The significance of the local blogs, which I believe will be increasingly important in terms of media and local politics seems to have been missed by some of our politicians, comment by senior local Conservative politicians is markedly absent.
Now here looking at the counter at the bottom of the page, I am getting about 1,000 visits a week, so you would think these people who presumably want us to vote for them in the future, would wish to be identified and engage in some of the dialogue.
If you consider that many of the stories in the local papers recently, that could in any way be called news, have come from the blogs in the first place.
This is increasingly happening now with national media, with China Gateway and Chinagate in the last week I have been approached by Glen Campbell reporter director of the BBC asking if he can use the material on my blog for a program he is making about it.
Now frankly I would like to do some postings that show councillors in a better light, for instance John Kirby’s stance on Albion House, however I don’t know the detailed story so I can’t.
I don’t think a lot of people have realised the significance of blogging, when I first started to use the internet as a tool for sharing local history, to be able to publish to the internet without masses of other peoples advertising, I had to first purchase a web address, then buy hosting for it at considerable expense, then buy the necessary software and spend a considerable time learning to use it, with blogger all of this is both free and very easy
News, Local history and Thanet issues from Michael's Bookshop in Ramsgate see www.michaelsbookshop.com I publish over 200 books about the history of this area click here to look at them.
I believe local blogs are important. Pretty much anyone can get their opinion across quite easily.
ReplyDeleteThe only downside is that it's still only a handful of the population that's doing them but it can give some idea to public opnion
That's why I got involved
Well Doc you are certainly a welcome addition to the local blogging scene, I suppose it must be a welcome relief communicating with people without them telling you about their ailments, I have watched various local medicos carefully sossing me out in the shop to see if they can browse in peace, without a rundown on the pain all down my hypotenuse.
ReplyDeleteA very welcome relief!
ReplyDeleteThe one thing people often argue is of those people like ECR and myself who use pseudonyms but sometimes anonymity can be helpful.
As Ken Gregory commented on one of my previous posts, it would seem that the worm has turned and the public are (albeit stil slowly) getting more involved and voicing their opnion
For too long politicians be they MP's or councillors have had it good but these days they are increasingly coming under scrutiny from the public. Some politicians have embraced this new found freedom the public have and have chosen to get themselves involved. Ken Gregory being a good example in my opinion.
Now whether I agree or not with his politics is neither here or there, the fact is that he's getting involved with people that matter and ultimately it's us who put them in these positions.
Maybe we should introduce performace reviews for our Councillors like people have in the workplace.
Now that would be interesting!
I think the thing here is that there are things that identifiable bloggers can do that anonymous bloggers can’t and vice versa. However the anonymous blogger always has to remember that at sometime in the future his or her identity may leak out, so if he or she writes anything that they would not wish to be associated with there real self they leave themselves open to blackmail or embarrassment.
ReplyDeleteMy feelings are that politicians should be properly paid, political parties properly and centrally funded and forbidden from taking any sort of donation from any other source.
I also feel that politicians that constantly fail to turn up at council meeting and parliament of fail to answer their constituent’s correspondence or deal adequately with their problems should be sacked.
And yes I also admire the fact that Ken does attempt to engage in the debate, which can’t be easy at times.
I wonder where Thom Morris’s China Gateway (uncut) post went something hetermorphic perhaps, or perhaps something editorial, like the South African newspapers during Apartheid that published blank pages, I am always concerned about the freedom of the local press when stuff vanishes from his blog.
ReplyDeleteSurely the best way to change the system is from the inside. Why don't you stand yourself for election Michael.
ReplyDelete16.53 frankly I am not so sure I am being entirely ineffective doing what I do my views on the subject probably best expressed here
ReplyDeleteAgree entirely with the sentiments it is a shame those who stand for integrity dont stand for politics, one of the main things that has put people off (including me!) is the anti social hours of meetings -not good with young families and most importantly in the tories the unsavoury elements who make up some of the already elected councillors and as i think Roc doc and Simon Moores have found out they are a hard nut to crack (previous person who also discovered this was Chris Wells) some of the candidates who have come forward for the tories are also morally bankrupt so it is very difficult. That is why i think standing as an independant is perhaps the answer. I know of many tories who are now working in areas of public life - charitable organisations etc as they were so horrified with "the dipping their toe in the water" experience they had when they thought of joining the tories for office, think an elected mayor or unitary authority are the answer myself.
ReplyDeleteI'm not saying you are being ineffective here Michael, but we need people of integrity, and you are well-known and respected enough locally to be elected as an independent. I don't always agree with you, BUT at least know that you do care for Thanet, and believe yourself in the perspctive you put forward.
ReplyDeleteMichael for Mayor - there you are Boris Mark 2 for Thanet!
ReplyDeleteSee full council meeting is 11th Sept they have rushed that through! You only find this out by reading the blogs nowhere else have i seen it ---as seen on Michaels blog, breaking news!
Michael for Mayor - there you are Boris Mark 2 for Thanet!
ReplyDeleteSee full council meeting is 11th Sept they have rushed that through! You only find this out by reading the blogs nowhere else have i seen it ---as seen on Michaels blog, breaking news!
If Michael has so much integrity why is he trying to destroy job opportunities in an area of deprivation when there are no planning reasons to refuse, apart from those he makes up in his head?
ReplyDeleteHas he set himself up as the only one who has any idea of what is right or wrong? Is he trying to save us peasants who need to work from ourselves?
Michael is not trying to destroy jobs but he is trying to ensure that the workers have drinkable water from their taps.
ReplyDeleteAnd if Thanet's peasant unemployed want to work they could always have moved North where cities like Stoke on Trent have 800 job vacancies per week and are having to employ Poles. (Whilst one in seven of the locals is on long term incapacity benefits)
So don't give us "The area of deprivation" bollix. That is just more Thanet self pitying bilge. There is work in UK you just have to move to take it.
Well 20.44, I said that Michael has integrity as he believes in his own argument against China Gateway, and I do believe that he considers this to be against the interests of the people of Thanet. However, I do agree that these concerns he has against the development don't hold water, and that we need to seek employment where it is offered. 22.22 Obviously you don't have teenage kids who are seeking work for the first time, and with few qualifications. Why should a 16 year old school leaver have to leave the area and find work up north, in order to preserve a few acres of little used agricultural land? We can create work for them here.
ReplyDeleteIt's great that Thanet has such a lively blogging scene - the rest of Kent desperately needs to catch up you
ReplyDeleteJobs at Manston is a Tory cover up for an excuse to get CGPs plans through. Since when as one of the speakers at the planning meeting said will the chinese employ locals for the minimum wage when they can employ their own people for a pittance it is all rubbish.
ReplyDeleteThey should be looking at supporting the indigineous businesses first - those shops etc in the towns and other small businesses continually being swamped with red tape.
There is rather a lot to reply to here I will do my best in bits and pieces as I get time. Firstly as far as the mayor goes I just wouldn’t have time, I think providing a bookshop for Ramsgate and preserving Thanet’s local history is too important to stop doing. We are losing proper libraries to Thanet Gateways (a whole room full of local archives had to be discarded at Margate Library to make room) and the funding is being cut from our museums.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with 24 August 2008 17:18
ReplyDeleteThere are some elements within the current tory administration that come close to a local mafia! There are also some very good people amongst the tories that seem to be pushed into the background while those that are 'morally bankrupt' hold sway. Another two years - how do we remove these elements?
20.44 01.17 All these numbers you can make up a name for yourselves you know, ok this isn’t about trying to stop a development that may be good for Thanet, firstly I have some concerns relating to the architects competence, they are the same ones that prepared the Pleasurama plans click here to see what I mean.
ReplyDeleteThis is really not a political issue at all but a technical one, now I have produced a cogent argument as to why the X type warehouses will have to be moved to the other end of the site and published the supporting documentation on a series of linked web pages click here to read them this means that the whole site needs to be totally redesigned and is therefore not ready to come before planning.
Now you say my concerns, which incidentally are not against the development, don’t hold water, however you seem to have inadvertently left out your argument as to why this is the case.
Michael, even with the best of goodwill, it is difficult to credit you with anything other than enthusiatic amateur status.
ReplyDeleteIn such a complex proposal as this, for you to cast doubt on the competence of the architects is breathtaking. Presumably you also feel the same about the officer body at the council.
For someone whose only competence appears to be running a very 3rd rate bookshop, your arrogance and self righteousness is quite frankly laughable.
I think a reality check on your ludicrous meddling is called for, before you damage the future prospects of generations of Thanet young and other people who deserve a break after years of being left behind.
15.20 The architects in question produced a set of plans for a huge building where the elevations were considerably shorter than the sections, i.e. the building if built would have been bigger on the inside than the outside, when I pointed this out to them they attempted to resolve the issue by producing a set of plans where peoples heads and a lorry were embedded in the concrete ceiling. I pointed out this to them and the produced a set of plans where they had rubbed out the pictures of the people and made the lorry much shorter, if this is your idea of competence so be it.
ReplyDeleteThe officer I have dealt with at the council I have found both extremely helpful and competent.
I worked for some time in the scientific and engineering world where I still have contacts so obviously I check my facts properly with experts in the appropriate fields and by discussing them with the statuary consultees.
Did you read the documents most especially the southern water letter to TDC and have you any rational answer to the points I have made?
I defend you Michael, the person who says they hope it will give their kids a job is sadly deluded.
ReplyDeleteLets get it Straight China Gateway is NOT about jobs it is about bringing huge wealth to the shareholders of CGP and any councillor that follows on from that?
The Chinese arent going to bother providing jobs to Brits when they have x million chinese who will do the same job. One of the councillors raised this, that CGP cant give any figures about jobs, training etc it is a ruse to get the scheme through and bring benefits to a few certainly not the unemployed teenagers of Thanet, so to disappoint you.
Michael, without seeing the Planning report I have no idea how the council have responded to whatever concerns the water board and Environment Agency have registered. However from my own limited experience of planning matters I know that unless the thumbs up comes from all parties, the application will not be recommended.
ReplyDeleteFor you to suggest that you check facts with distant acquaintances and that you have higher regard for their knowledge than those of people dealing intimately with an application is proof again of your self righteous arrogance. And the document you refer to concerning pleasurama sounds more like a sketch than an actual scaled drawing, so I think that you try to twist every point to boost your story.
As for the idiot who suggests that planners would recommend something that they know is wrong because the "tory mafia" want to line their own pockets - what planet are you on?
Whilst it seems to me that there are many sincere people who genuinely want to do the best for those who really do want to get ahead, it is a shame that there are also many people who will try to kick them down for their own sick purposes. And many of them seem to frequent this blog.
We must assume 19.47 from your post and your earlier ones, that you do not grasp the fact that X types in the NW corner of this site (with 100 HGV bays and 24/7 unloading and loading activity pose the greatest threat to our aquifer and the greatest disruption to life of 230 Thanet residents in Acol; all unnecessarily so! If you have followed the arguments here and elsewhere closely you will have noticed that no one objects to good and safe development of Manston Business Park.
ReplyDeleteIt is irrational for a Planning Officer to justify the location of huge X type warehouses in their present position on the basis that alternative A types would be more intrusive visually, as happened last Wednesday. TDC Planning constantly rules on height and size of buildings in developments and could insist that the plans be adjusted.
You might like to ask yourself the following questions:
1. Why has this not been done?
2. Why has TDC now been seen by all to be in an indecent haste to get this application to Full Council on 11 Sep?
3. Why did CGP in early 2007 use borrowed money from Israel Discount Bank (at Libor plus 2% interest) to purchase high quality agricultural land outside Manston Business Park (described by MAFF in 1995 as a national resource)when this land is outside the Local Plan and would require a change by TDC in the LDF to be regarded as development land?
4. Why did CGP's spokesman fail to mention on Wednesday evening that the only guarranteed employment on this site would be of Chinese nationals as in all other Gateway projects around the world. EU legislation prevents job ring fencing for UK nationals let alone for Thanet inhabitants.
5. How many locals are working with the Dutch on Thanet Earth and why are adverts for workers being placed in Polish newspapers?
To justify the threat to drinking water and prime agricultural land on the false premise and promise of employment for locals is untenable and specious.
Michael, I'm a bit concerned as to where all this is going. You have universal respect locally for your production of local history material, and this site serves the purposes of discussing the subject well. But, I fear you are flogging a dead horse regarding China Gateway, and this blog is becoming too political. Opinion on this development is split, and I sense a fair amount of animosity developing here. The job of a historian is to record and preserve the past, not to get involved in political issues - he/she has to assume the stance of the three wise monkeys, in order to gain information and keep everyone happy. You may not consider yourself a historian, but you are a local retailer. At a time when retailing is difficult enough you can't afford to upset potential customers by getting involved in something which is becoming political. Others reading this are going to reply that all this is nonsense, but then most are concealing their I.D when using this site. You are not doing so. My advice to you, is to leave all of this to others who have less to lose.
ReplyDelete21:06 The tory NIMBY residents of Acol have no rights to continue their sedentary rural lifestyle above the needs of those who do not have good prospects living in the rest of Thanet.
ReplyDeleteWithout having access to the Planning report:
Q1. This point is your opinion. The council's position could be that it is not necessary to meet planning needs.
Q2. If this date is true: If there are no Planning reasons to refuse the application, why not bring it to a close and move on?
Q3. Irreleveant to this application.
Q4. Rubbish. I read somewhere that only 10% of jobs would be taken by Chinese nationals.
Q5. Irrelevant to this application. And anyway, even cursory reading of Thanet Earth press statements indicate that most jobs are open to anybody who can demonstrate capability. To suggest otherwise is scaremongering.
This land is designated for industrial use, and all authoritative comment indicates that providing the experts do their job there is no threat to drinking water. As for any other similar development anywhere in the country.
Oh dear 22.47! The residents of Acol must be considered under planning law. When an application is clearly the first phase of a bigger scheme there is planning law and precedent in regard to 'proliferation' and 'piecemeal development' that has not been addressed by TDC yet. You miss the points made completely by 21.06 and dismiss them as irrelevant.On what grounds? I hope you are a CGP lackey and not a TDC Councillor!
ReplyDeleteLet me leave you with a quote concerning Wye that is relevant here in Thanet today:
"This is not a story of Nimbyism. It is about right versus wrong; about transparency versus secrecy; about truth versus lies; about democracy versus authoritarianism"
Prof Roy Greenslade, City University.
By the way Michael,is 21.32 implying a threat in his last statement and trying to suggest you shut up on this issue? You seem to have attracted a rather odd sounding commentator?
Well 23.36, there is no threat made by my comment of 21.32. I couldn't give a shit whether this development goes ahead or not. I have no opinion on it whatsoever. But Michael is running a business here, and he is being used by people such as yourself to front your argument against this scheme. As I see it he is not against in principal, but His argument is being twisted by some in support who seem hell bent on slandering his character. Nobody is actually listening to what the guy is trying to say. Again, I see you sign as 'anonymous'. Michael is the only one here who is disclosing his I.D, and in my opinion the strength of feeling by many in support of China Gateway could end up affecting his business. The people of Thanet are NOT AGAINST this planned development, and opinion is split. My advice to him therefore, is to be less open in handling this, and not to continue discussing it in public, especially with people who refuse to nail their colours to the mast and withhold their identity. I believe he should stick to points of local history, which would be more constructive, as this is a done deal in any case and all of you are simply whistling in the wind.
ReplyDeleteI don't pretend to understand - neither do I wish to understand - the ins and outs of planning applications. But I do have a great deal of experience in the retail industry. The customer - even if an arsehole - is always right, and each person reading this blog is a potential customer of Michael's bookshop.
Before you say it - yes, I too have witheld my I.D. I am not stupid enough to allow political views to affect my own business interests.
Once again a lot to reply to and as the subject is so important I will do my best in the time available.
ReplyDeleteI am afraid that the benefits or not in terms of the local economy and employment are outside of understanding, information is fairly scant on the intended use of the development, certainly phase 1 appears to be mostly a warehousing and distribution centre which I wouldn’t expect to bring that much in terms of benefits locally.
19.47 The planning report is available for you to read along with the other pertinent documents at http://www.michaelsbookshop.com/drink/ it is titled, recommendation to the planning committee to approve.
The details from the Pleasurama plans published at http://www.michaelsbookshop.com/tdc/id30.htm all have the planning document references beneath them, all the documents are in the public domain and are in the planning folder should wish to see them.
21.32 I am afraid to say that the views of the anonymous do not hold the same weight as putting ones name to something, although with the serious economic crime unit investigation I suspect anonymity here is somewhat relative. From my own point of view although I obviously have access to the ip addresses of those commenting I am more inclined to identify people by writing style.
Were this truly a political issue I would tend to agree with you however this is primarily a drinking water public safety issue, my concern is that any potential customers are not poisoned by the site being laid out wrongly.
As I have pointed out before anonymity holds its own risks, however as this is to be decided by full council and is a very complex issue, requiring considerable debate for the right decision to be made, I think it probably useful that some councillors can discuss it anonymously, so they are not though to be prejudiced when they come to make the decision.
I agree with you 100% Michael. This isn't purely a political issue and I know you are concerned only with issues of public safety. I don't know enough about all of this, to have a strong view on that either way. My concern here is that, reading the comments, some are attempting to twist your concerns into a political argument. I find 15.20s personal opinion of you worrying from a business point of view. Its this chaps standpoint, and of course he is free to express it - but mud sticks. You know as well as I do, that retailers have to deal with all sorts of people we may not like, agree with or respect. BUT when anyone comes into a shop you have to look beyond all of that, and make each individual feel 'special' - as frankly we just want their cash.
ReplyDelete12.49 Things are somewhat different in the secondhand book trade where there is a long tradition of dissuading customers from buying books. The earliest recorded mention of this I know being the case of 16th centaury bookseller who having sold an incunabule obviously regretted it, rushed out of his shop, stabbed the unfortunate customer and retrieved the book.
ReplyDeleteVarious ruses are traditionally used to dissuade customers from buying, strange and erratic opening hours, peculiar smells, rudeness, chaotic arrangement of the books that only the owner can fathom, inaccessible shelving many bookshops have all their decent stock in a back room, to which only a selected few, normally other booksellers are admitted.
I am afraid while others are tying to acquire money most secondhand booksellers tend to regard a bookshop as a necessary evil, to assist the book collecting, very few actually live of the proceeds of their book sales.
One can only add to the comments of those that fully approve of Michael's endeavours -and in rebuttal of the one that does not give a S**T...that is Derogation of Responsibility?
ReplyDelete14.18, to expand upon my comment that I don't care about this issue. We are led to believe that our water supply is to be knowingly poisoned. That hundreds of Chinese workers will be coming to Thanet to take employment opportunies from local residents. I have never read such nonsense in my life!! Yes, some Chinese would probably fill some management positions - and so what! But we are supposed to believe that unskilled vacancies are to awarded to Chinese immigrants? Do Asda employ solely U.S workers at the checkout? Did Vauxhall for car production in the U.K? Do Hornby employ only those from the U.K in the Chinese production of their goods abroad?
ReplyDeleteWe are supposed to be concerned over the loss of prime agricultural land. These fields kept one or two men with a tractor in work - just!! Thousands of jobs could be created here instead!
This is Planet Thanet in full motion - wake up! We live in a global economy. Our children need jobs.
Ok, so everyone against this development is right - Everyone else are wrong. Do you honestly believe that those with influence with this are going to listen to the views of a second-hand book dealer, and a few individuals who haven't even the backbone to leave their names when commenting on this scheme? If they don't proceed or amend the application / move the site, it is not going to be because anyone cares less what you have to say about it. You honestly believe that we live in a democracy?
Thanet Earth. What is wrong with these glasshouses - they improve the landscape. If there is a market for those crops produced, and there is, then great!! I wont be buying them - but then I don't purchase 2p sausages from ASDA either, but they obviously sell.
I don't care because nobody is going to listen to me anyway. I only worry about the things in life I can alter, and either way, neither of these are ever going to be one of them.
So Michael, you run your shop as a hobby. You don't need the money - what a fortunate position you find yourself in. Unfortunately the rest of us working-class scum need employment. I'll remember that when next I need to buy a book and will order it on the net - from someone who needs my business. On reflection, perhaps I agree with 20.44 above, sorry 20.44 I owe you an apology and you perhaps know Michael better than I do. You seem to have an answer to your question - yes we are peasants, and no we don't need to work, just to look at pretty little fields as he doesn't want us to destroy his view.
ReplyDelete19.07 You have to accept my apologies here my comment was a slight illiteration and expansion of one of the most famous modern humorists descriptions of secondhand booksellers, I am sorry that I must have done it so badly that you didn’t recognise it, it was in fact meant to be humorous and not actually autobiographical.
ReplyDelete