Time for Change: Campaign for an Independent Green Thanet MP and Ramsgate Mayor

The Sunday Times Rich list has a section on political donations. Now I thought the donations from Ken Wills and CGP to Steve Ladyman and South Thanet Labour Party were very high. Especially as similar offers were made to the Conservatives in North Thanet. Clearly donations to both parties at the same time isn’t really motivated by support for either or any party. And coming at the time of the largest-ever Planning application for cargo warehouses covering dozens of acres well, it looks fishy. So much so the Conservatives sort of accepted then turned it down. The public unanimously rejected the application – except almost all of Thanet’s councillors. A very strange do. Well, not really we can all guess what’s going on here. But I never realised how large a donation it was: according to the Sunday Time the top 40 donations range from £2M to £50,000 – with most of the donations around the £50k mark. So a donation of £25k or £50k is very significant indeed. So significant it would make on ...

I’ve just read the Kent Conservative manifesto…and it’s pretty good. I agree and disagree with specific points – but as a format for a political manifesto for the County it’s good. Specific chapters on the main areas of Kent life eg Education. And then within those sections examples of what has been achieved and what the plans are for after the election. A couple of caveats for improvement though: #Many of the points are a rehash of existing policy: whoever was elected many of these points would be the same. It would be better to know exactly how Kent Conservatives (in power in Kent since 1934) would improve things over the other parties. #Many of the points are weak eg “to reduce benefit dependency amongst 16-24 years olds” – you don’t say. And water is wet. From what level now to what level by the next election? #Lots of the details are peripheral eg building low carbon communities…in Elham Village. Great but not really a stretching target – or is this a “pilot project”? #The blurrin...

An Open Letter to Dr Kamellah of UNIDO the United Nations small business development agency for Third World poverty reduction. And Kent. Dear Dr Kamellah As Chairman of UNIDO you may be aware of a recent proposal signed by UNIDO China and James Braithwaite, Chairman of SEEDA UK regarding the ChinaGateway scandal in Thanet, Kent. This is a strange proposal – unless its purpose is to lend a little UN kudos to what is often seen in Kent as a tale of corruption and incompetence. UNIDO specialises in working with developing economies rather than export activity from China to UK: both members of the G20 and so with little South-South or UNIDO input or cooperation required. Certainly it's unusual for SEEDA to be involved at this stage. No doubt a bold and imaginative use of your scarce resources. The ChinaGateway scandal includes Thanet council – one of Britain’s most corrupt and incompetent councils as rated by the UK Government itself – suddenly and unanimously in the face of almost tot...

Clearly Andrews Pearce and Ogden at the Environment Agency in charge of clean-up at Thor and Infratil is building some fat into the system. 10 More years? Since 1988? And 2005? And the Thor African factories closed in 1993 for poisoning local workers and the surrounding water table. What are they waiting for to clean up one factory site? The site only ceased manufacturing from the permits issued by the Environment Agency and supervised by TDC and KCC in 2005. TDC now claim “pilot stage” (bureaucrat speak for almost nothing) clean-up began in 2008 – after the chemical fire at Xmas 2007. The Environment Agency are unable and refuse to provide under EIR the reports of the extent of the mercury spillage and contaminated assoil and water. What has Andrew been doing? 10 More years? Building the Olympics site only takes five years. 10 More years? And when will our MP’s visit the site as it poses no threat to human health? Messrs Gale and Ladyman claim everythig is fine and no threat to people...

The Gang of Four and our MP's : a busted flush * Godden's Gap fire 2003 - still there * closure of Dreamland 2004: plans for retail and hotel * Dreamland rollercoaster fireball - charred ruins: Kent Police and Roger Gale have no suspects * Ramsgate Pleasurama 1999-09: fireball and British Virgin Islands company * Grupo Antolin: Spanish car door manufacturer closed and relocated to be nearer to the UK car industry: grants taken and no employment * Planestation: bust and accounting fraud * EUJet: bust within 6 months - fake consultations and 106 breaches * Infratil: 2005-08: 3 year plan: fewer flights than ever and repeated breaches of 106 * Thor mercury: closed in 1988 and again in 2005: widespread pollution * Sericol: old pollution site: pumps turned off * Pearce sings: closed * WoolGate: bullying and £10,000 legal costs for taxpayer * Westwood Cross: traffic chaos and link road to develop farmland * Town centres: Woolworths close and relocations to Westwood Cross * Ring Road t...

With the soon-to-be confirmed termination of the Gang of Four: Ezekiel, Latchford, Samuel and White, and the closure of Manston Airport I’m beginning to be concerned that I may not have enough to do as MP. As the Gang of Four cling on hoping to wait until after the June elections it's best if they go and go now. We have a lame duck council and lame duck MP's. David Cameron has confirmed in The Sunday Times today that he recommends the number of MP’s is to reduce by 60. I think this is a sensible policy: as with Messrs Gale and Ladyman they’ve simply failed the area. Roger Gale now has no policies except in fitting out his French 2nd home and taxes for expats. And speaking for Silent Sandys: the latest parachute candidate for Thanet. I’ll be writing to Conservative Head Office recommending delisting of Roger given the failures at Thor, Sericol and the repeated burning down of Margate requiring Margate’s electoral boundaries to be split in two at the next election. With Roger in ...

And out of the woodwork pops ChinaGate. The front cover of the Thanet Gazette details how Ken Wills and CGP want to spend £3M to purchase part of the ChinaGate business park from KCC and/or EKO and/or TDC. I thought they had anyway but never mind. Perhaps CGP haven’t spent one penny into TDC’s coffers yet apart from the China trips and Ladyman donation. With no other regeneration on the horizon from the Tesco bag Gang of Four except the Election Ferry. And claims from Ken/CGP that work will start anyway in October – it seems Council and Public permission is optional for CGP. And funding is coming direct from the Chinese – time to open a renminbi account at the bank in Broadstairs. Cobblers the lot of it. And as credible as the architects drawings of hundreds of acres of cargo warehouses shunted into view a fortnight before the TDC shambles vote. And all shortly after the Gang of Four creation of EKO and trips to China funded by CGFP. And Steve Ladyman’s £25,000 donation. As with much o...

Isn't it time for greater reform of MP's and Councillor expenses? Steve Ladyman has provided his expenses online and it's a pretty good summary of costs although without the ease of reporting and clarity of Word and Excel summaries. As MP I will introduce an Annual MP Report that provides not just ongoing monthly and quarterly summaries of costs and expenses but also details of projects and activities. I call on other candidates to do the same. For too long MP's and Councillors simply do not provide clarity on what they are doing and what they cost. With good reason in many instances: Thanet seems to be largely a system of councillor allowances as pension top-ups and extra committee fees. For incompetence and failure. While the practice of Councillors "double-charging" by holding Parish, District or County seats with further expenses is a gross abuse. And a reduction in democracy. Two seats are effectively held by the same person reducing local choice. The Par...

Thor mercury was supposed to have closed in 1988. And clean-up begun after several poisonings of the workforce and the water. The Thanet Times today contains a report that decontamination will taken yet another 10 years. And. And. Manufacturing of benzene and mercury was still going on until 2005! In 2004 an underground tank( isn't that a bit silly putting poisonous chemical s undergorund on the water table!) leaked 2 tonnes of effluent and chemicals into the soil and water table. Plus another 50kg of wood reposervative. It's like a Toxic Disneyland. And all of it managed by the EA and TDC and KCC and our MP's. What has been going on: has this been a regular Council item? And clean-up only began at pilot stage (not very much at all presumably) in 2006! Serious questions need answering by TDC and KCC and our "sink MP's" - it's our fault the water supply is polluted they say remember. * why was Thor not shut down in 1988? Or 1994 like in Africa? Or 1998 when...

Or has Kent governance stagnated over the last 5 years? With the collapse of Thames Gateway, Margate regeneration by fireball and repeated failures to reverse the degeneration of Dover, Folkestone, Chatham and no plans or activity delivered for 2012 after 4 years – are we witnessing the ever-rapid expansion of the public sector as compensation for stagnation? Does the spiralling wage bill and head counts represent a failure to invest in diversified sectors beyond construction of motorways and 2-bed flats? And a focus on public sector unproductive bloat? Certainly. The South East economy is at least 40% in the public sector. At least. Removing SME businesses which form 99% of the economy there are simply no medium or large businesses to offset the inertia of the public sector. The new recession is no ideal situation but definitely not a major factor in these years and decades of ongoing problems. We seem to be entering a new era in the 21st century where the Imperial Decline of the 20th...

Steve Ladyman and Roger Gale tell us that the mercury pollution and aviation fuel pollution are down to the public pouring paint or oil down the sink. The Environment Agency say so too. KCC liaise with the Environment Agency to safeguard Kent. We spoke 4 weeks ago. I spoke with the EA 4 weeks before that. It's clear there is significant pollution at Infratil, Sericol and Thor with either slack clean-up procedures or "political nobbling" of the necessary safeguards that endangers the public. Is it the public pouring aviation fuel down the sink and into the sea? Or is it Infratil? Is it the public pouring mercury down the sink and into the water table. Or is it Thor mercury? The United Nations in Bangkok 2 years ago detailed Thor mercury repeatedly polluting the population and the water table in Margate and Africa: see below. And confirmed it closed in Margate in 1987. Roger Gale in 2007 confirmed that the fire at Thor's factory was of no concern. What has been going on...

Roger Gale can't fix it. Margate has burned down. Steve Ladyman can't fix it. Ramsgate has fallen down and the ferry don't fit. Except for the County and Gerneral elections. Laura Sandys can't fix it. Silence. Roger speaks for her and their foolish 2012 airport policy that won't do it. As that will be in 2012. For a month. Thanet has been sacrificed to their Westminster and Party careers. Thanet councillors can't fix it. Moving up the improving rankings from "useless" to "abysmal" is seen as a victory. The Gang of Four can't fix it. They can't even paint the bandstands in the centre of town. Years go by and things get worse. No-one ever got fired for failure at TDC. The Environment Agency can't fix it: tonnes of pollutants in the water and a Planning regime of failure and idleness that allows Thor mercury to continue polluting for 20 years. SEEDA hasn't fixed it. Research prosposals highlighting there is a problem that needs ...

Who'd have thought it. Ther mysterious Ramsgate ferry service that was suppoesed to start a couple of weeks ago and run for a year: nicely timed for the County electioins and upto the General election. TDC and our MP's have "been working hard" for many months and years on this ferry apparently. The idiots haven't worked out though that the ferry doesn't fit in Ramsgate harbour. Or Boulogne harbour. Clunk. Given the Ostend boats could carry foot passengers - and for the last 4 years - presumably detailed discussions have taken place on that. Or not. TDC can't even stop French truckers throwing merde onto the beach from their lorries - for want of parking in the ferry car park and a couple of portaloos. Presumably Sunday working hours are beyond TDC's councillors and staff and Kent Police. TDC's £20M budget has 75% taken up on salaries - presumably people that do things and organise things for the area. Or they issue memos saying they have. Next the...

An extract from the UN report on mercury poisoning: In 2004 the Czech State Health Institute analyzed the mercury content of the blood, hair and urine in residents of the community. Blood mercury concentrations in residents living near the Spolana chloralkali plant were twice as great as levels in a control group and in the rest of the Czech Republic population. The symptoms most frequently identified were all related to the nervous system, typical of mercury exposure (Kuncová, 2004b). An Environmental Impact Assessment for Spolana and a decontamination process were prepared and agreed upon in 2004. The clean-up method will include encapsulating the mercury, demolishing the buildings, and removing the surface layer of soil. The waste will go to a thermal desorption process to remove mercury and then the clean waste will go to the landfill. The costs are estimated to reach more than $US 20 million. Several weeks later, KCC aren't sure where the factory is. The EA say there's de...