The "Get Britain Cycling" debate finally happened last night. Today is a new day and the whole of the UK is now a cycling utopia... or something.
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For those that didn't tune into BBC Parliament for the full nail-biting four hour debate, here is a quick summary:
A slightly longer summary:
http://www.ctc.org.uk/news/live-get-britain-cycling-parliamentary-debate
And the complete Hansard transcript:
What says the hive mind? Grandstanding, lofty words and pretty promises?
Or will any of this actually make any difference?
Can we have a Quick summary of the quick summary?
Can we have a Quick summary of the quick summary?
The motion, that the "Get Britain Cycling" report has some spiffing ideas in it and that cycling is generally lovely, was carried unanimously.
some good stuff from labour, if followed up.
interesting that less than 1/6th of mps showing up for work constitutes a good turnout. 🙄
To be fair they are supposed to be on holiday aren't they?
first day back, according to the synopsis on road.cc
Ah okay, think I misinterpreted the CTC when they said:
[i]"This time it was even more - around 100 MPs attended a Commons debate, even though it was the day [b]after[/b] Parliament's summer break."[/i]
Still.. 6pm till 10pm.. that's a lot of drinking time missed.
interesting that less than 1/6th of mps showing up for work constitutes a good turnout
They (are supposed to) do more than* just turn up to debates and PMQ's twice a week. Maybe they live in a constituency where getting people cycling isn't an issue (Cambridge?) so their time's better spent on the "get britain picking up it's dog s***" working group?
*excluding meeting with lobyists to discuss their paycheque, replaceing the duck island or boffing their secretary/intern/researcher.
It doesnt encourage me to think that we have reached the tipping point where cycling is taken seriously but a debate in the house of commons is a step along that road.
Maybe they live in a constituency where getting people cycling isn't an issue..
Or maybe they live in a constituency where no local cyclists bothered to write to them and ask them to represent their views at this important debate?
(Yes, I wrote to my MP, Guy Opperman, and yes he actually made a decent pro-cycling speech... for a tory)
http://guyopperman.blogspot.co.uk/2013/09/speech-in-cycling-debate.html
Yes my local MP spoke as well
He was the [deputy] speaker so he never really speaks either 🙄
A real weakness in democracy if your MP is speaker IMHO
A real weakness in democracy if your MP is speaker IMHO
Technicaly they get the deciding vote if it's a 50/50 split, although precedent is they should vote to maintain the status quo. Has that actualy happened in recent history?
And unlike the rest of the country you can un-elect the speeker (which is why the job usualy goes to someone in a very safe seat)!
By convention they usually stand un opposed and the vote they have is to do nothing so yes its a waste of an MP IMHO
technically its three = two deputies and the real one