Fishing politics in NSW and Bob Katter in Qld

[kc]

& again this is "off topic". This is a fishing news blog, not a politics in general blog. I was impressed the guy knew about our local boat ramp issues and boat ramp issues and boat rego / funding issues at a state level. He knew (so had clearly done a bit of homework) about the issue of ethanol and boat fuel. Knew enough to say he was well aware that Rec and pro issues are, and most likely always will be, at odds. Talked about the freedoms we all took for granted years ago in terms of fishing access and camping. From my own perspective, what is being done here, is take the "single issue The Fishing Party Qld" position on matter important enough to many fishos that it , in the past, influenced the way 50,000 of us voted in 2007, and have incorporated this into a more fullsome political organisation which has the capacity to cover a far wider range of policy areas and be a real political option, rather than a single issue protest vote party.

TFPQ, was, at its best, a minor protest party which punched well above its weight and , had things gone a little differently in 2007, could have had a shock result (as did Family First in Vic) and managed to get a Senator elected into Federal parliment.

Katter's party is very different and (particularly given Hansons 1998? results), has a very real chance of being a balance of power, conservative orientated party in the Queensland state parliment......and personally...I would LOVE to see that. It would be great for recreational fishing and maybe would be better on a whole range of "real" issues as well.

KC

[PinHead]

am I seeing you starting to get back on the horse again kc?? This time on Bob's wagon ??

[kc]

Maybe!

Never lost interest, just "been there done that" as far as making a point with TFPQ and that was game over. The political sh!tfight with NSW and power plays made it all very pointless at the finish and nothing is worse than being like Keating/Hewson/Latham etc...bitter old has beens snipping away from the sides. I made a determination to leave fishing politics alone and leave it to the new executive of TFPQ/AFLP to carry the batton the way they see fit. It does worry me that they seem to have just dropped it.

As you rightly pointed out at the time, this was a single issue party and was only ever going to end in tears. Katter's party is, however, a very different kettle of "fish".

I'm doing some homework, not putting my hand up. So far, I like what I see and hear, from what I know of the people involved it all looks kosher, has organisation, staff, money and media credibility and it has a platform I think represents a lot of mainstream values, including ,mine.

A little poll in the Proserpine newspaper out today................from an outstanding sample of 5 people says of Katter's party 2 yes, 2 maybe and 1 not really.

Dawson (our Federal seat) borders Kennedy (Katters seat) and our state seat was a One Nation seat 3 elections back so it has "form" and I would expect it to be on Katter's radar.
Who knows!! Seems to me it might be a whole lot easier being on someone elses wagon instead of building my own and being the horse that pulls it. That was all just too bloody hard.

KC

[PinHead]

but kc..we had our debates back then but you have to be admired..you did a marvellous job of pulling that wagon and the damn thing damn near rolled all the way to Canberra..except for a bait and tackle shop owner here and some dolt from NSW.

stick ya hand up..you know you love it.

KC..the King of Airlie.

[kc]

Hardly... 3rd in my own household...after the cat!

KC

[Lovey80]

My thoughts on Katter and politics in general. I see him as a one eyed/self interested polly also... but not possibly the way Mike was alluding to. He is a regional polly looking out for regional people..... NO ONE ELSE IS! Looking at a Macroeconomic view of our economy and all we hear about is the mining sector. Pretty much for good reason also. The mining sector (via China) is what is keeping Australia's head above water right now. Where will that be in 10-20-30-40 years? My eyes glaze over every time I hear an economist even mention consumption or retail. It is all a load of horse shit! The US has had a "consumer economy" for the past 40 years and where has that got them? BANKRUPT! We have an opportunity right now to really set ourselves up for the future while we have this "get out of jail free card" that is China and the mining sector. At the end of the day when you consume more than you produce you go backwards. No one ever consumed there way to prosperity. Try it in a house hold...... saying that a country is any different is either a lie or lunacy. Manufacturing is all but dead in Australia and the carbon tax will finish that off. What do we have left? Tourism? That is a renewable resource that we have but are being hurt right now by a historically high dollar.... What to do just print away and throw it out of helicopters to devalue the dollar so the tourists come back? Not likely unless you want even more inflation! However tourism can make up a small but solid part of our future provided the rest is looked after.

IMO Agriculture is what Australia needs to turn it's focus on and in a mammoth way. Pre GFC all we heard about every minute on any form of world news is the "World Food Shortage" how it was the big dilemma of the decade. Those mouths didn't go away! In fact they are growing very steadily except now with the US printing hand over fist that cash is fast flowing into commodities and making food even more unaffordable to the "starving" masses of the world. We have neglected the bush for so long because they are smaller voting blocks compared to the coastal cities but we will need to ride off the bushes back to prosperity for the next century.

If Katter holding some power over the LNP to get the bush a fair go and more then I can't see it being a bad thing. Someone has to do it because neither the LNP or ALP have a good track record of doing it.

I just hope he takes a more Libertarian view and making E30 mandatorily available is fine just as long as it's not mandatorily the only option and standard ULP is given a fair playing field without extra taxes.

Sorry for the disjointed rant.