Letter of the Week
Have strong opinions, write in an engaging way? You could win our Letter of the Week, and with it a book from our friends and sponsors, the publishers HarperCollins. This month’s book prize is Queen of the North by Anne O’Brien. To those around her she is a loyal subject. In her heart she is a traitor. In 1399 the fight for England’s crown has dire consequences. This is one woman’s quest to turn history on its head.
YOUR story “Budget Roads Rage” in (yesterday’s) Bulletin highlights the fractured thinking at the Gold Coast City Council about traffic congestion and parking.
On the one hand, the Mayor is pushing to widen the Isle of Capri Bridge to facilitate better traffic flow into Surfers Paradise. On the other, he wants to remove 40 per cent of all parking in Surfers Paradise, so where will all the extra cars park?
Bruce Bishop car park is used by 1260 cars a day, on average, and hundreds more during peak holiday periods and special events. Residents use it as a park and ride to take the light rail to the hospital.
Close the car park and you have 1260 cars at least driving around the streets looking for somewhere to park. That will add enormous extra congestion in central Surfers Paradise.
If parking isn’t needed, why are so many vacant development blocks now being opened around Surfers Paradise as parking stations? Presumably, the council is approving this activity.
The councillors who are concerned that the budget will not fund enough traffic congestion busters to ease the city’s growing gridlock must surely be rethinking the plan to sell any public car parks. Do they really want to see another 1260 cars circling the block, congesting the streets every single day? DEBORAH KELLY, SECRETARY & STEERING COMMITTEE COORDINATOR, SAVE SURFERS PARADISE INC.
WATCHING Bill Shorten on TV this week when he had replied to the Prime Minister on the tax question, I was disgusted by his actions. Bill should know that ignorance is bliss, and should not be waved around like a flag
Perhaps next time Bill Shorten stands up to speak, everyone that is not Labor should turn around and speak to the person behind them. But then that would be lowering themselves to Labor’s level.
Even Labor members will eventually get sick of their money being stolen by the supposed people in charge, who can’t keep their hands in their pockets.
He may think that he is a great leader, but Bill is just another union scut, out for what he can take from the pockets of the poor fools who are forced to join a union before they can get a job.
I noticed that he did not have anything to say about the latest union fellow who stole a large amount of money from union funds, but then what is new, even a top union member can get away with dipping into funds.
If you expect people to vote for you at the next election Bill, you will have to start cleaning out your own back yard. Fortunately at the moment you are not in the running and you will have to work very hard to get there. MAUREEN BEACH, TWEED HEADS
A RESURRECTED Clive Palmer party has to be the biggest insult to Queenslanders! Arrogant and narcissistic, defensive of all his business dealings and court proceedings, Mr Palmer hasn’t an iceberg’s hope in hades to win friends and influence people.
He believes his own fantasies and thinks we will have forgotten his Coolum resort fiasco and his many promises to revive Townsville Nickel.
Those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it. Clive is a legend in his own mind. Like all legends, they eventually fade into history. ELOISE ROWE