Saturday 22 March 2008

I'M THOROUGHLY CONFUSED

I have taken this picture from this week's Thanet Extra. It is a picture of Margate Renewal Partnership, with the help of 'Our Leader', launching their latest taxpayer funded initiative to attract businesses to Margate; the 'This is Margate' campaign.

If your eyesight is a little poor let me tell you what the 'key phrases' used to highlight the town's key selling points' are:

ROLL UP ROLL UP!
WISH YOU WERE HERE!
KISS ME QUICK!
IT'S A SHORE THING!
BE BESIDE THE SEASIDE!
CATCH OF THE DAY!

I am now thoroughly confused. What happened to the genteel arty-farty cultural image and the sophisticated cafe society that TDC has been telling us about for the last 2 years.Weren't these to be the saving of derelict Margate?

These key phrases seem reminiscent of the past. I thought we had shed the image of crowds of vulgar Londoners wearing 'kiss me quick hats' wandering down Marine Terrace nibbling jellied eels and swigging lager from cans as they visit our God given beach, closed Dreamland, closed Cinema, closed Bingo and closed shops by the score. I even heard a Tory TDC Cllr at a Planning Committe meeting say 'that we did not want to attract this sort of tourist'!

Anyway, if you want to know more about how David Kinnear, and Derek Harding are spending tax-payer's money on this new campaign, go to http://www.thisismargate.co.uk/ .

I must share with you this 'gem' from the same Thanet Extra article. It quoted Neil Sint (Managing Partner of Sint & Co who manage the half empty Regal Walk Shopping Arcade) as follows: "High Street retailers are getting more opportunities to locate here .....".

You bet there are more opportunities, Mr Sint. There have never been so many closed shops, sorry, 'opportunities', in and around Margate in its history and here's just one of them. Plenty of opportunity around if you don't ask the question 'Why have so many businesses closed?


8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Two stories BB

(1) A govt agency sends out info packs to the coastal councils of the South East. The info is about grant aid.

The civil servant does a follow up visit to Thanet.

"Have you read the info pack and could you let me know what grants TDC is applying for ?"

TDC Head of Tourism and "Leshaaargh" "Well I haven't read the info pack I was waiting for you to come aht and hexplain it to me"

"Well I will be off then and TDC is not making an application for the grant aid"

TDC Head of T and L "Oh f-ck me mate next fing I will be struggling by on a severance package of fifty grand lump sum and 25 grand a year early retrirement pension"


(2) Local businesswoman phones a Thanet museum "Could we co-operate on a marketing strategy to attract tourists to Thanet who have an interest in local history ?"

Thanet museum employee "Nah we don't have to do marketing or get visitors in we get a grant from the council"





BB I would like the Thanet blog sites to get a wider readership. From the sort of taxpayer who lives outside Thanet.

Anonymous said...

Interesting tales 20.06!

You must remember that this blog is just a temporary, stand-in blog until normal service resumes after the Great Thanet Blog War.
Dickie is back at ECR ( although presently discomfitted from an excess of real -ale at The Winter Gardens last night); OVIT is still in The Thanetonian Bunker as is GOC Moores Pine over at ZZZZEN. Thanetlife is still suspended and according to Your Thanet, 'under siege'(quite how eludes me) but the Doc is blogging in newsprint now, but that doesn't really count. I would be delighted to see them all get a wider readership and then I can put the keyboard down. Do what you can please!

Anonymous said...

Have heard that the latest wonderful idea is that when the turnip centre is built, they will then paint in giant letters on the side of it:

Margate R.I.P

They have killed of the town and shops, the least they can do is give it a headstone!

Anonymous said...

Clearly you don't believe the 'fairy-tale' ending we are all promised 10.36. An amusing use for the TC if the demise of Margate was not so sad.

Anonymous said...

In the Thisisthanet, KISS me QUICK PHOTOS NO 18 is The Promenade/clock tower Broadstairs, and has been labelled Margate Main sands? Just sums up TDC, Idiots.

Anonymous said...

Above comment should say in the THISISMARGATE link.

Anonymous said...

They have also put in the Marina over at The Millionaire's Playground! Can't believe anything you read these days!

Anonymous said...

Its easy to make mistakes 12.21 and 13.32 and it is all Thanet.