Local Government
CLOWN HALL: Councillors repudiate Doyle’s mandate
The structure of the Melbourne City Council is going to be put to the test early if a majority of the councillors fulfil their threat to vote against his plan to open up the already tram, 60 seat coach, delivery vehicle, taxi, limo, Police car, bicycle and skateboarder choked “Swanston Walk” to car traffic.
SWANSTON “WALK” TALK
The plan to open up Swanston Street is extremely contentious among Council staff who have presided over a multi-million dollar investment in converting it from a busy four lane thoroughfare into the current mess.
Local residents in inner-city Melbourne it seems will be strongly opposed to the change for the same reason they oppose an underground road tunnel that could take an enormous amount of car traffic out of the inner-city. Change is not popular with the Not In My Back Yard community.
That said, we doubt going back to the 1970s style of Swanston Street is wise. But those opposing Doyle’s plan would do well to consider that Swanston Walk is no such thing. It is neither fish nor fowl, it’s just foul. Those opposing Doyle need to do more than oppose his plan but to come up with a genuine solution. Far from the proud pedestrian boulevard it might be, it’s very ordinary indeed and can sometimes be busier than other CBD streets, often with menacing Greens Party voting bicycle riders at great speed who display callous disregard for the welfare of pedestrians.
Doyle recognises that it’s early days. He has time on his side to build a majority for proposals, all of which will need to be backed for the council bureaucracy for it to work.
PUTTING IT TO A VOTE
If Doyle can’t get a majority to agree, he’d do well to consider shaming them into it by putting it to a vote of the ratepayers.
While contemplating that he would do well to have a serious look at the integrity of the voting system currently in place. Some forty thousand people didn’t vote in this past election. That alone tells us that the process of auto-adding people to the voter roll, as the City currently does, without obtaining permission and the signature of the voter, is profoundly flawed.
So flawed that it undermines confidence in the whole process. How can we be sure that the votes of the auto-added are legitimate? It was a postal vote. Anyone could have cast the tens of thousands of votes issued to non-enrolled people.
There is no record of the signatures kept anywhere. Not with ASIC, they don’t. Not with the Office of Land Titles, they don’t. The council doesn’t either.
If Gary Morgan does what he has indicated he might, take the whole process to court, then it does seem quite likely that a judge could well order a comprehensive check of voter signatures, and if widespread voter fraud is detected, a new election.
If he doesn’t, Doyle can comfortably settle in for four years of what he describes as the “nirvana” of Town Hall administration, with a mostly left-leaning bureaucracy that doesn’t like to do what it’s told, predominantly Greens/Labor residents who will be watching their Liberal LM with great suspicion, councillors who seem to intensely dislike each other and the constant intrusion of Liberal factional politics on a lot of what they do, it sounds more the occasionally displeasing sounds of grunge band Nirvana than the Buddhist state of being free from suffering.
Discussion
24 comments for “CLOWN HALL: Councillors repudiate Doyle’s mandate”
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Victor could you please cast your educated, esteemed eye over the PD for my PA?
I think the most important prerequisite is that she must wear Victoria’s Secrets lingerie.
sent by the Lord Mayor via Blackberry© device.
What mandate?
Doyle fell over the line due to name recognition and the donkey vote. Analysis of the vote shows that Doyle was the beneficiary of 1036 Direct donkey votes and a further 2,000+ indicated “Indirect donkey votes” where voters vote for their chosen candidate and then fill in the rest of the ballot by preferencing down the ticket top to bottom. Had Doyle not held the top position on the ballot paper he would have lost the election to Peter McMullin.
Percentage of each candidate that placed Doyle ahead
List of Candidates’ votes who place Doyle number 2
Note the high Catherine NG no 2s comprise the direct donkey vote of 1036 votes. The rest includes the inverse donkey vote. It was not an overwlming victory. Had Victoria adopted the Robson Rotation system of printing ballot papers then the result may have been significantly different.
Aah, the Robson Rotation system. remember it well.
powerful stuff.
also good for weeding the garden.
btw, was that the Rt Hon Teh Lord Mayor i saw at Bistro Thierry on Malvern Rd Thursday night in company of a couple of buxom wenches, enjoying the whole roasted duck? job intvus starting early. this is a LM who’s already on the job.
bravo.
Just how did Fatty Doyle end up with such a splendid piece?
Here’s a scoop – Doyle announces transport plans: http://unaustraliantimes.com/news-archive/9-december-2008/5-doyle-announces-transport-plans
Would it have made a difference if Singer had finished on top of NG? And if so, why doesn’t Singer challenge?
Such a useless, excuse for a clown. More tragic than funny is Doyle.
It is my ‘fatty tool’ the lasses love.
Indeed it is, my dear Fatty.
Excellent news that Fifi is no longer a Councillor for the City of Melbourne.
Indeed it is Victor, my dear dear esteemed friend.
I have had a busy evening trying to mount a flag on the bonnet of
V RD 001, I think I may need to purchase a new vehicle to match my new regal status and importance.
So long as you were only mounting the flag on the bonnet, as opposed to mounting the bonnet!
Victor not even I would ‘mount’ a Merc CLK, then again I did ‘mount’ Fifi during a period of desperation.
In hindsight a tank of premium is a darn sight cheaper than a carton of Winfield Red and various casks of fuming wine.
As well there is good reason why that curry cook Bill Marchetti had a forty plank tied to his arse and trot off to India!!
Relieved to hear that V RD 001 has not been used in some depraved act of objectphilia.
You should stick with that nice lass I introduced to, EPC, she is much better than Fifi.
Such a pathetic clown is Doyle.
EPC goes hot and cold though.
I can’t understand why she is not totally engrossed in me, doesn’t she undrestand women throw lifeselves at me and they are enthralled with my vice regal status, nous, charm, charisma, sex appeal and contacts?
And is even before I lower my strides and introduce them to “Little Fatty”.
I understand your frustration, Fatty Doyle.
Maybe when you drop your strides, in Tony Montana style, you need to say, “Say hello to my Little Fatty”!
Tried your wise counsel tonight Victor, the young lass screamed and two thugs evicted me from the Lobster Cave.
It is best, my dear Fatty, when dropping the strides to show off Little Fatty, to do so only in the presence of the lovely lass that you are trying to woo.
To do so in the gaze of the public at Bill Ferg’s Lobster Cave, will no doubt generate much fuss.
Luckily Bill (and his daughter) have accepted my apology.
I was tired and emotion after many meetings and adjusting to my justly reclaimed importance in community leadership.
The 3 bottles of merlot during these meetings did not help either.
It is not my week, I’ve just dropped my Blackberry into the urinal at the Windsor.
Would it have made a difference if Singer had finished on top of NG? And if so, why doesn’t Singer challenge?
a nonymous person | December 7, 2008, 19:31 said
Answer No. We did a head to head count and in every case thanks to the Inverted donkey vote Doyle wins. The only person closest to beating Doyle was McMullin even then he was $3,000 votes short. Had mcMullin been top of the ballot paper then he would have most likely won.