Bundaberg is from my experience alot worse than Rocky.

Being a Bundaberger and having just moved back after a decade further afield… is there something I’m missing about these crazies? Maybe I moved back too soon?

I’m thinking of raising the school leaving age, the Education 2020 planning process, the emphasis on embedding voc ed with school ed, the creation of state colleges with particular specialties - ie maths/science, creative arts, aviation, etc.

These ideas had been around the Department of Education for years. Much of that agenda was developed by Terry Moran who left to head up the Premier’s department under Bracks.

Bligh’s strength was that she got the funding to implement those programs. That’s to her credit.

Lucas is considered to be lazy. Hal9000 is on the money.

Er, I thought it was Rocky and everything north of it that’s always threatening to cut itself adrift

North of the Sunshine coast the crazies start…I think the heat and humidity melts their brains..

Bundaberg is from my experience alot worse than Rocky.

Bob’s a nice guy actually. (If a little mad.)

Just sayin…

We have are own version of a crazy Quebec as well…its called Bundaberg lol.

Er, I thought it was Rocky and everything north of it that’s always threatening to cut itself adrift. That said, would anyone admit from coming from the same state as Bob Katter?

Always found that term Mexicans stupid…does that make us Queenslanders “north of the border”…try hard Americans Canadians? We have are own version of a crazy Quebec as well…its called Bundaberg lol.

Hmmm, we could set up leader-watch pressure group, provide a conduit for delivering the will of the larger electorate, harvested via a blog. If we got say 500 people geographically dispersed throughout the seats so flyers/polls could be quite easily and comprehensively dispersed and collected, and a decisive vote unleashed, we’d have both of their attentions under pain of losing their jobs next time round.

There’s gotta be a way of exploiting this extraordinary situation to improve the democratic process.

All schemes considered, except of course Brisbane Southside Votes For Sale.

Lucas, however, is a self-important windbag and a dud. I can only assume his more talented colleagues - eg Mickel, Welford and Robertson - have been overlooked in order to ensure, Brian Howe-like, that the Deputy slot goes to someone held in such universally low esteem that he can’t be a threat.

Also it is dishonesty - no-one ever claimed that Beattie was a great Premier.

Lordy, Harry, do you read or just infer? I don’t state in the piece that Beattie was a great Premier. He was a brilliant politician. As a Premier, he wasn’t bad, but he wasn’t a detail person, and he can be rightly criticised in some areas but also rightly praised in others.

his replacement is a community relations ’social worker’ with smaller teeth than her predecessor

I don’t think you know a thing about Anna Bligh, quite frankly.

Yes, Queenslanders are different.

As others have noted, it’s quite bizarre to be lectured on impartiality by you. Not that Crikey is supposed to be impartial anyway - it’s opinion and commentary.

And as to that remark, you, sir, and any other Mexicans who share your view, can shove it where the sun doesn’t shine. I mean Melbourne of course.

Mark, you are right that there was a fair bit going on in education when Bligh was there. On Prep, which I know most about, the policy was a crock, but that is probably not her fault. Primary principals have long wanted to get their hands on Preschool and domesticate it. So did the curriculum development boys and girls at system level.

The implementation was crook too. Top down and wanting to hear good news only. But that style seemed to go right across government. I have no reason to believe, though, that this would change if the other mob got in. When I enquired about the National Party’s policy on the public service I was told they didn’t have one.

But if we are going to have rampant neoliberalism and managerialism anyway you could do worse than Anna Bligh methinks.

As an occasional reader I was struck by the pointlessness of it.

Also it is dishonesty - no-one ever claimed that Beattie was a great Premier. He just was not a man of intellect or substance. He squandered a decade of possibilities for reconstructing Queensland’s infrastructure in one of the fastest growing areas in Australia - energy, ports, transport, water, health all ignored and dumb subsidies retained.

He was a former railway union hack and his replacement is a community relations ’social worker’ with smaller teeth than her predecessor and who is probably only slightly more reticent than he is to turn every media occasion into an opportunity to sprout populist cliche.

Yes, Queenslanders are different.