Mayor4Unley

A dog's breakfast is the best description for the outcome of our voting at the Federal election. My reflections are: The seats won/lost are up and down on a daily basis. At one stage it looked like Labor might just win; certainly with the help of a handful of independents. Now it looks like the Coalition might just get there; but they will need a few independents to make life comfortable. It's not an outcome that we wanted when we voted. Wouldn't it be ideal if the best of Labor, the best of Liberal, the best of the Nationals and a handful of independents banded together to form a government that truly represented Australia? It would, but the obstacle of politics would get in the way. Whoever gets up, it will be difficult to implement many of their election campaign promises; especially the Liberal promises. A lot of big ideas will be watered down; and then watered down further by a diverse Senate. The new government will just wander along winding paths, achieving l...

They are still talking about running the new tram line down Goodwood Road, rather than along Unley Road. It simply won't fit. It would be an obstacle for cars and severely reduce the volume of traffic, especially during peak hour. From my perspective that would be great; reduced commuter traffic in the Goodwood shopping zone. Much of the traffic would be diverted to King William Road and Unley Road; good for Goodwood 😀 It would be a real engineering feat to get the tram down through the underpass with poles inserted into the crumbling walls of the underpass. Ugly poles from the CBD to Mitcham. The real reason for the Government's probable decision to go with Goodwood Road is  a recommendation from the Urban Development Institute of Australia state director Pat Gerace who said in The Advertiser that the benefits were overwhelming. He said that Goodwood Road had huge capacity for high rise apartments and commercial developments, whereas Unley Road was already built up. He...

We've all just voted and the outcome is horrendous. Neither party has the numbers (yet) to govern. It's not a good outcome for sound government in Australia. I feel cheated. Most people I have spoken with feel cheated. Not cheated by their party not getting up; but cheated in that there is no outcome, with counting to continue over the next week. And what of the last minute Medicare text messages issue with the police getting involved. It is likely, maybe, a possibility that a fresh election may be called. Whoever would win, we do need a majority government; or one formed with a solid group of independents. Meanwhile, we live in a bubble; a bubble that will soon be pricked. For more information, visit  https://grumpyinunley.wordpress.com/2016/07/04/election-forecast/

Just been to vote. Did my duty. After a long campaign it was good to finally vote. A vote to save Medicare or create jobs and growth. Huh? My dilemma: I want both! So many people took their dogs on the family outing to the polling booth; despite the fact that dogs are not allowed to be on school property; but no one bothers to police that on polling day. I even saw a dog enjoying the remnants of a sausage sizzle. The best part comes tonight. Saturday @ 6pm on ABC TV. I just love watching the count and the commentary. The crap we hear about trends with 1% of the vote counted; and then a change of opinion after 5% has been counted. Absolute drama. An early family BBQ and then the TV. A bottle of fine red wine; the best bottle from under the bed - it helps to celebrate or commiserate; and some nibbles like dark chocolate to keep up the energy; to maintain a posture on the couch. One thing is certain. My evening won't be disrupted by Shorten or Turnbull or a local candidate...

I thought that I was back in Tasmania or visiting one of those honesty roadside fruit stalls in Qld ... Today I headed up the freeway to Littlehampton to visit the Agapanthus Farm to buy some white agapanthus. No one was around. There was a sign that said to sound the horn loudly or ring a mobile number. I tooted and tooted to no avail. An old black dog came down from the house. He gave me a sniff and just hung around. I called the mobile and the woman explained that they had gone out for lunch. They thought that with such lousy weather no one would come to visit. Who would make the trek to the hills to buy agapanthus on such a day? An arrangement was made. I made my selection and took 4 bags of plants home. I've just sent the farm an email asking for their bank account details so I can make payment. It's nice to experience that country trust. Can you imagine a shop in the city extending that same trust? Then again, they probably wouldn't leave the shop open and unatt...

Last week I said that the Federal election would heat up this week with dirty tactics emerging in the marginal seats ... and it has started in the seat of Adelaide. Yesterday in my letterbox I found a flier from one of the major parties. It criticised the other candidate. It was brilliant; it was cruel; it hit below the belt; it had impact; it was disgusting. And the photo (taken in a dark corner at some event) was Photoshopped to show the hapless candidate at his worst. It painted a sad picture. It probably was truthful, but it was unnecessary; and significantly reduces the credibility and niceness of the candidate who sent it. A tip for budding politicians: Never say anything stupid. Pause and think before you speak. If you wear a jacket, then do up the buttons, especially when it is a black tie event. (If you can't do up the buttons, then buy a bigger jacket.) Avoid being photographed when holding a stubby of beer. A glass of white wine would be more acceptable; it dem...

At the recent Unley Council meeting (June 2016) there was healthy debate about the merit of underground trams (in a tunnel) under Unley Road; from Greenhill Road to Cross Road, a distance of ~ 2km. Mayor Lachlan Clyne had publicly proposed consideration of underground trams. Unley Council responded with a motion on notice that sought to publicly disassociate itself from the Mayor's proposal. It was a healthy debate. My argument against the proposal was as follows: My costings, formulated by assistance from civil engineers, forecast a cost of $1.5b. That cost may blow out to $2b within 5 years. The new Sundrop solar powered salt water tomato farm at Port Augusta costs $180m. At that price we could build another 5-8 Sundrop tomato farms. The proposed solar powered and thermal storage power station at Port Augusta will cost $1.2b. We could build another one and have $300m left over. These project costs at Port Augusta put the proposed expenditure at tunnel building in Unle...