Cycling UK Forum

commuter world wrote:ah, but just like major first time round, nobody voted for the current pm.

Sorry, but not true. The executive and legislative branches of government are fused, meaning that the leader of the party in government automatically becomes PM. Brown was voted in as MP for Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath, and party members voted for him to become leader of the Labour Party. So yes, people did vote for him to be PM.

Incidentally, Brown is amongst 6 of the 12 post-war PMs to be appointed without holding a general election.

adinigel wrote:OK, so if, by your definition, we were stupid to vote for Thatcher, what on earth does that make those that voted for the current government?

Incidentally, the drivers of cars that caused me the biggest problems when I commuted by bike were 30-40 yo women changing lane when I was already there (and then denying that they changed lane! )

Nigel

i think that you've entirely missed my point. try re reading it

hubgearfreak wrote:....

i think that you've entirely missed my point. try re reading it

hubgearfreak wrote:....the one generalisation you can make about this age group, is that we weren't the ones stupid enough to vote for thatcher, as a majority of the people in you age group did....

Nigel

Moderator.

This thread has been hijacked by 'politicals' and has nothing to do with cycling. Can it please be re-named and moved to the tea shop?

Alan

Alan D wrote:This thread has been hijacked by 'politicals' .... Can it please be re-named and moved to the tea shop?

Alan

it hasnt been hijacked at all. It was started with a political slant and its continued from there.

Agreed that its probably more suited to "tea shop"

I'm not sure if it's rudeness - more a "me, me, me" attitude. I can do anything (short of deliberately killing someone) and the normal rules don't apply to me: parking on double yellow lines, pavements, disabled bays if I need to get cash out or buy some booze; overtaking on double white lines, red areas at junctions, blind corners, against oncoming traffic esp bikes; jumping red lights, ignoring pedestrian crossings, jumping queues at roadworks etc, tail-gating, speeding, racing etc etc etc. As long as it gets me ahead it's ok.

Auchmill wrote:I'm not sure if it's rudeness - more a "me, me, me" attitude. I can do anything (short of deliberately killing someone) and the normal rules don't apply to me: parking on double yellow lines, pavements, disabled bays if I need to get cash out or buy some booze; overtaking on double white lines, red areas at junctions, blind corners, against oncoming traffic esp bikes; jumping red lights, ignoring pedestrian crossings, jumping queues at roadworks etc, tail-gating, speeding, racing etc etc etc. As long as it gets me ahead it's ok.

It's "me-me-me" 'cos I pay my "road tax" and have compulsory insurance so that gives me carte blanche to behave exactly how I want when I want and where I want and you can't stop me and if you poncy cyclists paid "road tax" and have insurance then you could too but until then GET OFF MY ROAD!

...or something like that...


The really really scary bit is that there's so many people who think and say and believe exactly that.

One of them's my idiot brother so I know.

And another is the King of the *******s,Jeremy Clarkson,but that amoeba is a whole topic on his own.

If you look at how problem motorists behave with other motorists, though, it doesn't actually improve much over how they behave with cyclists. It seems to me to be a general selfishness rather than superiority over cyclists- we're just more vulnerable and easier to pick on than more armoured vehicles as we will go further out of our way not to get in a collision for self-preserving motives.

If we paid 'road tax' and all had insurance and number plates etc., these people wouldn't treat us any better than they currently treat car drivers (not well at all)- in fact nothing would change as they get away with as much as possible now with every road user they interact with and cyclists (and pedestrians) would still be no risk to them.

I have to agree with the title of this thread. As I cycled Round the Harbours today I witnessed and experienced a huge number of incidents of rudeness and total lack of consideration of other road users by BOTH cyclists and motorists. I don't think this is a pattern of behaviour that is the sole perogative of the Thatcher generation. Far from it; the cyclists who behaved with a lack of consideration were all either in their late 50s upwards and would have been in a position to vote her in or were recently qualified young female drivers who behave as though they are too air-headed to have even tried to find out about her.

The problem with rudeness boils down to nothing other than upbringing which transcends the 'classes'. There are people from all walk of life who and good manners and people from all walks of life who don't. 'Consideration for other people' are words my father said most days to us. It was instilled into us and, in turn, I have tried to instill it into my children and my pupils when they are in my classroom or rehearsals. Rudeness is not a political problem - it is simply a matter of individual choice.

Alan D wrote:Moderator.

This thread has been hijacked by 'politicals' and has nothing to do with cycling. Can it please be re-named and moved to the tea shop?

Alan

I raised this in post #2, since it remains here it is probably best left here now!

Incidentally, as part of the RoSPA Full Day driver training session, we show an old Disney cartoon (Motor Mania) from the 50's. It shows Goofy as a motorist but demonstrates how little attitudes on the road have changed since then.

Nigel

pioneer wrote:And another is the King of the *******s,Jeremy Clarkson,but that amoeba is a whole topic on his own.

Clarkson for Prime minister.

ianr1950 wrote:

pioneer wrote:And another is the King of the *******s,Jeremy Clarkson,but that amoeba is a whole topic on his own.

Clarkson for Prime minister.

Heaven forbid!

Nigel

adinigel wrote:


Nigel

my point is that it is unfair to generalise, to tar an entire generation with the same brush. to ask me to make a generalisation about all current voters is to miss my first point.

adinigel wrote:

ianr1950 wrote:

pioneer wrote:And another is the King of the *******s,Jeremy Clarkson,but that amoeba is a whole topic on his own.

Clarkson for Prime minister.

Heaven forbid!

Nigel

Top Gear to be on 7 days a week. and on second thoughts Jeremy Clarkson to be transport minister.