[Closed] Less than 20 MPs attend the Get Britain Cycling debate in the house yesterday

To be fair, attendance is often pretty low, isn't it unless it's something juicy.

Probably all attending a luncheon put on by Jaguar......

Nice to see our MPs justifying their large salaries and expense accounts isn't it?

I bet these same MPs are completely baffled as to why the electorate is rapidly losing interest with them.

and one of them was the MP for New Forest East demanding that cyclists only be allowed to ride in 'his' National Park if they were registered to do so. *sigh*

Fewer, not less.

Not exactly surprising though, they are all cocks.

Does anyone know who the 20 were?

[i]I guess that shows where we rank in the eyes of the governing classes.[/i]

Well, MPs represent the electorate, not the government.

20MPs out of 600ish is approx 3%, which is probably the same percentage of the electorate that give a to$$ about Getting Britain Cycling.

Nice to see our MPs justifying their large salaries and expense accounts isn't it?

BALDRY, Sir Tony (Banbury)
Deputy Chairman, Woburn Energy plc
Received payment of £3,333 Hours: 4 hrs. (Registered 6 February 2013)
Received payment of £3,333 Hours: 4 hrs. (Registered 7 May 2013)
Received payment of £3,333 Hours: 4 hrs. (Registered 2 April 2013)
etc.
Chairman of Kazakhstan Kagazy plc
Received director’s fees of £10,000. Hours: 24 hrs. (Registered 12 June 2013)
Received director’s fees of £10,000. Hours: 10 hrs. (Registered 10 July 2013)
Received director’s fees of £10,000. Hours: 10 hrs. (Registered 31 July 2013)
etc.

Exactly you lot in bike shops will need to start dishing consultancy fees and retirment directorships before anyone will show any interest.

[i]Exactly you lot in bike shops will need to start dishing consultancy fees and retirment directorships before anyone will show any interest. [/i]

Or find a subject which matters a lot to a lot of people, not just a lot of people that you know.

Don't get me wrong, I'm on the side of Getting Britain Cycling, but in the grand scheme of things it's a fringe issue, as much (or as little) as Get Britain Running or Get Britain Rollerblading would be.

I'm not sure it is a 'fringe issue', with congested cities an obese populace and looming energy shortage. Using bikes instead of cars has an enormous potential to improve our society.

But I suppose thinking that just makes me a hippie

The only way to get most people interested would be a show called "Im on a mountain, get me down from here" where a bunch of idiots are put on mountain and their only way down is a bike!

We could have "energy gel trials" where you can vote for someone to have to force down some syrupy goo without gagging or getting major stomach cramps...

"Don't get me wrong, I'm on the side of Getting Britain Cycling"

Really? yet you think its a fringe activity on par with rollerblading.

Not sure how many Rollerbladers were killed or seriously injured on our roads in the UK in 2013 but I'd hazard a guess it was slightly less than 3500

[quote=mrbelowski ]But I suppose thinking that just makes me a hippie

I've come to the same realisation about myself as I've become more active in advocating reduction in car usage.

IHN your argument has several flaws as already pointed out.

Agreed though most people don't care and thats part of the problem and why we employ politicians lead not follow.

Really? yet you think its a fringe activity on par with rollerblading.

2% modal share in london (iirc has a lot more cycling than other UK cities) in 2011. Fringe may not be the right word but we're not exactly a major player are we?

I think that's why the debate was "Get Britain Cycling". If the projected future £6 Billion savings to the NHS have a sound basis then the subject should matter to a lot of people. Add the potential environmental and congestion benefits and 20 MPs is a pretty shameful turnout. Maybe they should have bundled it with a debate on MP's salaries? But not Welfare reform...
[img] ?w=600[/img]

Not wanting to rush to the defence of the MPs but I think that ^ photo is a fake. The two photos in it are real but they're not from the debates they're claimed to be from.

The two photos in it are real but they're not from the debates they're claimed to be from.

I suspect you're right, but from Hansard the photos are roughly representative of the numbers who were there. The top picture gives you an idea of what the 20-odd in the chamber for the "Get Britain Cycling" debate would've looked like. It was a pitiful turnout.

cyclists will never be high on their agenda,s until it starts costing them, votes and their seats with their fat wages at stake.