Mark Webber Attacks 'nanny State'

[Flynnn]

wow, looks like some one after all shares the very same sentiments with me

can it be this much of a coincidence?

http://www.smh.com.au/sport/motorsport/mar...00328-r585.html

Mark Webber attacks 'nanny state'

PETER LITRAS AND SCOTT SPITS

March 29, 2010

AUSTRALIA'S formula one hope, Mark Webber, launched a stinging attack on our ''nanny state'' before he raced in his home grand prix yesterday.

Motormouth cops a blast

In an apparent swipe at police arresting the former F1 champion Lewis Hamilton when he was caught doing a burnout in his car in Melbourne on Friday night, Webber said, half-jokingly, that he had spent the past few days ''dodging the ridiculous speeding and parking [rules] and all the nanny-state country that we have down here in Australia''.

Just hours before the race at Melbourne's Albert Park, where he finished ninth, Webber said that Australia had changed significantly since he had left for Europe.

''I think we've got to read an instruction book when we get out of bed - what we can do and what we can't do … put a yellow vest on and all that sort of stuff,'' Webber told fans of his Red Bull Racing team. ''It's certainly changed since I left here. It pisses me off coming back here, to be honest.

''It's a great country but we've got to be responsible for our actions and it's certainly a bloody nanny state when it comes to what we can do.

''And Lewis has found out very quickly,'' he said, referring to Hamilton's run-in with police.

Hamilton, driving for McLaren yesterday, had his Mercedes impounded under Victoria's anti-hoon laws as he was leaving the circuit on Friday night.

Webber, a two-time grand prix winner, left Australia for England in the late 1990s, chasing his dream of becoming an F1 driver.

Victoria's Premier, John Brumby, said: ''I haven't heard those comments but I would say that Lewis, I think, said and did the right thing after he made a mistake … that he'd made a mistake and broken the law, and apologised for it.

''We've got laws in place in Victoria. They're there for a good reason and that is to ensure road safety and protect lives.

''They're balanced and they're reasonable, and I think the test is in what Lewis said.

''Lewis said, 'I made a mistake and did a silly thing and I won't do it again.' That's the right attitude.''

Hitting back after Webber's comments, which came during a horror weekend on Victoria's roads, the state's top traffic cop Deputy Commissioner Ken Lay said the work of police was likely to have saved the lives of many of the driver's fans.

"I'd be so bold to say, too ... that there's probably quite a few Mark Webber fans still alive today because of the work we do," Mr Lay told ABC Radio today.

He said Webber's comments were disappointing after a weekend in which four people had died in speed-related crashes.

"So, disappointing, not helpful at all and hopefully on reflection he'd wish he hadn't said it," Mr Lay said.

He added that Webber had undermined police work in trying to make roads safer.

"Mark Webber's in a unique position where he's got the ability to influence the behaviour of road users.

"He's missed an opportunity, he's probably undermined our message to a degree and that comes on the end of a horror weekend on our roads, where four people have died as a result of speeding."

- with AAP

In another article

IPA spokesman Tim Wilson echos just what i had said last night

http://bigpondnews.com/articles/Politics/2...IPA_445501.html

Webber right on nanny state - IPA

The Institute of Public Affairs (IPA) says Webber, from Queanbeyan in southern NSW, was spot-on in his blast to race fans before Sunday's Grand Prix, claiming Australia was a great country but had become a nanny state when it comes to what we can and can't do.s

'Webber's comments expose the incremental efforts by government to regulate and tax every part of our lives,' said IPA spokesman Tim Wilson.

'The problem is the government is introducing the nanny state bit by bit so most Australians don't notice how far we're down the path.'

Edited March 29, 2010 by Barbarian

[jjskyline79]

ha ha lest you dont have coppers handing out flat shoes for pissed girls on the weekend

[bluejeans]

sighhhhh

[funkymonkey]

wait... what? Webber lives in England and is complaining that Victoria is a nanny state?

wtf. England, more specifically the London Metro is the most nanniest of nanny states you could ever hope to live in. They tax you for every bloody thing over there. I've lived there, and I wanted to hug a polly when I got back cos we've got it so good over here comparatively speaking. Fuck, they even tax you depending on the fuel efficiency of your car.

[paulr33]

life goes on, geez pick something more exciting

[GTR-32U]

I have to say I fully agree with Mark Webber.We are slowly losing our freedom to ridiculous laws,We are slowly becoming slaves to our Governments.They need to remember that THEY work for us...They are employed by us.We are the Boss not them. As much as I love this place bungling bureaucrats are getting away with anything they want Hand over fist to us the tax payer.

[xALmoN]

You think Australia is a nanny state? Try living in Singapore as a SINGAPOREAN, and you'll know nanny state.

[saff_cossie]

wait... what? Webber lives in England and is complaining that Victoria is a nanny state?

wtf. England, more specifically the London Metro is the most nanniest of nanny states you could ever hope to live in. They tax you for every bloody thing over there. I've lived there, and I wanted to hug a polly when I got back cos we've got it so good over here comparatively speaking. Fuck, they even tax you depending on the fuel efficiency of your car.

Don't think he is talking about tax.....

Freedom to just "drive" in the UK is far greater which I believe is what he is referring to. But, he doesn't like it here and doesn't live here. Would be worse if he lived here and harped on about it. I live here and accept what comes with it.

[waxracing]

You think Australia is a nanny state? Try living in Singapore as a SINGAPOREAN, and you'll know nanny state.

I'm a teacher and I see it happen all the time, more and more .

Its crap the amount of regulation they are dropping on us over here. You cant fart with out looking to blame some one and seeing if they have filled in all the paperwork to make sure no one got hurt in the process

[MUZT3K]

i totally agree with mark webber, and atleast someone famous as stood up and said it so all the people can hear. thumbs up to you mark

[funkymonkey]

Freedom to just "drive" in the UK is far greater which I believe is what he is referring to.

point to point speed cameras, bus lanes in the city, shithouse freeways, signage and warnings, etc. real improvement there.

the only decent roads are a good 2 hours drive out of london.

[KezR33]

What still gets me is the ridiculous amount of attention "hoons" and "hoon laws" get, whether it be police, public or media.

Like that guy saying 4 people died on the weekend due to speeding - which he claims is what they're trying to stop with the hoon laws. Yes, it was a tragedy, but like he said it was SPEEDING. Speeding has been a law long before the word hoon was ever created, and just because you're speeding it does not mean you're "hooning". Same with drink driving. It seems that if a kid kills themselves and/or their mates "hooning" then that automatically becomes the reason for the accident. Not the fact the kid was blowing 0.3 blood alcohol before he got into the car.

Now I don't disagree that doing burnouts, illegal drag racing, drifting on the street, etc. should be illegal, but the sheer amount of attention it receives, and the money that goes into stopping it is ridiculous. Defecting modified cars, and crushing cars isn't going to drop the road toll.

The police really need to re-focus their attention elsewhere, and start putting time and money into genuine problems.

[eMsta]

OH FFS!!!!!!

sup!

[alr33x]

the guy is spot on victoria has lost the plot, laws against everything.

and the hoon laws realllllly shit me for obvious reasons.

aside from that they are fundamentally flawed. you get punished before you get tried which is a joke, not to mention its a harsher penalty for droppin a skid then it is for drink driving like how does that work?

and these road laws/crack downs clearly are not working hence the higher road tolls and revenue each year, the reason is simple they dont give two shits about the road toll they care about making money. Putting hidden fixed speed cameras everywhere doesnt help anyone you get a fine 3 weeks later in the mail? they should be spending money on have police on the streets doing police work. Pull over the real dangerous drivers with bald tyres, no tail lights, wobbly wheels, blowing smoke so thick it chokes ya

plenty of other things wrong with this state government but it would take all night.

labor party is a disgraceful bunch of monkeys

[saff_cossie]

point to point speed cameras, bus lanes in the city, shithouse freeways, signage and warnings, etc. real improvement there.

the only decent roads are a good 2 hours drive out of london.

Sounds like you need someone to show you where the good roads are!

Freeways are amongst the best in the world, quality, sealed and tolerance of the law enforcement officers. Point to point cameras are minimal as are average speed cameras so you just need to know where they are, like here. Bus lanes, those I can live with, that is why there is the tube in London.

All that said, quality of life is far better down under

[bozodos]

over the whinging tbqh, at least mark webber has gotten media attention to this sorry state of affairs, which no other person or organisation has been able to

[Daz]

Hamilton is now my new hero....

[alr33x]

thanks to the media i dont even think anyone knows the definition of a hoon anymore, everythign is hooning

drink driving, talking in ya mobile, even that clown who backed into a police car at maccas was a hoon according to the media its a fkn joke.

[Sloupos]

yeah agreed with webber.....even though i think he cant drive lol

its just becomming impossible to be a car enthusiast in vic, laws are becoming soo tight

definatly dnt agree with these hoon laws... n im not even a hoon, but time n money should be better spent in other areas

[alr33x]

yeah agreed with webber.....even though i think he cant drive lol

its just becomming impossible to be a car enthusiast in vic, laws are becoming soo tight

definatly dnt agree with these hoon laws... n im not even a hoon, but time n money should be better spent in other areas

+1 guys a fkn dud how he has lasted 9 years shocks me.