Locally today we have a tangled web after
and including last nights Portas program “Mary Queen of the High Street” here
is the link to watch the program http://www.channel4.com/programmes/mary-queen-of-the-high-street/4od#3520185
I had a bit of difficulty getting it to play but it worked in the end.
I guess this is probably down to me not
watching much TV in general, for instance yesterday I was reading a book and
missed the program altogether, although I have managed to watch the whole
program today, in between doing other things.
I have read the various posts on the other
blogs:
and now I am trying to work out – from the
vantage point of Ramsgate - what all this is really about.
I will ramble on here if I get anywhere.
It’s all a bit like the statement in the
advert above, what does “Cows kept for infants and invalids” mean?
Perhaps the older and healthier get their milk from unkept cows.
The pictures in this post are from the book I publish Margate and
Westgate With Birchington 1903-04 obviously you can come into my bookshop and
browse it or buy it.
With the Margate Town Team torn asunder and at daggers drawn with each other, where was the TDC leadership, guidance or even advice in making the most of this PR opportunity. Instead Mary Portas gets a poor reception, a bee in her bonnet in consequence and heads up a Margate is grim broadcast.
ReplyDeleteOf course, we probably all know where the current TDC leadership were at the crucial time. As ever filling the ether on their local blog with anti Tory and Coalition rhetoric, so to hell with Thanet, campaigning feverishly for the county council elections on restoring the benefits the nasty Tories have taken away. Like that is a local government issue.
As ever the people of Thanet were appalling served by their council.
Peter, what is a town council for if it is not to lead and make the most of opportunities and, particularly in this case, where it was already known that the Margate Town Team were is some disarray. Surely someone from the council PR side should have been put on the case to ensure a fairer presentation than that disaster.
ReplyDeleteOh, and why we are at it, where was your whizz kid mayor, briefly seen skulking in the closed Woolworth's doorway with hands in pockets, totally irrelevant in a world of high profile grown ups.
I understand that Defamation Act 2013 has recently completed its passage through Parliament. Among other things the legislation will include a new process enabling website operators to help people complaining about online statements to resolve this direct with the poster of the material.
ReplyDeletePeter,
DeleteAnother glib retort from you. I'm not spamming as you well know. I have merely posted it in two separate places because it pleased me to do so, and make of that what you will.
Peter,
Delete"Boredom"? Oh, I geddit, yeah, witty.
Come on John, set up your own blog for these fascinating insights and childish insults.
DeleteHow about you do likewise, Anon 7.58.
DeleteAnonymouse 7:58Pm
DeleteI have my own blog, two actually, that I set up nearly three years ago, had you the wit to find them.
Not everything in Thanet has to be blamed on one political party or the other depending on the colour of your flag. This was simply a PR cock-up which the Town Team should have organised better.
ReplyDeleteAgreed, Ken, but those in office must carry the can at the time and surely the council should have taken a much more hands on approach to this opportunity. As for colour of flags, I am not sure I have one at the moment for they all seem pretty ineffective at all levels.
ReplyDeleteWhose else but Christine who wasn't allowed to film the council meeting.
ReplyDeleteTelling a television company not to film is about as PC as asking a nun to dance naked in the fields.
ReplyDeleteYou are nothing if not repetitive with your cat story, Peter, in the last two postings, and you have the cheek to accuse John Holyer of spamming.
ReplyDeleteAllan Mallinson = John Holyer = 6:12
ReplyDeleteThat's why they never actually discuss things together.
ReplyDeleteThen presumably, according to Peter they must all = Ted. You are not very observant, or bright are you, 7:03. John Holyer and I often discuss topics together, our literary styles are very different and what gives you the right to assume you are the only anonymous. Surely 6:12, whoever he or she might be, has as much right to the title if they choose to use it.
ReplyDeleteI do find this constant nonsense of trying to lump contributors together infantile and exceedingly pointless. It is what we say, not what we call ourselves, that should be the thread of discussion.
Michael - where are these advertisements you've scanned taken from?
ReplyDeleteBook I publish anon, will put a link in the post
DeleteLike The Apprentice it's just an awful view of Margate. Both Town Teams seem to be slinging mud and doing stuff all. Certainly with Portas not appearing in Margate for at least a year it's clear she's not interested. Unfortunately neither are TDC or KCC. It's a lot of tax we're spending that might be better not being paid. Let the civil servants whistle for it at the end of the month.
ReplyDeleteHolyer and Mallinson are separate people albeit both nincompoops. Mallinson has taken over Clarke's role as Holyer's supporter for piffle on Manston or politicians are all the same although it's Labour etc etc.
ReplyDeleteTDC are dragging their heels on Margate town Council although something exists (Will was the Mayor)- as with Ramsgate the title is simply handed around, while the doublehatters will no doubt want to crowd into it as quickly as possible: top-up salaries and drown out other voices etc. Maybe we need to limit the number of main party seats to say 30% in line with turnout?
the anonymice at 6:27 & 7:03,
ReplyDeleteYou are judging me by your own standards. I am not Allan Mallinson, you cretin.
Peter, the error on the town council was slip up. I meant, of course, district council based in Margate and appreciate that the town itself only has Charter Trustees and a Mayor. As such that makes TDC directly responsible for Margate unlike Broadstairs and Ramsgate that do have town councils.
ReplyDeleteAs for Iris, I am sure she would have made the effort as such is the nature of the lady, but the end product seen by the viewing audience was still a total PR disaster, largely brought about by the poor reception Mary Portas received on her prior visit.
Once again, it seems that Margate seeks to bite the hand that is trying to feed it.
ReplyDeleteOh that it was Tongue, that would have been such a delicious irony. Sadly that is not the one and only comedy writer Tongue.
ReplyDeleteI did not see any of the Mary Portas programmes so I am unfit to comment on them. I am mindful of the fact that C4 did not come to Margate for any reason of altruism, nor to make a factual documentary. They came to make a TV Reality Show. Reality shows are sexed up by skilled selective editing, fake jeopardy and by producer laid traps into which the punters stumble. It all makes good TV, if you like that sort of thing. I suggest that Margate needs the guidance of TV savvy PR person who is capable of manipulating the manipulators.
ReplyDeleteThe regeneration of Margate Old Town is an excellent example of what can be done when local people care. I hope the same can be done in Ramsgate, one day.
The point made John was that indeed you and Allan are separate people. Even for you this is turgid. And why as your 9:30 comment below are you copying and pasting your same comment onto different blogs?
ReplyDeleteYour pearls of wisdom really are not that interesting. As with Clarke before and now Mallinson you seem to be trying to stifle debate. Manston in particular has proven your downfall in credibility both as a business case and in terms of pollution.
You say you have your own blog, so use that for your pearls.
Mallinson is pettifogging on the Trustees/Town Council - they're one and the same although the current councillors prefer to use TDC as a forum hence downplaying the Trustees/Town Councils and then jumping onto those seats as doublehatters to reduce debate - even waiving salaries (certainly the smaller ones anyway) as a loss-leader in effect to protect their positions.
A council tax strike always smokes them out: a few hundred people refusing their tax and that's the cost of the councillors, and TDC is clearly rudderless now.
But it won't happen you silly old fool, 12:07. Who is going to organise this council tax strike. You perhaps when you don't even have the courage to use a name. Basically you have these ideas about arrests, heads should roll and fines should be enforced, but expect everybody elses to do something about it except you. Frankly you are just wind and p**s and a total waste of rations.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous,
ReplyDeleteI acknowledge sight of your post at 12:16 pm the contents of which have been noted.
I quite liked Mary Portas I thought she came over well and certainly wasn't on a massive tv personality ego trip as some have said. The original Margate Town team sadly came across as a bunch of whingers who totally missed their opportunity.
ReplyDeleteOverall Margate didn't fare too badly over the whole programme, the old town looked good in the sunshine and Portas was more positive as the programme went on.
The good news is that there's still most of the £100.000 left to spend on Margate High Street.
ReplyDeleteHow about regular events all through the year to attract people to the area, investment in the market, advertising for new entrepreneurs to start/move their business to Margate High Street.
The Margate inland pier event again but in the Summer!
Any other ideas folks?
We actually met a member of the town team regarding setting up a new business in the high street - they've not bothered to have the courtesy to get back to us - perhaps we should take a look at Ramsgate - the welcome can't be any worse.
DeleteThe whole sorry saga tells you everything you need to know about the decline of Thanet. Childish people, bitching at each other and stamping their feet because they don't get their own way.
ReplyDeleteMr Roberts when you have something constructive to say then please do so rather than rudeness at not being led by the nose. If you're not concerned at your tax being wasted or being polluted by TDC then at least suffer quietly.
ReplyDeleteThe trouble with you, 7:00, is that you cannot see your rudeness towards others begets an equal and opposite response. Nonetheless, I am more than happy to quietly ignore you and your repetetive nonsense hereafter.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteJohn rudeness towards real people from your position of anonymity I find once again I have to remind you isn’t tolerated here. You could try a real world experiment and go out onto the streets of Thanet, telling the people you though were ugly, that they were? Ugly. Thought not.
ReplyDelete