I am adding my support to Tony and his problems with KCC. I have to admit to not understanding what KCC are up to with this one, both in terms of not responding to Tony and the enormous amount of money that they are ploughing into the Kent TV project, relative to the amount of people using the site.
I will write to some of the KCC councillors next week in the hope that they can enlighten me.
In many ways I think the whole thing is synonymous with this country’s problems at the moment, by that I mean we are just spending too much in the public sector.
It also seems that when the public sector becomes involved computer related projects, common sense goes out of the window, often the most complicated and expensive methods are used and often the results are at best poor.
You only have to look at my previous post, I can neither create a link to the plans for Albion House, nor can anyone view them without pdf software installed on their computer. Worse of all there is no scale on the plan so I can’t work out if the door is wide enough for a wheelchair. The planning department that has paper plans which are drawn to scale, measurements being derived by multiplying the length shown on the paper by the scale, haven’t made the fundamental step of realising that you can’t do this on a computer screen, without a reference scale that shows the actual real dimensions, because the plans appear different sizes in different monitors.
Now at the moment if you have any doubts about how this country is faring in the recession, look at the value of the pound against other currencies, it would seem that sooner or later we are going to have to have a good look at the relationship between our GDP and public sector spending.
My only dealings with Kent TV was when I asked TDCs chief executive why the videos of TDC council meetings, that are already produced couldn’t be posted to Kent TV, so they could host them and publish them on the site so we could all see them.
The answer I received was that Kent TV would charge TDC to host them, the site is paid for, the staff are already there and happy to host public submissions for nothing, but we would be asked to pay twice to see our on council meetings.
Surly if Kent TV should have any priority it ought to be to promote transparency in Kent’s local government and to show the electorate local democracy in action.
Links below to Kent TV, Tony’s blog and other blog posts supporting Tony, several of which have published the email Tony sent to the prominent local bloggers.
http://www.kenttv.com/
http://bignewsmargate.blogspot.com/
http://thanetstar.com/article/in-defence-of-all-thanet-bloggers
http://thanetstrife.blogspot.com/2009/01/tony-flaigs-battle-for-free-speech.html
http://thanetcoastlife.blogspot.com/2009/01/in-support-of-tony-bignews.html
http://eastcliffrichard.blogspot.com/2009/01/bignews-goes-ballistic.html
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.
Speaking if transparency regarding Kent TV, I wonder how this can be achieved in the run up to the pending KCC elections. Kent TV is just a web site like youtube and is outside of OFCOM regulations. So by what rules will impartiality be achieved?
ReplyDeleteI know Kent TV does have a Board but what weight do they carry?
The board meetings do give an idea of how well the pilot is going, yes the pilot has only has until sept 2009 to run. It looks like the objective of making it self financing was a bad assumption and unlike a commercial enterprise who would pull the plug, KCC could put more money in.
for Board meeting minites see:
http://www.kent.gov.uk/publications/council-and-democracy/kent-tv-board.htm
(1) ECR asks Cllr Simon Moores to provide reasons he should not report him to Standards Board for England re publishing Rick's remarks mentioning the "G" word Gippos.
ReplyDelete(2) Tony Flaig asks KCC for immunity from a libel action so he can feel safe publishing. In the meantime he denies himself his own rights to freedom of expression and calls it a fight for Freedom of Speech.
Sorry to say it but on these issues of principle those two so called leading Thanet bloggers have about as much credility as a chocolate teapot. Just the job for a storm in a teacup.
15.44 Interesting thought, I suppose the internet and democracy in is going to be more important and difficult to regulate with every election.
ReplyDelete20.32 Rick is a well known blogger not anonymous like you are and as such is accountable for his actions, allowing anonymous that could be construed as politically incorrect or libellous is a different matter altogether.
Tony is not looking for immunity from libel, they have accused him and he had asked them where the libel is and what they want him to delete and they haven’t responded.
As an anonymous commenter, obviously unhappy with attaching your identity to your opinions, where exactly do you feel your credibility lies on the chocolate teapot scale?
well said michael
ReplyDeleteLily