Toxic Three – now Two - and Dog in a Manger politics

They're dropping like flies. the Gang of Four gone. And now, after the KCC elections Alex King has been demoted from Deputy Leader.

So, the Toxic Three are now reduced to Carter and Wild: deliberately polluting Kent’s citizens with Infratil by removing the required monitors and ignoring the overflights by KLM and Cargolux now - and, previously banned aircraft.

Alex was previously the architect of the disasters of EUJet and KCCUSA so the chop was long overdue – but a new role of Chair of Policy Skills/HR which to some extent is the Deputy role.

The problem with politics as any doublehatter will know – is it’s hard to vote them out even when they’ve failed or are incompetent.

A mix of Buggins Turn of any old fool in the role and Dog in a Manger politics of preventing anyone else from doing the job, even if they’re more capable.

The rest of the KCC Cabinet is much the same – John Simmonds taking over as Deputy/Finance which is not ideal as he’s a supporter of the ridiculous KCC booze and guns and tobacco investments. These should have been divested long ago for investments in solar panels and Kent businesses.

Bright sparks like Mark Dance and Roger Gough have economy roles and there are one or two new faces.

And of course the main change will be UKIP and Roger Latchford as Opposition Leader. Interesting how many of the UKIPs were surprised themselves at being elected – they were on holiday on election day!

Der Kolonel is of course also notorious in the Gang of Four of resigning after the racist Moslem jokes and covering up the Manston monitors, it’s appalling and brazen that he’s resurfaced. After many years’ service in the Army Latchford’s panzers have reached their Stalingrad on the Medway: a cursory review of their policies will be laughable over the next few weeks.

And no votes for poisoning your own citizens.

Little will be done by UKIP but the concern is their closet racism will colour debates in Kent. Already we’ve had the racist nonsense of 29M Romanians and Bulgarians supposedly arriving in Kent next year.

Westminster certainly doesn’t think so – as 29M would be the total population of Romania and Bulgaria (!). And having entered the EU in 2005 they already can and do live and work in UK – and Kent has the highest concentration of Romanians in Canterbury, studying as students and working and paying tax.

Little has been said of the whole population of Croatia moving to Kent when they join the EU next month as it’s not much of a scare story.

The real concern I have is the very real problem of pandemics for Kent as a border county. The UK Chief Medical officer has issued a TB warning with some outbreaks in Romania. These facts will be distorted and coloured as dirty foreigners etc. etc., driving the problems underground.

When we need people at risk of epidemics to come forward and be vaccinated for everybody’s safety.

London is seen as the TB capital of Europe already.

While Kent, through the Pfizer/Discovery park site could be leading the way in regenerating the economy and ensuring safety as a strategic vaccine facility. From next year every child will be vaccinated with the flu vaccine for example. And Third World vaccine production is due to increase ahead of UNMDG2 in 2015.

While removing rabies restrictions at Ramsgate Port is inept and part of the changeover of Public Health roles from the NHS to Kent Council.

As Mayor and MP I will make sure these are prioritised.

From the RTC and TDC and KCC elections it’s clear Kent governance has collapsed into failure.

The new Mayor is simply part of the Buggins Turn and Dog in a Manger approach of the doublehatters crowding out any opposition through technicalities. I’m stumped as to how direct elections of Mayor are somehow not possible when they’re not forbidden under the constitution.

Or how a Mayor can be unanimously elected – without stating any policies.

Just the usual twist the facts to fit and backroom stage management.

No FOI – even after 8 years. Your tax is simply to prop up the civil servants to not actually do anything.
Ramsgate Port closed.
Pleasurama derelict.
Silence on Thor.
ModFire training fires on the aquifer.
Animal exports shifted to Dover.
The corruption of 0% salaries by Moores and McGonigal, and Infratil and ChinaGate and EKO – and coverup.
Pandemics as above, yet 3,000 jobs lost at Pfizer.
The destruction of the town centres with Westwood Cross.
No Climate Change policies at all – one brief highlight of the KCC election was the first-ever Green councillor for the Garden of England which will be the wave of the future: UKIP and Old Labour are simply of the past.

And worth mentioning some of the more dynamic civil servants with innovative water-embedded policies for ethical policies on water management with desalination plants rather than reservoirs on farmland.

But the proposed “Garden City” between Canterbury and Ramsgate of 15,000 extra houses (announced at midnight (!) on election day last week) is abysmal, undemocratic and pointless. Part of the usual developer’s charter to rape East Kent.

Dave Green the outgoing Mayor vaguely mentioned turning Albion House into a hotel then fell silent – no doubt anticipating the cramped council having to move back there and a review of the antiques/artefacts that seem to have been sold off.

And tree-planting needs fast-forwarding via schools with a tree for every adult planted: last week saw the highest ever CO2 concentrations recorded at 400ppm in Hawaii - carbon levels not seen for millions of years.

No Climate Change policies at all in Kent or even basic public safety such as tsunami sensors in the North Sea and English Channel and improved flood defences or sewer repairs leave the County adrift.

While with FTSE100 companies declaring over 8,311 subsidiaries in tax havens such as the British Virgin Islands and Cayman Islands and Jersey it makes Pleasurama look part of a pattern of tax avoidance ahead of the G8 Summit and astonishing KCC and TDC remain silent.

Yet, the reality is we could give the Duffers billions more in tax and almost nothing would be done.

With youth unemployment at 20% Thanet’s older generation have failed us.
Time for Change.

Garbutt4Mayor 2014 and Garbutt4MP May 2015 (or sooner if the elections are called earlier)

Time for Change

A slightly different look to future blog posts with these regular features updated:

1. Manston overflights

KLM and Cargolux – Buchanan and Pedro in the control tower are the problem
Write to them: here are their emails:
Charles.buchanan@infratil.com and peter.thompson@infratil.com
And a suggested draft email for you to amend/send:
Dear (xyz)
There are overflights by KLM and Cargolux. The latest was at (xyz). These are forbidden under the airport operating guidelines due to noise and air pollution and safety.
Please advise on fines, aircraft registration and pilot name details and how future overflights will be prevented.
Also water pollution from the Environment Agency requirement to clean up the site.
(your name)
A copy can be forwarded onto the CAA and Environment Agency.

2. J’accuse Scoundrels

A miscellany of scoundrels at KCC, TDC and RTC:
• Toxic Three: Carter, King and Wild – knowing of the pollution and monitors removal by Infratil they worked with them to try and gain £20M of further funding for 20 jobs, and the mysterious VisitKent £100k funding still not explained
• Roger Latchford: Gang of Four – missing air monitors when Deputy Leader at TDC and on KIACC public airport committee
• Everitt and Styles: RTC councillor and clerk – both dancing around the flimsy RTC audit and sign-off and salary costs from last year
• Moores and McGonigal: 0% salaries fraud: publicly stating 0% salary increases for Samuel and White of the Gang of Four – yet provided salary increases. The shtum payoffs still unknown.
• Ken Aids Gregory and Mike Shirtlifting Bint Harrison – just appalling councillors, why have they not resigned or been sacked. We can do without them.

3. Jobs! Jobs!! Jobs!!!

Don’t kid yourself there is an economic strategy for Thanet and job creation.

There isn’t.

Nothing.

The 24 hour cargo airport/ChinaGate/EKO/Road to Nowhere and Westwood Cross 4th town centre(!) were it.

Pleasurama and Dreamland are both derelict so nothing will happen for a year or two at the earliest. And then only a few dozen construction jobs initially.

Tourism has flatlined. Nothing is being done.

I need staff: paid and volunteers and office space for: MP campaign, East Kent Film Office and Studio awaiting KC signoff of funding and Pavilion.

I’m also interested in a CCU/KBS role and TEFL/CELTA at Churchill/KSE.

And working with Discovery Park/Pfizer and Kent Science Park and pharma companies.

The reality is nothing has been done. No jobs created and none to be created.

Ramsgate’s £17M council tax, TDC’s £60M tax and KCC’s £2.3Bn tax is simply wasted on hiring more and more civil servants to tell us there’s no money and nothing can be done.

And your councillors go along with it: better to do nothing and leave everything derelict in their last few years.

Time for Change