A higher Thanet standard

Improvements begin with the next generation.

Thanet as one of the most corrupt, polluted and incompetent regions of Kent – as recognised by the government itself- requires a higher standard in education on governance, environment and history.

As MP I will support improvements to the “Thanet Standard” of school and college curriculum with 30 minute lessons on:

# Health problems: lung cancer etc – as a one of the highest rates of lung cancer in Kent and an early death rate of 11 years from the rest of Kent more needs to be done: publishing coroners reports by postcode, highlighting cancer in the environment eg the missing contaminated land/pollution register, EA updates on “how not to pollute the water supply”
# Good governance: production of 35 years of failure: recording the decline of the pre-eminent seaside towns in the UK through a mix of political and policy failure
# Excellent governance: producing copies of every schoolchild of Tom Paine of Margate and Sandwich’s pamphlet on US democracy (the forerunner of the UN Charter): “Common Sense”
# Political governance: creation of good governance and citizenship exams including British governance, FOI and EIR
# Thanet history and identity: the unique features of the area to be protected and preserved for the generations to come
# Civil service governance: voluntary examinations for councillors and civil servants
# Create a “cheat sheet” for ways to manipulate democracy and governance: vague manifestos, Party whips/bloc voting, unaccountable costs and quangos,
# Enhanced whistle-blower procedures for corruption or misuse of public funds
# Sports and Culture: the 2012 Olympics in Kent and London – for the last time in a generation
# Electronic Libraries: one laptop per Thanet child and adult literacy classes

The result would be that within a generation or two the governance, environment and community would be significantly enhanced.

More widely, Thanet would lead the way in reversing the traditional UK standards of secrecy and cover-up to a higher standard of openness and transparency.

I’ll consult with schools to go further in:

# publishing asbestos reports and cleanup for each school
# Education, NHS and Police reports to Council
# regular drinking water and soil and seawater testing for chemistry lessons
# school textbook “de-pulping” for African libraries: the Carnegie Libraries of our day
# school notebooks: health messages eg no smoking
# adopting the UN Millennium Goals – in effect the “to-do list of the world”
# developing Africa Twin Towns – as with UK and Europe towns before to encourage peace, prosperity and human rights
# instigating the World Parliament democratic assembly: “the House of Commons in the UN”
# the first GCSE lessons in humanitarian standards

Again the result would be a “Thanet Standard” of improved quality of governance, education and quality of life.

Certainly the corruption and incompetence of TDC would be reversed. The failure of TDC-centric policy would be reversed. The use of TDC as a “District dumping ground” would be reversed. The failures of regeneration would be reversed. The brain-drain of students leaving the area would be reversed. Political and Civic society would be refreshed.

The development of Ramsgate and Margate Town council would provide specific identities and policy for each town.

The knowledge of “35 years of failure” and the “Infratil Standard” would reinforce understanding for future political and governance systems.

The highest lung cancer rate.

Poisoned water.

Removing air and noise monitors.

Repeated 106 breaches at the airport.

An 11 year early death rate: Third World standards.

In Kent.

In the 21st century.

What has been going on?

Change for Thanet. Change for Kent.