The reality for Queensland is that Labor dragged the state out of the dark ages to the point, on almost all important criteria and indexes (education, health, infrastructure, state GDP per cap; higher Ed & R&D, the arts, environment), it finally reached parity with the southern states. What didn’t happen is that this equality of lifestyle and opportunity was not matched by appropriate government income. We (actually you and your ilk) are like those idiot dumb Republicans we saw during the recent American election: they want a modern state without paying for it.
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Having said that, the debt is not as horrendous as Newman and others grotesquely distort for purely ideological reasons. And who (Newman) IS reminiscent in actuality, of the Bjelke era. Read John Quiggin (a Queenslander and rare sensible economist). (Try his article, crikey.com.au/?p=306762).
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Finally, my own position is that yes, it was time for a change of government, to refresh the ranks (after almost 20 years in power). My prediction seems to be coming true: that with any luck Newman will be a one-term wonder. (I thought with that majority he would have to get two terms at least but he is so p*ssing off his own team, he’s losing ministers at a great rate, and his policies …).

Now that Queensland has a dictatorial, rigid leader in Newman who has a military-style penchant for driving out or expelling people, a directionless, morale-wrecked and diminished public service, jobs for talentless stooges and their children, Queensland risks descending back to the institutionalised corruption of its previous political history.
Back to the future.

And as for Clive Palmer, perhaps he should throw his considerable weight behind resurrecting Labor who, ironically, has done more for him than any LNP government.

Today Clive Palmer is doing a good job of tenderising Soup. Stay tuned for his next press conference.

Maybe if Newman had not sacked all the Senior Public Servants, and filled these spots with LNP hacks, and filled the Ministers offices with LNP children, the Ministers would not be operating in such a vacuum.

The suggestion that Newman was a good though dictatorial Mayor defies history, as he left the place with an enormous debt and failed projects.

But to address the proposed cures to the LNPs woes:
1 “What they need to do is keep delivering their legislative agenda” What legislative agenda? Apart from mass sackings, it’s all crisis management.
2 “keep a tight rein on their media spin”. Newman is all spin and no substance, which is one reason why there’s a big problem.
3 “they need to manage their backbenchers well, break them into teams”. One of the problems the LNP has is that there are too many teams, or factions, warring with each other.
4 “give them mentors, bring in some ex-ministers to help, do something to appease them” Basket weaving classes perhaps.

The real solution is simpler. Newman has to go.

An Army life was not ideal training for a politician. Giving orders, and ignoring dissent and the opinions of others, are not qualities you need in a Premier. This caused him problems on Council (he expelled one of his own LNP Councillors and pushed on with failed projects).

He got away with it on the Council as it is largely ignored by the media and the community. A Premier as to listen, and has to negotiate. He does not have those skills. He did not learn them on Council, and he won’t learn them as Premier. Newman has to be replaced before the next State election. The Federal Liberal Party may decide he has to be replaced before the next Federal election.

For once in my life I feel that I have representation whereas previously for over 45 years of voting I had none. In other words I have felt disenfranchised within my country for that time. I would vote for this to be Australia wide if given the opportunity.

There needs to be a fundamental change in the electoral system. Don’t expect Labor to argue for it because they hope to be beneficiaries next time around or the time after.

The only system that meets the demands of democracy and works is a modified form on proportional representation, along the New Zealand or German models. It is interesting that at the last general election in NZ the public were given an opportunity through a referendum question, to vote for a change to their PR system that had worked tolerably well for more than two decades. They voted overwhelmingly to retain the status quo.

It is time the Queensland public had a similar opportunity to express a view. Given the history of this state however I am not so foolish as to hold my breath.