a one party state. Obviously when labour had this hegemony in Scotland there was no holyrood parliament. The first Scottish Parliament felt more pluralistic with greens, and SSP having seats amidst the more traditional parties.
Posted 8 years ago # -
@gembo - it was a comment beneath the article chdot linked to.
It's very depressing. It would be less so if the SNP took this opportunity to put through some interesting/constructive policies eg on transport. All of us have a fantasy of what we would do if we had dictatorial powers. But the SNP will rumble on, blaming any short-comings on Westminster and trying to get its mitts on broadcasting and the universities and making education push the nationalist message.
Posted 8 years ago # -
"we're stuck with nationalist vs unionist politics for decades to come"
Maybe, maybe not. Certainly it's not really (or at least shouldn't be) a key issue of the election due in 100 days.
There are people who want Independence, or at least a form of devolution that allows things to be very different from that decreed by Westminster.
That isn't necessarily 'nationalist' or even 'anti-Tory' - they just happen to be in charge at the moment. For the last 40 years or so, UK parties/Governments have, to a greater or lesser extent, been London-centric, in favour of maintaining 'Britain's place in the world' - especially the militaristic bit, lauding (and/or facilitating) a market/financial system that's hardly good for the planet or anyone but the quite rich, and also promoting (and getting taxpayers to pay for) the grand project version of transport - mostly roads, but also High Speed Rail, usually at the expense of 'ActiveTravel', road maintenance and local rail improvements.
The IndyRef 'process' allowed - even encouraged - people to be involved in politics beyond the normal party confines. No doubt this frightened some people heavily invested in 'normal politics'.
Even hardened Yesers should admit that half the population of Scotland wasn't ready to be part of an independent country. It doesn't matter whether people want to blame the BBC, or Salmond and the currency question.
We are where we are - and THAT is somewhere where almost no-one could have imagined being.
The SNP (and many others not in that political party) lost the Referendum. The result was a mass increase in membership of the SNP and the Greens (and later - for different reasons - the Labour Party, in England at least).
Non-party Yesers joined the existing parties or tried to work out how to form a different/extra party - or just went back to life mostly as before.
While all that was going on, the polls (which may or may not be more accurate than last year's GE ones!) showed that the SNP was maintaining its popularity - perhaps even increasing it.
Voting intentions for the Greens seem to have risen too, though perhaps 'within the margin of error'.
What is different about this election is that the simple but effect slogan '2nd vote Green' is almost meaningless.
Previously most parties relied on the first vote for most of their seats. The point of this version of PR was to encourage a more representative SP - particularly by encouraging the existence of 'non-mainstream' parties.
Many voters liked this idea and after voting for their 'normal' party often voted for 'something different' on the List.
This time round it looks like even Labour will rely on the List for most (if not all) of its seats - a situation unimaginable only 17 years ago when the first SP was first voted for.
There will be many SNP voters who see that voting SNP twice is the thing to do. Obviously plenty of people have voted for the same party twice in the past but this time I suspect even more will.
Personally I'm not bothered if the SNP remains in power. I don't really believe that it cares so/too much about Independence that it doesn't deal with the other stuff adequately.
Though its transport policies leave a LOT to be desired - and they don't look about to change.
The simple truth seems to be that (most) people in Scotland like their cars and are generally happy paying less council tax - in spite of the consequences. They may like to live without Trident and probably don't like the idea of fracking, but could probably be persuaded that it's 'necessary'.
The Greens, RISE or even a Corbynist LP are unlikely to change that any time soon.
Posted 8 years ago # -
@rosie, ah the article was somewhat blocked but the comments I could see if I scrolled far enough. So a bit of debate about giving RISE your no 2 vote. The commenter Simon harries might be a tv producer but he seems more London. Anyway scrolling through that chap's tweets got me to a picture of Jeremy irons on Play Away with Brian Cant and the regular woman whose name I will check. Toni Arthur
Posted 8 years ago # -
Would it be helpful to have two separate threads, one on the actual transport policy proposals of the different parties or candidates, and another one discussing general party philosophies, strategies, ideologies, allegations and opinions outside the transport area?
Posted 8 years ago # -
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NEW: @Panelbase/@SundayTimesScot #sp16 poll thru our seat predictor tool
SNP 74
LAB 26
CON 20
LD 6
GRN 3http://pic.twitter.com/vkgw6Zvkny
11:24am - 24 Jan 16"
Posted 8 years ago # -
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Poll of Polls over the last 2 years - Regional Vote - updated to include latest @Panelbase poll...
http://pic.twitter.com/QnrFoagVLN
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Posted 8 years ago # -
@Rosie 'But the SNP will rumble on, blaming any short-comings on Westminster and trying to get its mitts on broadcasting...' ??
I think the current state of media in Scotland does need a shake up from its current feeble state.
During the ref the coverage was embarrassing as the BBC kow-towed to the money men and vested interests.As far as SNP bias goes most of the media is controlled outwith Scotland (and outwith the rest of the UK).
With Holyrood elections coming up I'd like to see the Scottish Green party get a proper number of election broadcasts. Something which should be decided in our parliament in Edinburgh. Not an unreasonable request as our politics are now devolved?Worth reading 'Demanding Democracy' looking at Scotland's media - published by Word Power (recommended).
Posted 8 years ago # -
The SNP have done phenomenally well considering how biased the media are? I don't think the SNP need any more power but then perhaps they will argue they need total control of everything before they get independence? Maybe that is what independence is? The SNP iwith total control of everything?
@chdot that is an astonishing graph. Labour vote going up towards indyref? SNP coming down...? Then the total opposite afterwards? I can.'t see the dates along the bottom? So people want SNP but not independence? (Simplistically)
Posted 8 years ago # -
Interesting...
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The SNP’s landslide victory in 2011 was based on winning seats it had traditionally struggled in like Edinburgh Central. Marco Biagi snatched the constituency from former Labour minister Sarah Boyack, despite winning the second lowest vote share of any SNP candidate. The 33-year-old announced in 2015 he would not seek re-election in order to pursue an academic career. Former Scottish Parliament official Alison Dickie is now charged with retaining the seat for the Nationalists. Opposing her will be Boyack, who requires a swing of 0.41 per cent to win. However, the seat could well prove to be a three-way fight. Scottish Conservatives leader Ruth Davidson - currently a Glasgow list MSP - will stand in the capital and is confident she can win.
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http://www.scotsman.com/news/politics/holyrood-2016-six-key-constituency-battle-grounds-1-4008758
SB has been to PoP before, presume all three will come this time!
Posted 8 years ago # -
Alison Dickie was at the Murrayfield Community Council meeting. I sat next to her.
Posted 8 years ago # -
Let's not forget Alison Johnstone is also standing in Edinburgh Central and has been a regular at PoP I believe.
http://bright-green.org/2015/08/31/alison-johnstone-to-stand-in-edinburgh-central-constituency/
Posted 8 years ago # -
Yes, most entertaining four-way female fight!
Suspect SNP will win again and other three rely on List to become MSPs.
Posted 8 years ago #
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