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...