Tuesday 16 February 2010

A SHROVE TUESDAY THANET POT POURRI



My thanks to our team photographer for this picture of the abandoned trial wind generator at Richborough. Is it to be included in Turner Contemprary's further squandering of tax-payer's money, as Angel of The South East?  As I feared all along, the announcement that a £1,000,000 subsidy per year for the TC project will now be paid by Council Tax Payers, is now revealed. One wonders how many visitors Dreamland would have attracted to Margate last summer if since 2006 we had subsidised it to the tune of £1,000,000 per year? It attracted 700,000 in 2005 which makes TC's target of subsidising between 130,000 - 160,000 per year seem as pathetic as paying a man to have an 'artistic' walk around a tidal bathing pool.

If readers,of all political persuasions,  have not been to http://www.mydavidcameron.com/ you are missing out on political lampooning that seems to be the modern form of 18th century leaflets poking fun at The Prince Regent. As electioneering will soon bore us, this site provides a good anti-dote. Time for the Conservatives to set up one for Gordon Brown?


Last Thursday's snow did not only see KCC gritters failing to keep Thanet from becoming an ice rink or creating a new crop of exciting pot-holes but has lead to a repeat of the Christmas bin nightmare for Thurs and Friday collections. Our 'Shirl' came up with this last week:
 " As soon as it is safe for our teams to go out, they will be back out collecting again."
Saturday and Sunday looked safe to me, but instead we now have double collections on Thursday and Friday which means three weeks worth of careful recycling for us 'Fri' types will be heaved off to landfill. We used to have week-end collections, didn't we?  And didn't the chaps get overtime?

What with an LD Passenger Ferry to run out of Ramsgate with TransEuropa and FlyBE operating out of KIA, Manston, Thanet is likely to benefit enormously and not a tax-payer's groat being spent. It's a shame that poor old Euroferries seem to have become the laughing stock of the 'Ferry Spotters' world' but those who believe in the 'Tooth Fairy' will have found that 1st March seems to now be 18th March on their booking site.

I do not know how true it is but I have heard a rumour that some local farmers are so de-chuffed with TDC and its pretty incompetent Ezekiel Party control, that poor Laura Sandys' poster campaign on 'mobile' hoardings by the sides of our roads might not happen. Time for STCA to lean on NTCA?

Work is speeding ahead down at Bradgate Caravan Park to get 50 extra mobile homes squeezed in. I have heard speculation that Bradgate could become Thanet Earth's Dormitory for its European workforce but I am sure that's not the case, is it?  Anyway, it would seem that Bradgate's S.106 offer to make a contribution of £10,000 to improve the roads in its planning application seems to have gone missing from the conditions for approval. A case of dangling carrots before donkeys?

Talking of donkeys reminds me about last Thursday's Cabinet Meeting. If you missed the non quorate spectacle , do not be distressed,  Cabinet Meeting Part 2 is coming to TDC tonight. I am suspicious that TDC fails to follow its own Constitution and 'Protocols' when it suits it and I leave you with Cllr Clive Hart's words on the matter:

" Did Cllr Ezekiel really chair a whole meeting that he knew to be completely invalid? It absolutely beggars belief!"

Not for some time it hasn't, Cllr Hart!

12 comments:

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Anonymous said...

Oh, oh, oh and a bottle of 106 hair restorer there me hearty - and talking of bottles are TDC bottling up a ticking powder keg of a potential peasants uprising?

Cpt Cabala

Checking the bottom of the old beer mug and dodgy planning applications in Tenet since 1690

Message Ends:

Bertie Biggles said...

Now 11.46; I am happy to post your rude comments if you at least do me the courtesy of using my 'nom de guerre' on Thanet Strife. Here is your comment suitably edited:

Anonymous said...

Mrs.Biggles must be a strong woman to live with you Bertie. Do you do never ending stream of whinge at home too?

16 February 2010 11:46

My reply to your question is not all the time!

Anonymous said...

it only lasted 4 minutes

Anonymous said...

The old seabathing hospital was an ideal site for the turner centre the sprawling lawns make a good venue for painting the sunset and the old wards would make ideal veiwing halls together with the nurses old accomadation available for budding artists and the fees paid offset the running of the centre Alas the boat has been mist

Anonymous said...

In that case 16.31, it was 3 minutes longer than it should have been!

A J Ovenden said...

I have never been a stern critic of the Turner Center and I wouldn't class myself as a ardent fan. So from my cosy nuetral position I think the sucess or failure of the center will be how the place will be managed. Forget the projections and the money issues it will be all down to the way the place is managed and hitting the right chord. If they get that wrong then it will become a money pit. Get it right and they will rub everybodies noses in it.Intersting times.

Anonymous said...

I understand that TDC gave Trans Europa an undertaking to dredge the port for the ex Prins Filip, so rather than a groat not being spent i think it will require at least 18,000,000 groats at 60 to the £. TDC should then recoup the money in harbour dues.
Congratulations to Roger and Brian the harbourmaster for putting TDC's hand in its pocket and spending some of the revenue earned by the port in the port rather than on pink carpets and dodgy glazing.

Anonymous said...

Dear god!!! If these two are in charge then we await the inevitable and wasteful screw ups for the tax payers then?

Anonymous said...

Arrrrrr Bertie

We (the Pirates) have developed some of Thanet's land with Silver, Ahab, Davy, and Bligh to name but a few of our good old shipmates. This ere talk of pieces of silver being exchanged for a larger vessel than me motley crew have ever err, crewed is nothing more than bilge water and scuttle-butt and if you have ever witnessed a scuttle-butt it will make your eyes water and perhaps it did when the new pirate ship owners where informed of the price?

There will be a grounding - and it will not mean more of me shipmates will be cast into the cold ground but that of an ageing rusting hulk a blocking the Fighting Pirates.

Arrrrrrr Flint the merciless Cpt the Brigand ASSSSSSSet.

Flogging off cheap assets in Thanet since 1660

In remembrance of the great Grog war of 1810

Message Ends:

Anonymous said...

If I had my way we would have wind turbines all around the coast of British Isles, anything to stop going nuclear or any other power which will cause damage to our ozone layers and the health of all our people.

It is digusting how this Council and people in Parliament can cause so much polution which will gradually cause the death of so many of our people and not even blink an eye/

Anonymous said...

Bertie,

I think you have your NTCA and STCA muddled, the problem is with those of the latter not the former.