Grant Shapps panders to The Mail

[roubaixtuesday]

"First they came for immigrants..."

Perhaps this may help cyclists notice that these people spend their time not trying to help the country, but generating hatred against vulnerable groups including refugees, transgender people, benefits claimants and anyone else who they can use to divide the country and continue in power.

Cyclists take note that you're also viewed as fair game, and vote accordingly.

Just so. Many motorists dislike cyclists, very easy to incite many of them to hatred. Exactly same tactics as with the many people who dislike foreigners, refugees and the disabled on benefits and were incited to ramp up to hatred - and brexit.
...

I agree about the political and psychological technique that is being used here. And it's getting rapidly worse as shown by the policy of the day from the candidates for the leadership of the Conservative Party (with a side order of Hard of Government.)

I don't think that the defence against this polarisation and outgroup hatred is helped by the type of rhetoric and generalisation common in this forum against people who sometimes drive cars.

Jonathan

Would be interested to see a couple of axamples of what you mean?

[ANTONISH]

Old chestnut - or real threat??Screenshot 2022-08-17 at 06.02.50.png

I think Shapps may also have been quoted in the Times as being put off by the bureaucracy involved in requiring cyclists to display registration numbers, which leads me to think that this may come to nothing.

A long time ago there was a cycle registration scheme in Belgium - a tax had to be paid - eventually the scheme was abandoned.
I seem to remember seeing a cyclist on a road bike with a very small number plate attached to his rear brake.

[Jdsk]

Old chestnut - or real threat??Screenshot 2022-08-17 at 06.02.50.png

I think Shapps may also have been quoted in the Times as being put off by the bureaucracy involved in requiring cyclists to display registration numbers, which leads me to think that this may come to nothing.

A long time ago there was a cycle registration scheme in Belgium - a tax had to be paid - eventually the scheme was abandoned.
I seem to remember seeing a cyclist on a road bike with a very small number plate attached to his rear brake.

See also Denmark, the Netherlands, Singapore, and IIRC somewhere in Canada.

Jonathan

[VinceLedge]

Interesting that whilst this news item appears, there was also another item showing the UK is likely to be left behind Europe in cycling growth. I wonder why

[Graham O]

A long time ago there was a cycle registration scheme in Belgium - a tax had to be paid - eventually the scheme was abandoned.
I seem to remember seeing a cyclist on a road bike with a very small number plate attached to his rear brake.

Portugal during the Salazar regime had a cycle registration scheme which was strictly enforced with high fines. (Easy to do in a dictatorship, so I'm sure Pritti Patel will be keen on it). There are a couple of old guys around here with number plates on their very old bikes which are about 20cm wide. I really need to stop them and have a chat about it.

But then Portugal also used to have a licence system for cigarette lighters!

[Pete Owens]

Interesting that whilst this news item appears, there was also another item showing the UK is likely to be left behind Europe in cycling growth. I wonder why

Although if you read beyond the headline of that article - in the second paragraph you would discover:

"... cycling levels have significantly risen since the pandemic – up 33% in the year to 30 July ..."

[Jdsk]

Interesting that whilst this news item appears, there was also another item showing the UK is likely to be left behind Europe in cycling growth. I wonder why

That might be the same as discussed here:
viewtopic.php?p=1714809#p1714809

Which identified the difference between selling bikes and riding them.

Jonathan

[PedallingSquares]

Unenforceable.

[audaxjk]

The Daily Rant loves to flex its right wing muscles on behalf of the Conservatives.

What is scary is that so many people swallow this nonsense. All this achieves is the stoking up of emotions of drivers to hate cyclists. Makes the recent "amendments" to the Highway Code seem all the more pointless in the sense that the Government want to gloss over them and keep on side with motorists. Sad as it doesn't encourage people to take up cycling be it for pleasure/leisure or to mitigate car usage.

[thirdcrank]

When cUK dumped CJ, IRRC he was replaced by several media studies people. Perhaps they've now been dumped. In spite of the coincidence of the latest relevant legislation coming into force almost simultaneously not including more cycling offences, cUK has managed single-handed to add more fuel to Grant Shapps' spinning machine than the Daly Telegraph and Daily Mail together.

From Grant Shappes' POV, QED.

[De Sisti]

The topic was discussed on radio 5 live's heated debate this morning.

I'm sure there would have been the usual hysteria, egged on by the presenter.

[Bonefishblues]

The topic was discussed on radio 5 live's heated debate this morning.

I'm sure there would have been the usual hysteria, egged on by the presenter.

You've not listened to it yet?

[Sweep]

I'd love to know what the police think of this proposal.

Have to be careful what they say of course but surely they will be making representations?

Or at least asked for their view on the matter?

If they aren't asked, well what more need one say about how this has been thought through?

[roubaixtuesday]

I'd love to know what the police think of this proposal.

Have to be careful what they say of course but surely they will be making representations?

Or at least asked for their view on the matter?

If they aren't asked, well what more need one say about how this has been thought through?

It's not a proposal, and it will never become a proposal. It's an attempt to garner support through publicising hatred of an out group - us.

[Sweep]

I'd love to know what the police think of this proposal.

Have to be careful what they say of course but surely they will be making representations?

Or at least asked for their view on the matter?

If they aren't asked, well what more need one say about how this has been thought through?

It's not a proposal, and it will never become a proposal. It's an attempt to garner support through publicising hatred of an out group - us.

true