The day started with my work computer going bananas, not a
good start and at the moment while the virus checker is running the thing is
going far too slow for local book publishing, which is what I am supposed to be
doing.
The Dreamland appeal starts today and is due to last for two
days, the final legal hurdle in the councils bid to acquire the site from the
property developer.
In Ramsgate is seems the process of the council getting back
the Pleasurama site is just beginning.
My position on Pleasurama, which is often misunderstood, is
one of watching this development on my doorstep, noting through the progression
of time over the last ten years various aspects of it that seemed bonkers,
alerting the council, officers and councillors to these aspects and for the
most part being treated as though it was me that was bonkers and not the
developer and councillors.
I still am not really certain what it is that SFP hope or hoped to
achieve, whether they ever intended to build.
From the beginning when the plans were too high I smelt a rat and
then discovering that the developer hadn’t investigated either the cliff or the
sea defence. In fact that they were prepared to proceed on a £22m development
without discovering a safe baseline height from a flood risk perspective or a
distance from the cliff to enable cliff maintenance for the life of the
development suggested that they didn’t ever intend to develop the site or that
they just didn’t know what they were doing.
Perhaps they were playing some sort of land banking game or
perhaps it was a group of overly optimistic incompetents, some sort of scenario
like some councillors having a big empty site and someone loosely involved in
finance thinking a lot of money could be made.
Looking at the eventual values and the likely cost of build, it
doesn’t look like that fantastic a bet.
I don’t think you really need to be any sort of expert to realise
that you wouldn’t want to build your house next to the cliff face, one look at
the cracks, damp patches, weeds growing out of it and exposed crumbling
foundations to the concrete façade is enough.
Forcing our politicians to go to ground just isn’t helping
anyone.
Anyone notice anything strange or in fact darn
right bonkers about the picture?
Either way it’s a pity he couldn’t do his stuff
without being rude to people, I guess this is a sign of the times.
I guess the two next main elections are mainly going to
relate to the way the political swingers in Ramsgate behave. With the
dereliction of council owned property along the foreshore here being one of the
number one reasons for people to swing at MP or district level. Party wise
Pleasurama is the big long term one that must be addressed.
Art gallery, heritage amusement park and hotel in Margate is
great fun but I think it is in Ramsgate where the votes need to be won.
I would think that stage 1 needs to be a plan for some
integrated way of dealing with the whole of the Ramsgate foreshore.
On to the blogs, I see Simon Moores is another blogger, like
me complaining about unsuitable and hostile comment. There certainly need to be
some sort of dialogue, in Thanet and between the voter and the people thy vote
for, without it being spammed up by people with single issue historical
recriminations.
Another factor at the moment is the unveiling of John Hamilton,
it looks to me like a case of someone with fairly limited IT skills playing a
game with the internet that is likely to rebound.
Of course he may be so insignificant and unknown in real life
for there to be no significant consequences, on the other hand he may be someone
of some significance in the local area. In which case more embarrassment for
Thanet.
Coming back to the political thing, I am considering an open
letter to our two MP hopefuls in the next elections asking how they intend to
deal with local issues, I don’t see the national ones mean much on a local blog
like this.
Perhaps how they see the way forward with our local council
that seems to be a tad dysfunctional, unitary authority, elected mayor, going
down there and kinking butt?
Do they have any ideas about a plan for Ramsgate Waterfront?
Of course there won’t be any fracking in Thanet as there is
no shale, we sit on chalk and any gas would soon rise up, in fact if there was
any it did this millennia past.
But fracking around the old coal mining areas could effect
our water supply, so there may be a question related to that.
Port Ramsgate, do they see any solution there?
Perhaps some of the commentators have ideas.
Minutes of the last meeting of the committee tasked with bringing some conclusion to the whole Pleasurama debacle have been published
ReplyDeleteIt was AGREED:
1. THAT the S. 151 Officer be invited to attend the next meeting of the Group in order to answer questions; (be interesting having Sue answering questions)
2. THAT that meeting takes place in 4 to 5 weeks’ time;
3. THAT the Chairman emails Group Members as soon as possible, requesting that questions to be put to the S.151 Officer be submitted to him within 2 weeks of the date of his email;
4. THAT, when responding to the Chairman’s email, Group Members select,“Reply All”;
5. THAT the Chairman collates all Members’ questions and forwards them to the S.151 Officer as soon as possible after the 2-week period has expired.
6. THAT assurance be given at the next meeting of the Group that legal advice is under way. (what questions will the lawyers be asked)
7. THAT the Group considers inviting evidence in private session from a representative of the Friends of Ramsgate Seafront; (Is this just a pipe dream)
8. THAT the Group considers seeking evidence from Members of Cabinet at the time the Development Agreement and Deed of Variation were entered into and also the former Director of Regeneration Services; (does anyone think the likes of Ezekiel and Latchford will be forthcoming?)
9. THAT the Group consults with residents on any future options for the Pleasurama site. (got to get SFP removed first)
The ( ) are my take on the matter.
Barry, can you see any mileage in ex-councillors subjecting themselves to interrogation by a potentially hostile protest group. It is somebody else's problem now so why should they.
ReplyDeleteAs to the original intentions of SFP, I still wonder why Terence Painter went to the expense of opening a prestigious office on the Ramsgate waterfront and staffing it for some two years to sell a development that was never intended. Find it hard to believe SFP even pulled the wool over the eyes of their agent and still reckon the financial climate change, as with several other developments in Thanet, was the main culprit. The main aim now must be to ensure the site is recovered and then re-used for something useful to Ramsgate. Not really a parliamentary issue, being an entirely local government matter, so the views of the MP candidates are irrelevant here.
On that one, most people of whatever political persuasion seem to feel Laura Sandys has been a good constituency MP, so why look for change, however good or otherwise her opponents might be.
As for the sailing ship, she appears to be underway with anchor up and sails deployed but she has no wake. Not even sure the flag indicates the same wind direction as the sails.
William the questioning of Ezekiel and Latchford will not happen as I am sure you will have guessed although the burning question was why they agreed the deal despite officers advising against. There are many that want to know the answer to that one. The questioning is proposed to be conducted by Councillors not FORS we will be present to hear the answers if it takes place.
DeleteThe only people that can answer for SFP is Keegan and Hill but cannot see that happening either.
I believe Michael was thinking more along the idea of canvassing the views of the prospective MP candidates on a wide number of local issues not specifically concerning Pleasurama
I guess there is much that, short of a judicial enquiry under oath, will never be known, which leaves me wondering why some folk go on flogging a dead horse. Surely the important thing is to move forward and, if folk feel that certain councillors were negligent in their duty, then don't elect them again.
DeleteOn the issue of the local MP, whatever the questions, I still see no point in fixing something which is not bust. Laura Sandys' two predecessors, Aitken and Ladyman, both lost the plot in their different ways whereas one only hears good things of our current MP, other than from those so bigoted that a sack of potatoes with the right rosette would be preferable.
"those that fail to learn the lessons of the past are condemned to make those same mistakes again".
DeleteDo you believe TDC have learnt those those lessons?
Whether I believe it or not is irrelevant, Barry, the important thing is that the electorate through their councillors make darn sure those same mistakes are not made again.
DeleteIncidentally, you have used that quote before and I have given you a similar answer. We can all spend far too long harping on about the past, the important thing is to take it on board and move forward a lot wiser.
In a general sense I am not looking for recrimination over Pleasurama but I am looking for a way forward. I think a serious issue here is that we have plans for development that will still stand regardless of what happens over the developer.
DeleteI really don’t think anyone really knows how high the thing would be relative to the height of the cliff, I really don’t think that the cliff can be economically maintained with the build as close as it is and as far as base height and sea defence, no one knows, because there has been no fra.
I know a protracted legal battle is on the cards and I suspect that it is over a development that defies the basic rules of structural engineering.
In fact we are arguing about something as impractical as building an art gallery in the sea.
I still wonder with the large amount of public money that has already been expended by KCC on changing the road layout and by TDC on cliff works if there wouldn’t be some mileage in doing what I have been suggesting for a number of years and getting a professional opinion on whether the development is viable or even buildable.
From what I remember about the time when the Conservative cabinet went against officer advice and gave the developer the extension which last until February to complete the building, the majority of the council Labour and Conservative seemed to think I was nuts and that the development would be of great benefit to the town.
I will respond about the MP thing in a bit.
William if the mistakes were made by officers how does the electorate make a difference. For instance Harvey stated that he sees no evidence "due diligence" was carried out before 2009 and that done in 2009 was cursory in the extreme. What responsibility should Councillors take over that and what responsibility should be taken by officers?
DeleteSimply by electing councillors who do their duty and hold officers to account. What purpose do you really believe is served by just harping on about what happened in 2002 and 2009? All it achieves is everybody puts up their umbrellas and is so busy justifying why things were done that new progress suffers in consequence.
DeleteWilliam if you peruse the minutes you will see the T&F group are working on both past and future points 1 & 6.I am sure if you contacted your local TDC member he or she can put forward your views. The legal advice sought will be looking at ways to get out of the agreement if that is possible.
DeleteFine, now you are talking sense when you say that they will be looking at ways of getting out of the existing agreement. Obviously, that is a pre-requisite to moving forward.
DeleteFor the record, I have discussed this matter with colleagues who were on the TDC both in 2002 and 2009 and have some understanding of why they took the decisions they did. With the benefit of hindsight they were evidently flawed, but they did not have hindsight at the time. Bit like the attack on Gallipoli, with the benefit of hindsight it was clearly ill conceived, but one cannot change it now.
William I am just passing on what is happening in the T&F group. I had posted that above for all to read.
DeleteWhen developers told TDC what they proposed to build and how they were going about it why on earth did they believe everything they were told without checking out the facts. That's what I do not understand. I believe Michael alludes to that in his posting.
I know, because I have also spoken to them, that Whitbread's name was the reason 2002 happened, and in 2009 it was the inclusion of Cardy that swayed the day. Neither name proved there was adequate finances in place. So in the end it didnt really matter.
You can't move forward until you identify who is responsible for this mess. It isn't credible that the same people who created this fiasco can be allowed to try to sort it out.
DeleteYes there is the sentiment, as expressed by William, about "Moving forward" and avoiding examination and recrimination of the recent past. And then there is the fact, which is that such a detailed examination of the whole history may yet be part of litigation. A fact, of probable relevance, then being that a bookshop owner drew attention to safety flaws in the approved design from the outset. A Ramsgate bookshop owner exhibiting more diligence than TDC. That fact which should go towards weighing whether or not there was a commitment to build at all.
DeleteThree things. Crime and Disorder Act 1998, Money Laundering guidelines and overriding duty to protect life. The second and third of those have been discussed on this blog before. The first places a duty on TDC to consider the prevention of crime in the exercise of all their functions. This would be particularly relevant to the history when Michael was punching holes through the design safety and risk planning.
Yes there is the sentiment, as expressed by William, about "Moving forward" and avoiding examination and recrimination of the recent past. And then there is the fact, which is that such a detailed examination of the whole history may yet be part of litigation. A fact, of probable relevance, then being that a bookshop owner drew attention to safety flaws in the approved design from the outset. A Ramsgate bookshop owner exhibiting more diligence than TDC. That fact which should go towards weighing whether or not there was a commitment to build at all.
DeleteThree things. Crime and Disorder Act 1998, Money Laundering guidelines and overriding duty to protect life. The second and third of those have been discussed on this blog before. The first places a duty on TDC to consider the prevention of crime in the exercise of all their functions. This would be particularly relevant to the history when Michael was punching holes through the design safety and risk planning.
William I am with you on the boat . As for Laura I have her aways to be both competent and professional and I think Thanet would be worse if she was to be replaced. As for as you say certain councillors were negligent why do we seen to get more than our fair share of dopes
ReplyDeleteI guess because folk elect them. Look at the good people of Northwood, they elected Ian Driver because he was wearing a red rosette, totally ignoring his history of changing parties, and he is now on his fourth group since having gone Labour, TIG, Independent and now Green. Despite that he is still the councillor for a safe Labour ward!
DeleteProbably right, Peter, so just vote for the one who has served you well. To hell with the rosettes, go for the qualities and then we might just get somewhere.
ReplyDeleteFrankly William at this point in time you can pretty much predict that Thanet North will return a Conservative MP but Thanet South could go either way and most of this either way is based on a floating vote in what historically has been a marginal.
ReplyDeleteAt the moment it looks as though the Conservative vote will probably be split by UKIP, although here I would think that this would be related to UKIP achieving something at County level.
Now given that either may be our next MP I would like to know how both of them feel about local issues, the great national left right debate, which boils down – from my point of view – will I survive in business, under one the other, either, are beyond me.
I moved here nearly thirty years ago when most of the publicly owned waterfront was commercially active, in that period, under both parties at district and MP level most of this publicly owned waterfront has become commercially dormant, derelict and so on.
Accident design I don’t know, does who you vote for at any level relate to this situation? I would like to ask both of them and would be interested in their replies.
Michael how long does commercial planning permission last for?
ReplyDeleteBarry once the building work has started then it lasts for ever, as far as I understand
Deleteas they built the tombstones I presume that means forever. I read on the UK planning portal that PP lasts 5 years but I presume that only applies if no work has started then.
DeleteI am not sure why William regards Steve Ladyman as having lost the plot. I always thought he was a good constituency MPand Minister, he was not so hot on self publicity.
ReplyDeleteBill, he became so wrapped in his ministerial work and ambitions that the constituency work suffered as a result. There are instances of people with identical problems having them sorted by Roger Gale in the north side whereas in the south the answer was a standard letter advising nothing could be done. Typical example was Ladyman telling a mother that the NHS did not fund cosmetic surgery, when she was trying to get orthodontic treatment for her child, whilst a similar case was pursued to a successful conclusion by Gale.
DeleteI for one could do without Cllr Epps' Party tripe on here. It's always Labour Bad. Tory Good. Driver Worse. Let's move on from Pleasurama or TDC council corruption or fracking or Thor or Manston or anything else relevant to Thanet. A desperate wee politico trying to cover up matters.
DeleteThe latest KIACC meeting on Manston popping out of the woodwork is a concern. These usually seem stage-managed for some feeble Buchanan announcement of great glories to come - just ignore the pollution.
Anon 10:24 am
DeleteOh heavens, you're back and spitting at all and sundry. God I pity you for the pathetic and disturbed inadequate that you are. There now, you can have a go at me and leave the other grown ups alone.
Anon, you are way off as far as I am concerned. I probably disagree with more things that this Cameron led coalition have done than I support. Equally there are some Labour politicians I hold in high regard.
DeletePerhaps you should examine yourself for rhetoric and dogma over your pet issues. This thread was absolutely nothing to do with Thor, Manston or pollution, but off you go again on your hobby horse. and, sadly, what was a healthy debate will probably now die thanks to you.
Yes William. Dr Ladyman used an answer that if it was a matter he could not get an answer about, if raised as a Commons question, then it was not his remit. I feel fairly sure he used this answer in a matter that Richard Bacon MP actually did raise a Commons question about.
DeleteWe must not let the debate die and thereby give the anon nutter what he wants.
DeleteI think the matter of Thanet South MP's respective record on constituency work is relevant John. The history is of a past MP, whose constituency case work has not won wide approbation, and a prospective MP first having been TDC cllrs. In the case of Dr Ladyman he had been involved, I think, with "Economic regeneration" as a cllr in matters that are being questioned now. And the prospective Labour MP carries the monkeys of Pleasurama and TEF ?
DeleteAnon 11:11, a little unfair to burden Will Scobie with Pleasurama or TEF when, as a very new young councillor in 2011 not holding any office, he could hardly have influenced decisions on either and probably just voted as directed by daddy.
DeleteWhere I would criticise him is that he has swiftly joined that Labour club of members who were educated in grammar schools or private ones under the assisted places scheme and now oppose selection, thus depriving other kids from humble backgrounds of the advantages they enjoyed. For a Dane Court product who went on to university as a result to now oppose grammar schools is rank hypocrisy.
Oh woe is me for I have been foiled again!
DeleteThere I was just about to depart to Tesco to buy one on their Halloween suits and they have been withdrawn under protests from PC lot. These were orange coloured one piece suits with 'Psycho Ward' on the front and 'Committed' on the back, but those who are offended by everything these days have had their way yet again.
So sad, because I really wanted to get one for old Aquifer man.
anon 11:59 sky news reports withdrawn by ASDA not tesco
DeleteAppreciate your school masterish fetish for being correct, Barry James, but the BBC News reports that both TESCO and ASDA have withdrawn these suits. Perhaps JH is right about you not relying on facts before you go to print.
Deletethat's the news at 9am this morning anon 5:26 maybe they should have reported the true story or maybe you have more time to be watching TV news all day. As I said sky news only reported ASDA at 9am maybe you should direct your message to them.
DeleteDoes not change the fact that you could not resist jumping in to correct my earlier comment, made in jest, based on one news item without checking your facts. As for directing my comment to the news broadcaster, it was not them that sought to show me up as wrong, but you.
Deleteoh I see a joke very droll. mm resist 2 hrs after you posted the original attempt at humour, obviously not very fit am I whoever you are.
Deleteanon if that was you at 11:59 you need to go back to comedy club as it was totally not funny and I saw the same Sky report this morning and they didnt mention Tesco at all. So go back to sleep.
DeleteYou, Sir, are something of an unpleasant person. I did not pick this fight with you but was earlier involved in a bit of a wind up with somebody else. You leapt in, mistakenly as it turns out, to correct my Tesco comment and now cannot even have the decency to accept you are in the wrong. No wonder John Hamilton treats you with such disdain. You are indeed a supercilious nob.
Deleteanon 6:06 go crawl away or post your real name. How on earth are anyone to know who you are if you dont use a name
DeleteWhat, like you do, 6:14? As ever, we anons having taken this debate to the base level of trading insults.
DeleteIt's all very bizarre. According to John Holyer there is only one anon. I am he, yet I access the site to find that I have been arguing with myself.... and I don't even remember doing it. An alternative explanation would be that John Holyer doesn't know what he's talking about. However, this can't be correct because John Holyer tells us that he's always right about everything.
DeleteTDC and Manston was raised in the context of corruption and incompetence as part of the discussion of the MP's and councillors. Few would say they are excellent. Neither Sandys nor Ladyman nor Gale have uttered a peep on the corruption or pollution. hence Ladyman defeated, Gale knighted to resign and Sandys irrelevant.
DeleteThe councillors we can all guess - even Epps has quit in failure.
Please, those new to blogging, Barry James is NOT to be taken seriously, and his comments should be treated as incorrect, unless he also provides evidence to back up what ever he has posted, and to date, that has NEVER occured.
DeletePlease, those new to blogging, John Hamilton is believed to be an alias. The local paper has suggested that this person is a councillor who would not dare to publish his unpalatable views under his own name. He is obsessed by another councillor called Ian Driver (who does have the courage to express his own views using his own name) and he has constructed a web-site for the sole purpose of attacking Mr. Driver. The level of hatred and bitterness is a bit scary really and you should be very wary of anything that this person says.
DeleteYet everything i post is true and accurate, including my name anon. I wonder why you don;t "have the courage to express his own views using his own name", and clearly you have never read my blog, as if you had, you would know that is is certainly WAY bigger than exposing Driver for the clown we know him to be.
DeleteAlthough to be fair, to do Drivers BS justice would require a dedicated website.
Only a councillor would be so obsessed with denigrating another councillor. What did he do that so upset you?
DeleteMr Humiltoon only ever spouts bile, he is subdued on here because he is scared of getting blocked. pop over here http://geoffreybarnesblog.wordpress.com/2013/09/20/hamilton-immigrant-quisling/ if you want to see the real humiltoon. personally he needs to change his blog to read "spreading lies and talking bullshit"
DeleteTell us just one of the lies, 1:53, for the stuff about Driver all sounds pretty accurate to me. I am not a councillor but I think Driver is a joke, as evidently do most people in Ramsgate if his county council election result is anything to go by.
DeleteMichael, Thanet South has not historically been a marginal. Apart from the thirteen years of New Labour from 1997 to 2010, reflected exactly in Thanet South by Steve Ladyman's tenure of the position, the seat, in it's various names and boundaries has always been Conservative. With a Conservative majority of 7,000 odd in 2010 it does not fit the usual measure of a marginal.
ReplyDeleteYou are right about UKIP's potential to split the right of centre vote, for such happened in 2005 when Nigel Farage, standing here, took far more votes than Ladyman's margin of victory. Mind you, the Conservative candidate that time was not held in much esteem even by Conservatives voters, whereas Farage, whatever else his attributes, is not lacking in charisma.
Be that as it may, and I would agree that anything is possible and particularly so as Cameron seems to have done a great job of alienating his own grass roots support, my point was simply that I see no merit in dumping an MP who has done her job for the constituency well. Understand where you are coming from about asking the candidates for their plans for the area, but one we know has worked hard for us with some success whilst also serving the needs of individual's cases well. The other would just be giving unproven answers and all politicians are great at promises. Delivery always seem to be the problem.
Among other things, we send our MP to Westminster to represent our local interests in Parliament. By any measure Laura Sandys has proved to be an excellent constituency MP.
ReplyDeleteI do not agree that Thanet South has always been a marginal seat, nor that it is one now.
I do not much care for David Cameron - though to be fair he is improving a little - but this does not and should not colour my opinion of Laura Sandys. She is a superb constituency MP and we need her.
If I may just say this. I too wonder at the motives of someone who always introduces aquifer contamination.
ReplyDeleteFrom The Environment Agency response concerning Sericol:
"The Environment Agency has been involved with the technical investigation of the groundwater environment and, OTHER THAN BEING AWARE THAT STEALING WAS BEING INVESTIGATED AS AN OPTION AT THE BEGINNING, has not been involved in any part of the WIDER INVESTIGATION"
A leak in an underground pipe was found. It is not clear if that, over 30 years, could have leaked the massive tonnages indicated by the 470 tonnes of solvent recovered from the immediate chalk layers in the first 12 years of remediation. It is possible that leakage from storage tanks occurred as sabotage or as an incompetent part of theft. The solvent could be used in back street drugs factories and, with an acid explosive reaction contact, the manufacture of IEDs but the latter seems less likely. The EA supervised remediation and the switch off of Thanet water abstraction are but responses to the environment threat. It is the matters of theft, sabotage and possible alternative solvent use that is the current issue in a report posted by me yesterday for the reviewer of terrorism legislation. No doubt before Michael steps in with the moderator sword many of you will know immediately how wrong I am. Rick
Sericol does get neglected - comparatively compared to Thor. Not that either have been cleaned up. A scandal.
DeleteAs it is a waste of time commenting on Ian Driver's site because if he does not like what you say he does not publish it, thought I would raise a point here.
ReplyDeleteTake a good look at the photo of a meeting held about fracking. There are seven rows of six chairs in the centre totally 42 people. There are a further twelve down the sides and 18 along the back. That adds up to 72 yet Cllr Driver counted 200. Is his basic arithmetic that bad or is he prone to exaggeration. On the other hand, the spelling, grammar and just plain poor literacy in his posting would tend to support the first suggestion that his three R's education leaves a lot to be desired.
Well, Driver has now removed the photo of the meeting where one could count the approximate number of people at 72, not the 200 he claimed and reported to the news media, and replaced it with one of himself standing expansively in front of the gathering. So expansively in fact that it is now impossible to count the numbers.
DeleteThing about the Green Party is, and Driver still has to advise of their plans for our future power needs, that in opposing fracking, nuclear and all fossil fuels they will take us back to windmills and candle power. Problem with that is that there are now far too many of us to support on renewables alone and we will also lose our trading edge, and with it jobs, to those nations still building fossil fuel fired power stations. So could this be a return to pre industrial revolution, workhouses, serfdom and a drastic reduction in life expectancy or perhaps the Green's have another solution for our excessive population, like maybe a 'final' one.
Blimey! If I didn't know better I'd have thought John Hamilton had gone all anonymous on us. Or is the threat of exposure getting to him? Can't imagine the Gazette would have suggested it if they didn't have some solid info. in the drawer.
ReplyDeleteNo, I am not John Hamilton, but just one of many people who are fed up with Driver's constant band wagon jumping. As for Hamilton going quiet why not check his site today. If that is quiet do not know what you think noisy might be.
DeleteNot quiet my children, merely a little busy.
DeleteSo Driver is being economical with the truth, whilst jumping at any passing bandwagon, that in this case, has taken the dumb clown to a new town that will have to put up with his lies and BS.....
Not sure why anyone finds this a news story, this is simply Driver as usual. Making up BS for his brainless minions to attempt to parrot to others as factual. He was given a resounding FU by the KCC electorate in the election, so why he's sticking his nose into KCC business, in a town that doesn't want or need him, about a subject which he knows nothing can only be down to shameless media whoring!
Think on this though, Driver was one or Arthur Scargill's witless followers in the 80's, before he stabbed Scargill in the back (at least he's consistent with that activity, ask Worrow!). As such he whined about mine closures and job losses in the mining industry.
How ironic that Drivers hypocrisy is bought sharply into focus, when he is attempting to stop employment prospects, and mining, at a site whose closure he would have condemned back in the bad ole days of the NUM, and their hangers on such as Driver!
I wonder if Driver will EVER make a worthwhile contribution to anything!
When walking round the Ramsgate Town, I was drawn to the exceptionally poor state of repair of so many of the shops...many were dilapidated and in need of structural repair....owners should be served compulsory repair notices....it is a disgrace....one of the worst shops and a real eyesore was at the bottom of the plains of waterloo....from memory it was a book shop....disgraceful...if the owners had an ounce of pride for the Town, thye would do something to improve the image of the area...TDC should act now.....
ReplyDeleteSnidey little creep, why not say what you mean instead of a cheap dig at Michael. I like his shop so sod you.
DeleteI thought I had said what I thought...the shop is an absolute eyesore and does nothing for the image of the Town
Delete"From memory a bookshop" is the comment of a snidey little creep. As for "TDC should act " just why would they break the habits of a lifetime?
DeletePs Evidently you did not go to the KIACC public meeting to make your points.
Can you please confirm what KIACC stands for? perhaps let me know when the next one is too
DeleteWho is Michael? Is it Michael the hairdresser who used to own a shop in harbour street
Weirdo!
DeleteHeirdo!
DeleteKIACC
DeleteKingssreet In A Crap Condition
KIACC is Kent International Airport COnsultative Committee. it's the publci forum to review the airport and is a CAA requirement to be funded by Infratil. It's been a bit of a tame pup for Infratil to lead by the nose eg 3 of the 4 annual meeting sheld in secret etc.
DeleteLatchford and White at one point represented TDC on it so it was not quite the public and of course they said little on the fines/pollution etc. Cllr Jack quit it at one point and sat with the public in protest. Matt Clarke always looked vaguely embarrassed but Buchanan waffles away with Carter's support.
I'm not sure it's even met in recent months/years.
There is a public meeting in the Airport Lounge at 6PM tomorrow evening. The agenda has been published on ECR's site as well as being available around town halls, but then I guess you knew that 8:24.
DeleteOnly at the last minute was KIACC published 8:33 why wasn't it scheduled months ago? It's usually December at the last minute isn't it? Shambolic and shifty is my guess as always with Manston. Let's have it in the town centre like the overlflights.
DeleteIf you're going to make implicit threats, at least have the sense not to do so on a public noticeboard. Can you imagine the trouble you would be in if your 'mob' strings Hamilton from a convenient lamppost ?
ReplyDeleteHow would they know it was Hamilton if such is not his real name?
ReplyDeleteanon 6.48 do you think the shop is a good example for a visitors introduction to Ramsgate....whats wrong with a bit of constructive advice...Michael might not have noticed that it had got so shabby
ReplyDeleteIf visitors start off at that end of King Street they obviously got a bum steer from the Tourist Information Office. Michael's shop is hardly in show piece Ramsgate but at least his is a business still trading in an area otherwise short on open shops.
DeleteAnyone travelling in from Broadstairs would arrive at this end. Thats like saying lets not worry about the hundreds of poorly maintained bedsits across Thanet, at least they have people living in them....and lets not worry about Dalby Square....hopefully no one will drive that way into Margate
DeleteSurely it depends where they are going and they are hardly tourists. Most would travel along Dumpton Park Drive, Winterstoke Crescent then down to the Eastern Esplanade and on to the harbour, cafes, bars or Waitrose. If going to Aldi they would not even pass Michael's shop.
DeleteYou are right...but I guess they wont be buying many books then
DeleteWhat worries me is if any of these buildings falls down into the road, they could cause injury
ReplyDeleteNow your being ridculous, it must be more of a fire risk than a structural risk
ReplyDeleteFiredo
DeleteModels?
ReplyDeleteMichael..perhaps you would kindly take some photo's of the shop and post a page on here with them
ReplyDeleteWe could then take a web poll
MODELS!!!!! HAHAHAHAHA
ReplyDeleteGoodness me anon or is it anons, things are evidently going ta-pocketa-pocketa-pocketa more than usual.
ReplyDeleteIt seems having drunk Thanet’s poisoned water you were overcome by the air pollution. London smog, even Los Angeles smog has nothing on a Thanet peasouper, known locally as a Tog. It seems you made you way down Plains of Waterloo and through the Tog into King Street, where the words were seeping out of the bookshop, you need to watch out for the words, particularly avoiding the occult section where a critical black mass and form. Then venturing further in the King Street through the Tog you felt the buildings were about to fall on you.
All I can really do is offer you my commiserations and confirm that shortly I will be arrested for running a poorly maintained secondhand bookshop.
Or more probably, Michael, for allowing fruit and nut cases to infest your blog site.
DeleteHave read the minutes of the KIACC public meeting last night and, in particular, the questions from the public, but there was no sign of aquifer man. Perhaps he only likes to ask his questions in secret from a darkened room.
On another tack, Michael, I was interested to read above that you run a 'dirty' book shop. You wouldn't happened to have any old Hank Janson novels by any chance?
DeleteWilliam, my options are fairly limited, I really don’t have time to monitor the blog often, or deal with moderating all of the comments individually and frankly blogging is a very minor activity in my life, the easiest option being not to bother at all.
DeleteI have tried to make it clear that if you have discovered a terrorist plot to cause atomic meltdown, that poison is coming out of your tap or air pollution has reached dangerous levels comparable to Mexico City or Haikou, then the blog of a bookshop assistant isn’t necessarily the most credible place to break the news to the world.
All in all, with the totally open anonymous comment allowed here, I am surprised the problem of people who are unable to engage in any dialogue and therefore paste unrelated obsessions into the comment box and then engage some strange dialogue with themselves, isn’t much worse.
William, missed that Hank Janson comment, very busy in the bookshop today, no we don’t, they are relatively easy to get on Amazon and don’t turn up here often.
DeleteIf you collect them as first editions http://www.ashrare.com/hank_janson.html may help.
They were once much treasured reading in the sixth form at CHS, probably because some of them had been banned in the UK, and all contained some well thumbed pages. Don't think anybody ever read the others.
DeleteWhere did you read the minutes councillor Epps? Are they only supplied to selected individuals or can you post them here for ordinary people to read?
DeleteWhere did you read the minutes councillor Epps?
DeleteAnon(s) 7:57 7 &:58. Let me quote you from the last item before the meeting closed. 'Members of the public who wished to join the KIACC mailing list were asked to submit their email address to the secretary." That is what I did so I suggest you do the same.
Deletesaw this quote and couldn't help but think of our chum Hammy. "Agitators are a set of interfering, meddling people, who come down to some perfectly contented class of the community, and sow the seeds of discontent amongst them. That is the reason why agitators are so absolutely necessary. Without them, in our incomplete state, there would be no advance towards civilisation."
ReplyDelete-- Oscar Wilde (I do think the great Ocsar has summed up a few of the commenters here perfectly)
'Members of the public who wished to join the KIACC mailing list were asked to submit their email address to the secretary." So, for a start, you had to be at the meeting to know how to obtain a set of the minutes. I appreciate that retired old codgers with nothing else to do might be able to attend, but for those of us who are holding down three jobs to try to pay the bills it isn't always going to be practicable. The minutes are not publicly available. They are only available to people who were at the meeting, pre-ordered their copy and have access to a computer and an E-mail address. They are not made available via the council's web-site and they are no longer published in hard copy and a hard copy placed in local libraries so that anybody who wishes to see them can do so. Personally, I don't think that this is good enough. There is no good reason why the minutes should not be made available to anybody who wants to see them. It's sad that an elected representative is so defensive about such poor communication.
ReplyDeleteAnon 8:40 you can still get a copy by contacting the KIACC secretary or you can toddle along to your town hall and request one. The minutes are available to anyone who wants them and in this age why not by email as I received them. Silly me, I forgot, you won't disclose your email address in case one, or all three, of your employers finds out what you say on blogs. Difficult then to cater for folk like you.
DeleteWilliam if you forward the minutes to me I will bung the on the www
DeleteNot sure we should pander to those who cannot be arsed to get up and do things for themselves, Michael. Anon 8:40, has long tried to suggest that there are no KIACC meetings or that they are held in secret. Why spoil his fun.
DeleteKIACC meetings are held four times a year with one of those being a public meeting. Council offices and town halls around Thanet have the details for anyone who is really interested.
Maybe disabled people or young people couldn't attend KIACC Cllr Epps. Or indeed anyone given the late notice. Why are you so desperate to prevent scrutiny? Michael will post the minutes here (although it is a CAA requirement of KIACC) why not send them to him?
DeleteFar from being desperate to hide anything, 1:14, I have told you how to get the minutes, but I suspect that you would just prefer to whinge as usual. Forgive me if I am not moved by your pretend concern for others.
DeleteAnon 8:40.
DeleteNow let me guess but your three jobs wouldn't be in advertising, restaurant co-ownership and director of a charity by any chance.? No wonder you hide less the Green Party discover your blatant ageism. Isn't that bloke Driver stealing your thunder a bit?
How do I contact the KIACC secretary? Where is this information published?
ReplyDeleteTry your local ward councillor or town hall or ring Charles Buchanan out at the airport. Hardly rocket science is it 11:08.
DeleteWhy are you so reluctant to release this information Epps? Are you going to send the minutes to Michael? It would take a couple of keystrokes. But information is power, isn't it?
ReplyDeleteAnon 5:01, I do not know what your last servant died of but I am most certainly not your replacement slave. I have told you how to get the minutes so either get them or shut up. Information may be power to you, but when it is already in the public domain it hardly amounts to much.
Delete