Broken Thanet

We have all heard about "Broken Britain" but closer to home we have"Broken Thanet"I have watched from the sidelines as our local council have almost destroyed what was once a proud island,perhaps not intentionally they have allowed certain people and companies to dictate what happens to us.
Most of you know I am not a fan of the Turner Con Temporary and from what I have seen and heard it cannot and will not help the regeneration of Margate,simply put, I mean that a free to enter gallery will not bring any money into the isle.most visitors will have a quick look around the gallery and then go on to eat in Canterbury or Herne Bay or any of the multitude of better places than Margate,sad, but true I am afraid. and I wish that it was not so.
It may be a start on the way to making Thanet viable again but it is not the complete answer,more needs to be done.
Another Tesco's in Margate might help but we already have enough Supermarkets for the size of the population and that will only use up local money which will not stay in the area,we need punters from outside Thanet to spend money for the benefit of Thanet and that will only happen if we have the local companies capable of bringing in that income.
Westwood Cross is proving that all it could be a success but the roads around it are ill thought out and cost local drivers a fortune in time and petrol,go up about 1 or 2 on a saturday afternoon and see what I mean,someone needs to plan a proper infrastructure for this isle to prosper and I hope that come the next local election we will get a new council who actually care about us and not themselves(there are some exceptions of course).
Finally for now I would ask that people would stop thinking about who gets the most funding or which town is best or worst off,we can only succeed if we all pull together and make something of the place that most of us are proud to call Home.

Where am I

After due consideration I have decided to have another try at this blogging lark.
More soon-

Please read.

So Long and Thanks for all the Fish.



After considering long and hard about the state of the Thanet Blogsphere and taking into account that Eastcliffe is invite only and we have lost Simon's input to our little community i think it is time for me to stop.
This is in no way a slight on all the very good blogs that exist and the newbies that show more promise than i could ever hope to achieve,this is more down to those selfish few who insist that their way is best and will not even engage in dialogue on a reasonable basis,I will not mention names ,but you know who you are!
Some of us ( including me) get a bee in our bonnets over certain issues,Michael and I share the same worries over the development of Pleasurama and the Turner Centre,Eastcliffe concerns himself more with the general malaise that infects our little Island,Ovit tends to be against everything that the Tories do.
Thanet Life gave us lots to think about and many excellent links but of course his blog had to change and adapt with his decision to enter politics.
There are many contributers to these blogs and it seems to me that the humour and the spirit has been lost to some extent, and it may be some time before people of the same calibre as those that have gone come to the fore.
But, there again as i write this post it seems to me that perhaps the bulldog spirit should now come to the fore.
To be an Englishman in England has become an almost impossible position,perhaps it is time for all of us to show our true colours and nail them to the mast,by all means be anon,but lets not dive into the trenches when things do not go our own way,the English language is a rich one and surely we can blog and comment without resorting to threats and innuendo,I will wait on your answers and comments before a final decision is made,it's all up to you.

What's going on 2

According to the papers today Oasis have got the top two best British albums of all time,well that is a load of bo**ocks.
Dark side of the moon(floyd)
Sgt Peppers(Beatles)
The Winkers Album(misprint)(Ivor Biggun)
Even a spoken word album by M.Thatcher would be more interesting than anything by the brothers grim,in fact the only track I will ever playof their's is "Don't look back in anger"and that is only because it admits that they are second or even third rate Beatles clones.
These must be the same people who think that amy wine/drug house and that wally from babyshambles are good role models.

What is going on?

I have been sitting here watching the various shennanigans of the Thanet blogging fraternity and it is very sad to hear that we have lost Moores and Eastcliffe(Temp).
Regardless of their respective political persuasions they made life seem a little brighter on this embattled Isle.
Simon gave us information,pictures and latterly a better insight and access to T.D.C.
Richard for the most part gave a light-hearted take on life interspersed with tackling some of the more important aspects of Thanet regeneration or lack of.I would endorse simon's actions and wish the Moores family well for the future.
As for Richard"Get your finger out and get blogging"and remember to back up your blog this time,because as you know it happened to me once before and I learnt my lesson,ttfn,DVT

Turner Sea-Life Centre

According to the Enviroment Agencies own website the site of the Art Gallery is prone to flooding,as is The Old Town and by the look of it a large part of Dreamland, perhaps a closer look at the figures is needed before any new buildings are put on these sites,especially as we are constantly being warned of global warming and rising sea levels.
Insurance companies will not insure some domestic or commercial properties that are on flood plains and it seems to me that it will be difficult to get major works of art insured at a venue of unproven safety and security.
Margate needs these developments to bring in much needed employment and money to improve and enhance the town,but let us not forget the lessons of the past and endanger lives in the pursuit of money,Personally I do not want or need Turner,but if it costs the local ratepayers nothing then we should have it.Future funding should come from The Arts Council or the National Lottery and Turner should charge an admission charge and pay rates and taxes.

I love this view

I cannot remember where this came from,probably found it after a heavy session at the pub.

Perhaps michael can date it,I am popping in to see him during the week as I really need a book about the life and times of King George the fifth as I am studying English History at night classes.

Even at my age I am constantly trying to improve myself(although the wife say's I am wasting my time)and you never know when it might be useful to have as an addition to my C.V.