Shakes head in disbelief

John B said:

I wonder when we'll be seeing references to PS being a "leading cycling
road safety expert".

The day he starts calling himself that, I guess.

John B said:

Quoted message said:

I wonder when we'll be seeing references to PS being a "leading cycling
road safety expert".

and Chris Smith responded:

Quoted message said:

The day he starts calling himself that, I guess.

He certainly tried to make himself out as such when he first appeared in
urc a few years ago.

--
Danny Colyer (my reply address is valid but checked infrequently)
<URL:http://www.colyer.plus.com/danny/>
Subscribe to PlusNet <URL:http://www.colyer.plus.com/referral/>
"He who dares not offend cannot be honest." - Thomas Paine

John B said:

I've just seen that P**l Sm*th has set up a Cycling Forum on his SS
site.

And guess who the moderator is.
Yep. you're right.

I wonder when we'll be seeing references to PS being a "leading
cycling road safety expert".

John B

Like him or loath him, he gets press coverage for his policies. We're here
in this newsgroup griping about him, whilst he's getting his press releases
on the front page of the Times. I wish there was someone supporting cycling
with half the get-up-and-go he has.

On Sun, 6 Nov 2005 16:19:49 -0000, "P"
<[email hidden]> said in
<[email hidden]>:

Quoted message said:

Like him or loath him, he gets press coverage for his policies. We're here
in this newsgroup griping about him, whilst he's getting his press releases
on the front page of the Times. I wish there was someone supporting cycling
with half the get-up-and-go he has.

All we have to do is issue pronouncements which are in line with
popular prejudice. If you want to set yourself up as a cycling expert
and issue proclamations about how cyclists should all get off the
roads, wear plastic hats, pay tax and insurance and so on, I'm
confident you'd get at least as much coverage as the idiot Smith.

The papers can't be unaware of the fact that much of what he says is
demonstrably false. But they like to kick the Government, and they
like to pretend that speeding isn't /really/ dangerous, despite the
evidence, because the journalists are mostly speeders too, and as we
all know dangerous driving is only done by /other people/.

Guy
--
http://www.chapmancentral.co.uk

"To every complex problem there is a solution which is
simple, neat and wrong" - HL Mencken

Just zis Guy said:

On Sun, 6 Nov 2005 16:19:49 -0000, "P"
<[email hidden]> said in
<[email hidden]>:

Quoted message said:

Like him or loath him, he gets press coverage for his policies.
We're here in this newsgroup griping about him, whilst he's getting
his press releases on the front page of the Times. I wish there was
someone supporting cycling with half the get-up-and-go he has.

All we have to do is issue pronouncements which are in line with
popular prejudice. If you want to set yourself up as a cycling expert
and issue proclamations about how cyclists should all get off the
roads, wear plastic hats, pay tax and insurance and so on, I'm
confident you'd get at least as much coverage as the idiot Smith.

The papers can't be unaware of the fact that much of what he says is
demonstrably false. But they like to kick the Government, and they
like to pretend that speeding isn't /really/ dangerous, despite the
evidence, because the journalists are mostly speeders too, and as we
all know dangerous driving is only done by /other people/.

And also, car companies spend a whole lot more money on newspapers than do
customers who take offence at this kind of rubbish being printed.

--
Ambrose

"Just zis Guy, you know?" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

On Sun, 6 Nov 2005 16:19:49 -0000, "P"
<[email hidden]> said in
<[email hidden]>:

Quoted message said:

Like him or loath him, he gets press coverage for his policies. We're here
in this newsgroup griping about him, whilst he's getting his press
releases
on the front page of the Times. I wish there was someone supporting
cycling
with half the get-up-and-go he has.

All we have to do is issue pronouncements which are in line with
popular prejudice. If you want to set yourself up as a cycling expert
and issue proclamations about how cyclists should all get off the
roads, wear plastic hats, pay tax and insurance and so on, I'm
confident you'd get at least as much coverage as the idiot Smith.

The papers can't be unaware of the fact that much of what he says is
demonstrably false. But they like to kick the Government, and they
like to pretend that speeding isn't /really/ dangerous, despite the
evidence, because the journalists are mostly speeders too, and as we
all know dangerous driving is only done by /other people/.

Guy
--
http://www.chapmancentral.co.uk

"To every complex problem there is a solution which is
simple, neat and wrong" - HL Mencken

Guy ,
I am in total sympathy with your response.

It is fairly pointless in spouting off on a specialist cycling NG to make
any impact.
Even now you only have to look at this NG to see that an awful lot of
ranting goes on from a fairly small group of people.

The essence of the matter is surely to try and achieve a fairly unified
voice ----- some hope!

Most posts on here are quite directly tied to trying to improve a broad band
of cycling experiences. At 68 years old and a long distance cycle/camper my
options will vary from the central trend of cycling responses.
BUT when you look at it there is such a disjointed response to so many
pertinent points that we "cyclists" ( and that is broad enough
classification!) haven't a hope in hells chance of putting forward a united
front on any particular important matter.
At 68 years old I'm not gong to change long held prejudices am I ?

BUT ---even so I continue to evolve and change my opinions and reactions

But we all know that we have always a cross section of personal opinion
which will never fit in with

On Sun, 06 Nov 2005 19:15:14 GMT, "Pinky"
<[email hidden]> said in
<[email hidden]>:

Quoted message said:

The essence of the matter is surely to try and achieve a fairly unified
voice ----- some hope!

Not surprising: "cycling" is not a homogeneous activity. It
encompasses extreme offroaders who drive to the trails in 4x4s,
lentil-eating sandal-wearing Guardian-reading tree-huggers like me,
and all points between, to say nothing of the esteemed Mrs Miggins on
her 3-speed Raleigh with wicker basket etc.

But actually there is a surprising unanimity between cycling activists
on a lot of issues. The last bastions of support for hard segregation
are dying out - yes, Camden this means you :-) - and most activists
are solidly behind things like training, small-scale engineering
changes to remove danger spots and reducing motor traffic speeds.

Guy
--
http://www.chapmancentral.co.uk

"To every complex problem there is a solution which is
simple, neat and wrong" - HL Mencken

"Just zis Guy, you know?" <[email hidden]>typed

Quoted message said:

But actually there is a surprising unanimity between cycling activists
on a lot of issues. The last bastions of support for hard segregation
are dying out - yes, Camden this means you :-) - and most activists
are solidly behind things like training, small-scale engineering
changes to remove danger spots and reducing motor traffic speeds.

I am not in favour of hard segregation. Many Camden Cycling Campaign
members are, including the one with whom I live. I just try to edit the
CCC Newsletter in a lively, though neutral fashion...

--
Helen D. Vecht: [email hidden]
Edgware.

"Just zis Guy, you know?" <[email hidden]> wrote:
....
| The papers can't be unaware of the fact that much of what he says is
| demonstrably false. But they like to kick the Government, and they
| like to pretend that speeding isn't /really/ dangerous, despite the
| evidence, because the journalists are mostly speeders too, and as we
| all know dangerous driving is only done by /other people/.

It's possible that they like his stuff precisely because they can see
it's tosh and that they believe their readers can see it's tosh. By
putting it in print /as if it were true/ they amplify the sensation got
from disagreeing with it. That's all newspapers are, IMHO, sensation
amplifiers. Never give them your money. Even the so-called quality press
just does a milder middle-class version of the same act.

I trust we've all signed up to the BBC's Have Your Say thingy so when
the next appropriate story comes along we can all pile in....

--
Patrick Herring, http://www.anweald.co.uk/ph

On Mon, 07 Nov 2005 00:14:38 +0000, Patrick Herring <[email hidden]>
said in <[email hidden]>:

Quoted message said:

It's possible that they like his stuff precisely because they can see
it's tosh and that they believe their readers can see it's tosh. By
putting it in print /as if it were true/ they amplify the sensation got
from disagreeing with it. That's all newspapers are, IMHO, sensation
amplifiers. Never give them your money. Even the so-called quality press
just does a milder middle-class version of the same act.

I don't think that's the case. I think they genuinely want to be
allowed to speed with impunity.

Guy
--
http://www.chapmancentral.co.uk

"To every complex problem there is a solution which is
simple, neat and wrong" - HL Mencken

Just zis Guy said:

I don't think that's the case. I think they genuinely want to be
allowed to speed with impunity.

With the "caveat", if you can call it that, that they'll be perfectly
safe as they do so. It's the /other/ people that can't drive properly
and handle it and get people killed.

So that's all right, then.

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net [email hidden] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/