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.

Here's one for the Vicar

Always read the small print.

Northern Rock

I got an E-Mail from my mate Dave who writes-

I have read reports of The Wall Street Crash of 1929 and the people who jumped from windows because they had lost everything,so what gives with the SHAREHOLDERS of Northern Rock,it is owned by them,it pays the dividends that they live on and now it is in trouble the Government is bailing them out.?
Now you might think they would be grateful,but no ,they want more,they are going to have a meeting to vote for no confidence in the board and also to oppose a government takeover of the bank,NO,NO,NO,NO pay for it yourself,if i go broke that is it,i cannot ask anyone for £20,000 and then say Thanks, but your not getting it back!!!!
What do you think DVT?,sorry to rant but I am really pissed off about this.


ed-Guessed that dave,I have no opinion on this really,I will have a look at the reports and add to this later,dvt.

All men are created equal

According to the Thanet Times today KCC are among the top in the country to work for if you are Gay or Bi,therefore if all men ARE created EQUAL how is that fair or right?
If it means that two people of slightly different experience go for an interview that the gay one get the job ahead of the straight then that is wrong.Jobs should go to the best candidate.
I am sure that all people regardless of sexuality,colour,religion or place of birth want to be treated equally,there are too many of the"I am different and therefore special"groups around who do their particular communities a disservice by being outspoken as in the case of Peter Tatchell who seems to take great delight in forcing his views on what is normally a peaceful and happy gay community.
Positive descrimination is just as bad as negative,it is time that the people of this country accepted this fact and got on with the job in hand(perhaps the wrong phraseology there)and realised that it is up to all of us to make this country a pleasant place to live and work.

Get it right

1-Regardless of the fact that T.D.C do not want Dreamland to exist in any way,shape or form,it seems that for Margate to progress we need to look at the alternatives.
Turner centre-if Museum's are not viable (councils own statement) then Turner will not or ever be a replacement for an attraction that was nationally renowned(Dreamland).
It is cheaper to police a single building than an 11 acre site,but what about income,a free art gallery will not bring any money to the town,in fact it will cost a fortune to keep going,anybody with any sense will visit and then go to Canterbury or Herne Bay to eat or socialise.
How about putting money into the Margate Caves and the Shell Grotto or even the Tudor House
2-What happened to the Puppet Festival ?,Millions spent on an art gallery that is not even started and a refusal to fund traditional entertainment,by the way the man who started the festival has died,would it not be a good idea to make it a regular event as a memorial to a good man.
3-How about reducing business rates for the lower high st,this would enable people to start up and at least be on a level playing field with the mainstream shops,the Market is a really good idea and will help bring people back to the town,I know the Councillors are doing the best they can,but they need to address the smaller issues before they aim for the sky.
4-STOP THE BACKBITING ,the councillors should stop trying to make brownie points and all work for the same result,A stronger ,better and vibrant Thanet that will be a credit to us all.

Is it Art

I took a stroll along Dane Valley Rd and spotted this "artful" display on the playing field,notice the sublime placement of the artificial on the natural,note also the careful positioning of each item,could it be an aspiring damien hirst or is it just the rubbish left behind by the lads who do football training every sunday.
I think the Turner lot should buy it for the new Gallery?it must be worth all of 50p,a bargain to my mind,what do you think?

Comments

I have been working a lot of late and have had no time to post or comment,So reading all of the last couple of weeks local posts it seems to me-

Ramsgate Sands-In the summer it will be fine,but and this is a BIG BUT,come the winter storms, it will be the most frightening and dangerous place you can imagine.
I have seen waves hitting the main stairs and crushing garage doors,Flints weighing 2-3 pounds hitting the cliff wall after being thrown over the top of the old Pleasurama building by the power of the waves.

Victoria Pavilion-Sand washed up to the building and waves hitting the upper walkway.

Manston-There have been planes overflying Ramsgate for many years,In fact Vulcan Bombers and Victor tankers used to do circuit and bumps all night,no-one moaned!!!!!!!!!!!

Margate Old Town-going downhill faster than a runaway rollercoaster,Hardly any shops open and the ladies hairdressers is closed on a saturday afternoon,pubs mostly empty and the council are allowing a new pub to open in the lower high street.

Turner Centre-See Ramsgate Sands

Dreamland Cinema to close

The Thanet Times reports today that the cinema is to close because it cannot compete with Westwood Cross multiplex !!!

How do they know that when the thing is not even built yet?This is just more proof of the defeatist attitude that is permeating our town,I for one will always go to a big screen showing, instead of the much smaller multiplex screens that seem to rely more on overpowering sound levels to bludgeon your senses.

Other uses are mentioned in the article,it could be turned into a Conference Centre(already got one)or a Theatre(already got one)so it looks like Waterbridge will get it all their own way.

One other thing comes to mind,I wonder what will happen to the Punch and Judy and Escape because they seem to be the only viable businesses that are in the developers way?

Answers on a post card please.

A Popular way to pay?

Been busy working in Broadstairs this summer,not a lot of time to blog as I do not finish till the pubs close.
I have also had a lot of trouble logging on to blog as it keeps saying my e-mail doesn't exist,but when I sent for confirmation of password, it was sent to me at that address.
Saw the above picture and thought I would share it with you all,ttfn,dvt.

Drapers Mills School Musical Theatre Club

The theatre club's production of Bugsy Malone last night was an absolute pleasure to watch,from the opening medley of tunes to the Grand Finale this was a triumph for the children of the cast.
Special mentions for Bugsy,Blousey,Tallulah and Roxy,the rest of the cast were amazing and with the backing from a duo of musicians a great musical came to life.
Many parents were wiping tears of pride from their eyes,not just for their own child but the entire cast,in fact I got a little misty myself.
Lots of splurge guns and custard pies were on hand and plenty of funny moments filled the hall with laughter,all in all a wonderful experience for everyone.

With this sort of effort being put in by both pupils and teachers alike Drapers will go on to be, not just a good school but a great one.

For legal and safety reasons I cannot post pictures or real names ,which is a shame because a lot of people should be able to see that at least some of our young people can be and are a real asset to the Thanet Community.

Thank you Drapers Mills for a great night,see if you can top it next year!

Not gone ,just moved

It has been a while since my last post,mainly because we moved to a bigger place and we have been really busy,Richard needs to brush up on his maths because it was only 30 days since the last post,not a lot is happening over here in the valley,but might have some interesting news on the entertainment front soon.
I met a man(not like that justin)!!!!who is going to put on a show at the Dane Valley Arms which should be very good,more details to follow later.
It is good to see so many new bloggers coming onto the scene,perhaps one day we could have a convention so we can all meet,mine's a lager,ttfn,dvt

The Big Event

Despite the early rain and no Battle of Britain Memorial Flight this was a very good event.

I thoroughly enjoyed the bands and the atmosphere was brilliant,the queue for the beer tent was a bit long and it was a little difficult to applaud the bands with a pint in each hand.

It's a good job I am tall or it would have been difficult to see the stage as the crowds turned up in droves for the finale,some people complained to the sound engineer that they could not hear the music,but from my position it was fine perhaps they should have moved closer or had their ears syringed!!!!!

Wellsfargo

Got this today
If you follow the link they ask for your atm number,I bet some gullible fools fall for it.


Your Online Banking Is Been Suspended.


Dear Valued Customer,In the last few days, our Online banking security Team observed multiple logons on your account, from Different Blacklisted IP's therefore we are Issuing this security warning. Your Online Banking Access Has been Blocked, to prevent further unauthorized access for your safety.We have decided to put an extra verification process to ensure your identity and your account security. Please click on Continue to Log In button below to continue to the verification process.
N.B (Failure to verify your account details correctly will lead to account suspension)

Got told this today

One sunny day in 2008, an old man approached the gates at the end of Downing St . He spoke to the Policeman standing guard and said, "I would like to go in and seeTony Blair please." The copper replied, "Sir, Mr Blair is no longer Prime Minister and doesn't live here." The old man said, "Okay," and walked away. The following day, the same man approached Downing St and said to the same copper, "I would like to go in and meet with Tony Blair". The copper again told the man, "Sir, as I said yesterday, Mr. Blair is no longer Prime Minister and doesn't reside here." The man thanked him and again walked away . . . The third day, the same man approached Downing St and spoke to the very same copper , saying "I would like to go in and meet with Tony Blair." The copper, understandably agitated at this point, looked at the man and said, "Sir, this is the third day in a row you have been here asking to speak to Mr. Blair. I've told you already several times that Mr. Blair is not the Prime Minister anymore and doesn't reside here. Don't you understand?" The old man answered, "Oh, I understand you fine, I just love hearing your answer!" The copper snapped to attention, saluted, and said, "See you tomorrow"