Kent County Council, Thanet District, Election Special and Monday Ramble

With the elections on Thursday I am understandably wondering who to vote for, despite the various assertions that are often made here I am a genuine floating voter, so I don’t have the luxury of just ticking the box or boxes for one party and have to think about who to vote for.

In the first instance I tend to only really consider candidates that I have actually heard of, despite having a shop and living in Ramsgate town centre, I have had virtually no bumph for this election and have seen virtually nothing of prospective candidates putting their respective cases.

The internet isn’t much better, in most cases Googling the candidates names doesn’t get you very far either, with a few notable exceptions.

It is now too late for those candidates who haven’t to develop any sort of web presence, by the time the search engines have found any new websites the election would be over.

So first of all an open offer to any Thanet Candidates, if you email me something about you, what you intend to do for Thanet as a county councillor, why you think people should vote for you, a picture of yourself and so on I will publish it in this post.

On the technical front the text part of what you want published should be in the email as text and the picture should be attached in jpeg format. Pictures of text or even worse pictures of text within a pdf file are no good for publishing on the internet.

My email address is michaelchild@aol.com

I will delete any obnoxious anonymous comments as soon as I see them and if you spot any yourself it is helpful if you email me with the comment’s time stamp (the date and time at the top of the comment)

On to the ramble, anyone with children will appreciate that some clothes and shoe shopping can no longer be achieved in the Thanet town centres, this means fairly regular visits to Westwood Cross or some other place with major chain shops.

My preferred activity yesterday would have been to go somewhere that looked interesting and sketch it, as it was I punctuated the shopping experience by sitting outside the various shops and endeavouring to sketch them.

See this one as example of a series of failures in attempting this, not only is the architectures there unattractive, it is also very difficult to draw, particularly when seen from the acute angle sitting on the seats outside the shops. 

Having done this and a supermarket shop for lunchbox items we retired to Bentley’s in Margate High Street for a cuppa, very good it was too – thanks to Margate + for the recommendation http://margate35mm.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/classic-names-class-acts.html as we sat in the High Street window I had a go a sketching more conventional architecture from an acute angle. As you see this didn’t go that well either.

The tea as you see was fine pot of tea for four about £5.50

Restored I went out into very bright sunshine to try and sketch something at less of an acute angle and difficult comments started, eventually I gave up went home, sorted them it out as best I could, but frankly the blogs are becoming too much trouble.

Perhaps comment moderation, perhaps just jacking it in altogether, I don’t know, what genuine readers and commentators think about how to deal with a small bunch of individuals LT Palmer, Roy John, Anon Etc.  

Ian Driver

Hello Michael

Thank you for your kind offer to post details on your site about my KCC election campaign.

To save space your readers can find out about my election polices by clicking on the link to my election blogsite where I have published  my manifesto. Here is the link.

http://vote4driver.blogspot.co.uk/

My site  includes short videos and information about my campaigning work on the Ramsgate  Pleasurama site and the need to terminate  the agreement with developers SFP Ventures UK Ltd. It also includes information about my work to stop live exports from the Port of Ramsgate, my campaign against corruption in public life and the urgent need to make Thanet Council and the new Thanet Clinical Commissioning Group more accountable and transparent to the people of Ramsgate. There is also information about  my campaign to replace Kent County Council with an East Kent Coastal Council and my  support for leaving the European Union (although not from a UKIP perspective).

I would like to thank all the many people who have helped my campaign by distributing leaflets in Ramsgate and all the many well wishers I have met whilst campaigning and doing my soapbox sessions in town.

I am the only candidate in this election who has promised, if I am elected to KCC,  to give up my  seat on Thanet District Council and concentrate on working at one elected position alone, rather than spreading myself very thinly across 2 or even 3 Councils and drawing expenses and allowances from more than one Council.

I am the only INDEPENDENT candidate in this election. I am standing to represent the interests of the people of Ramsgate not to represent the interests of Party Bosses. Ramsgate comes first not Party loyalty

Finally, although Independent, I call on Ramsgate people to not only vote for me, but to use their second vote to vote for the Green Party.

Ian Driver

Independent Candidate for Ramsgate KCC election  

PS Here are a couple pictures of me on the campaign trail. The only candidate in the election to do good old-fashioned street corner soapboxing.  

"The information I have provided for publication on your blogsite is promoted by Ian Driver, 45 Sea View Road, CT10 1BX"


Chris Wells

As County Councillor since 2005, Chris Wells has fought for projects to improve Margate and Cliftonville.

He has pushed for the regeneration investment in the Turner Contemporary and Northdown Community Project; fought for the independence of the Walpole Bay Bowls Club and Tivoli Day Centre; used the Margate Housing Initiative and Kent Community Organisation to improve residents daily lives.

His Highway funds have placed pedestrian crossings for Millmead Road and Dalby Square; bollards to protect green areas in St Mary’s Avenue, Nash Road, and St Johns; and to combat rising fuel costs for the much needed Thanet Community Transport. Guides and Sea Scouts have enjoyed trips and camps; and the East Kent Submariners proudly show their new banner.

Chris has used his 26 years of experience in voluntary sector management to support groups, and is ready and able to continue this valuable work for the next 4 years.

Ian Gregory

First elected in 1995 in Cliftonville East and I have also represented Dane Valley and St Peter’s Wards on the District Council. For the last 15 years I have worked in Estate Management for East Kent Hospitals and consequently have a keen interest in the NHS and Highways matters. A number of my close family are teachers and we have all benefited from the Grammar School system and local Universities of which I am a strong supporter.Tourism first attracted me to Thanet from Essex where I had worked as a design engineer for a large motor manufacturer and for ten years in the 1990′s we owned a 23 bedroom Private Hotel in Cliftonville as well as being involved in the rental sector. My wide experience means that I am now ideally suited to help others, whether it be problems related to Housing, Planning , Healthcare or Education and I hope to be able to utilise this experience as a Kent County Councillor.

Promoted by Neil Parsonson on behalf of Kent Conservative Association, both at

PO Box 1116 Canterbury CT1 9LQ. T: 01227 785427. E:office@kentconservatives.org.uk

Apologies here for confusing two councillors in one load of bumph, I think I have got it sorted out right now.  

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