‘BoJo’ makes it hotter
HAS politics ever been known as fascinating and engrossing as now? There is Trump’s headline-a-day presidential reign. Out here we have Scomo and his political adversary Albo. Ukraine has elected an actor and comedian as its new president.
And now onto Britain’s Brexit stage, to give him his full name and correct title, comes The Right Honourable The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson.
Boris, known as BoJo, is famously once quoted as saying, “My chances of being PM are about as good as the chances of finding Elvis on Mars, or my being reincarnated as an olive.” Boris knows nothing of the annual Elvis Festival in Parkes, NSW.
Well, he has proved himself wrong about the PM bit. To add to the accolades Donald Trump has offered Boris Johnson his highest possible praise by declaring the new Prime Minister the British version of himself.
This is in spite of Boris blurting out to the Downing St residence staff, a remark allegedly from the Queen. Her Majesty said to him, “I don’t know why anyone would want the job”.
The English summer looks like getting hotter than ever, at least in politics.
PETER KNOBEL, Toowoomba
WE NEED WATER
A NEW $5 billion fund will be set up to hopefully drought-proof inland Australia.
The fund will initially be $1.9 billion, to rise to $5 billion later on.
They will have the ability to dole out $4100 million from 2020 on to be used for promoting projects that will give drought resilience, preparedness and response.
Fodder and water are the two most obvious needs. Storage for hay and grain bought in advance of drought will be needed, and then the big one water.
To drought-proof the area, water will be needed at a huge cost but saving the country the billions that the droughts cost. But it is essential and will in the long term pay the government more in income and various taxes as the areas remain viable and much more productive. But water for the development of irrigation areas is essential.
The answer: Turn the surplus water from the northern and some of the eastern rivers that now run out to sea
‘‘ TURN THE SURPLUS WATER FROM THE NORTHERN AND SOME OF THE EASTERN RIVERS THAT NOW RUN OUT TO SEA SOUTH WEST INTO THE WESTERN RIVERS...
south west into the western rivers where it can be used all the way down to SA.
It’s been suggested many times by many people over many years, but remains only a dream. Action needs to be initiated and now could be a time to begin.
RAY HARCH, Toowoomba
STAFF PARKING
THERE’S nothing I’d disagree with in your 10 point action plan, except not a single word about the lack of parking in the CBD, especially for staff employed by all the businesses.
There has been enough mentioned on this issue lately in The Chronicle.
The problem of staff taking up parks intended for their customers has existed for years, and if Toowoomba is to grow, where are all these extra people going to park, thinking ahead to 2050 and beyond.
I have mentioned in an email to our Mayor, that the TRC should look at purchasing the old Amart site in Ruthven St for a multilevel carpark to fulfil the above requirements.
How often does a site like that become available in the CBD for vital parking.
Up until the early 90s, it’s my belief that the TRC provided adequate parking in the CBD, but they have not kept pace in relation to adequate parking, with the increase in Toowoomba’s population since then.
PHILIP COLLINS, Toowoomba
POLITICIANS START WARS
I TRAVELLED in Iran at the height of the Islamic Revolution, and found that the ordinary Iranian person to be decent and peace loving. I have travelled in the US many times and have found exactly the same thing. The world over, the average person does not want war.
Politicians start wars. You can see it in their rhetoric; whipping up hate and mistrust, searching for some excuse to unleash the dogs of war. They have delusions of grandeur, of being great warriors; but all they achieve is misery for everybody.