Motorway2

Difficult time for Ed Miliband

2012-01-19T17:21:00.002Z

It seems the knives are out for Ed Miliband, mainly from the Tory press but also from elements within his own party. He has never been forgiven in some quarters for defeating his brother David in the Labour leadership contest and it seems his face does not fit with many, in fact some people seem more obsessed by the way he looks than what he actually says! this is the mad media driven world we now live in.

The Labour leader now seems to feel the need to comment on every issue concerning Government policy when the usual party in opposition tactic is just to shake ones head at question time, the two Eds got themselves in a right pickle when declaring they could not promise to reverse any of the cuts the tories were making but why did they feel the need to comment on this matter in the first place? It just brought them derision from not only the unions but the Tory press and left wing labour MP's alike. Miliband did eventually focus on the rising unemployment figures this week but Cameron seems always to have an answer for anything Ed throws at him during question time in the House of Commons

David Cameron is on a bit of a roll at the moment, he looks to have been proved spot on in his decision to tell Merkel and Sarkozy to do one and the right wing press have been all over him like a cheap suit recently. The Teresa May border control cock up has been long forgotten and George Osborne and Ian Duncan Smith are quietly going about the business of raising unemployment and then paying them less for the privilege while the British public are too busy tightening their own belts to really notice, at least the unemployed have got wonga.com to fall back on.

All change at TDC

2011-12-09T23:14:00.002Z

It seems there has been a good few noses put out of joint following the news that Clive Hart has become the new leader of Thanet Council, personally I wish him all the best in what will be a difficult period of leadership with further cuts to the Thanet budget to come over the next year.

I'm sure the new leader and his team will do the best for not only Cliftonville and Margate but the whole of Thanet.

Tesco Margate? It's not rocket science!

2011-10-22T13:44:00.002Z

A run down part of Margate slap-bang on the sea front and one of the first things visitors see when they leave Margate railway station, an economy in recession with very high unemployment in Thanet and things to get worse in the area next year when cuts to services double. Local concerns about over-development, traffic problems and the effect on Margate High Street! :-)

Well lets put things into perspective, a Tesco metro the size of the one in Broadstairs High Street or the one in Clftonville built on the sea front would not be a bad thing for local people and tourists especially if Dreamland is to be re-opened on a smaller scale and further housing is eventually built on the remaining land as the developers have planned. If I was a day tripper to Margate I would be more than pleased to have a small Tesco right next to the beach, especially for young families whom Margate really needs to attract once again.

If the Tesco development is kept to a reasonable size the extra traffic generated should not be a problem, and in return for allowing the application Thanet Council must get as much inward investment from Tesco as possible, including improvement to all the surrounding area including Arlington House. As long as the Council does not cave in and let Tesco just do as they please this could be a very good deal for Margate.

Thanet Council please don't screw this one up!

A Rich Mans Toy

2011-09-13T20:07:00.001Z

Earlier today the Transport Secretary Philip Hammond appeared before the transport committee to answer questions on High Speed 2 (HS2) - the planned line between London and Birmingham, this is a similar line to the high speed link between Ashford and St Pancras.

Responding to questions about regulating fare prices on high speed trains he said "Uncomfortable fact number one is that the railway is already relatively a rich man's toy - the whole railway.

He added:"People who use the railway on average have significantly higher incomes than the population as a whole - simple fact."

He went on: “it was an uncomfortable fact that these trains are mainly used by the better-off and some fares were "eye-wateringly expensive".

He then tried to justify the outrageously high fares with this little gem:"If you are a factory worker from Manchester you might never get on HS2 but you will certainly be benefiting from it, if the sales director of your company is routinely hopping on it to meet customers, to jet round the world in a way that brings in orders to keep you employed.”

Britain already has the most expensive rail fares in Europe, how much more of this crap will the British public take before they demand their trains are fully nationalised again?

Turner Contemporary

2011-07-17T18:35:00.004Z

I visited the Turner Contemporary Gallery in Margate for the first time last week, from what I'd already heard about the place from friends and acquaintances I wasn't expecting a great deal.

The building itself is more impressive on the inside than the rather bland factory like exterior. I liked the entrance and the large display areas, the imposing window spaces showcasing the sea views and even the staircase design was interesting.

What about the art? Well, as I had been forewarned there isn't a great deal of it, however, I did really like some of the work on show but for me what was lacking was at least one area where there is a lot of art work to view instead of the minimilist theme that permeates throughout the whole Turner experience.

I realise there are people who can stand in front of one piece of art for an hour discussing the pros and cons of the piece but for your average punter (and there are a lot of us) we would like to see more. I was hoping to see at least one area devoted to local or lesser known artists who could be allowed to exhibit for two week intervals throughout the year ensuring a fast turnover of new and fresh artwork and generating interest and involvement with local artists and public.

All in all I spent forty minutes in the gallery, earlier in the week I had spent roughly the same amount of time enjoying the super small display by Marcus Roberts and Charlotte Kay in the The Old Lookout Gallery in Broadstairs situated in the old Harbour Master’s building on the jetty.

In the near future hopefully artists like Marcus and Charlotte might get a chance to exhibit their work at the Turner Contemporary, in my opinion the gallery will die a local death if this is not the case.

Glastonbury Festivals

2011-06-28T16:44:00.001Z

So yet another Glastonbury Festival has ended, as usual the weather made the news early on, unlike the hot weather of last year it reverted to type and poured with rain most of the time.
Fortunately nearly all the festival goers come prepared and bring along their wellies, Wayne Rooney and his wife were so happy with their £500 Hunter/Jimmy Choo boots they even posted photos of their wellies on twitter for us mere mortals to marvel at.

It certainly isn't cheap to fit in at Glastonbury now, festival tickets are £200 and it's £25 just to park the car, £1000 for your own tipi if you've got the cash and the VIP area has now become a separate festival altogether, a festival within a festival one might say.

The VIP area was heaving with BBC presenters and crew, celebrities, models, actors and even politicians got in on the act. unfortunately for one it all ended in tragedy when he was found dead in the VIP toilets, well at least they were the VIP toilets and not the wretched cesspits reserved for the great unwashed.

And that about summed up what Glastonbury has become, a bloated corporate jolly for the VIP and a second rate, commercialised, over-hyped, rip-off festival for the NOT-VIP.

Flown in by helicopter

Separated At Birth

2011-05-08T14:08:00.000Z

Avram Grant Mr Motivator

May 5th Local Elections and AV vote

2011-05-05T08:42:00.002Z

The four years since the last local elections have gone by quick as a flash. I'll be voting today as usual with regard to how my local councillors have performed over that period and whether I feel the other candidates standing this time could do a better job. I'm sure other voters will be thinking the same.

Has your councillor been easy to contact? Have you seen or heard from them over the last four years? Do you know who they are? Are they willing to help a constituent on an individual case basis or do they just pay lip service to their party chief? Are they really standing for the good of their constituency and the people that live there or do they actually live many miles away and have no real clue about the area they are supposed to be representing? Are their interests purely self serving? Are they a paper candidate?

On the other voting issue I've had a good look at the arguments for and against and on reflection will be voting YES to AV.

Osama's last stand

2011-05-03T15:51:00.002Z

So, after all the speculation on his whereabouts, Osama Bin Laden wasn't living in a deep cave in the Afghanistan mountains wearing combat fatigues and clutching a Kalashnikov, instead he had been living quite nicely with his wives, family and friends for many years in a fortified mansion near the Pakistan capital Islamabad.

Mark Twain once wrote: "I've never wished a man dead, but I have read some obituaries with great pleasure.” I'm sure there will be a lot of people who agree with those sentiments.

Andrew Marr

2011-04-30T20:59:00.000Z

Andrew Marr: "So Mr Politician, Are you trying to hide anything from the public?"

Mr Politician: "Fuck off you two faced cheating hypocrite."

Andrew Marr: "Thank you and goodnight."

AV Yes campaign gaining momentum after dumbed down 'no' campaign TV ad?

2011-04-14T10:44:00.006Z

I'm not surprised the 'Yes' campaign for switching to AV was up in the latest YouGov survey.

Forty five percent of participants said they would vote for a change to the alternative vote, while 33% said they would vote against it. 17% were undecided, while six per cent would not say how they would vote.

One of the reasons people are turning to AV could be after watching the incredibly dumbed down advert by the 'No' campaign featuring Rik Mayall, I thought it was totally patronising and could have been aimed at primary school age children.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=-obZ9OG_XKA

Margate through rose coloured specs

2011-03-17T14:24:00.003Z

A few people have been talking up Margate recently which is not such a bad thing especially with the Turner Contemporary opening soon on April 16th. It's been a long wait and for those people who opened their business' in time for the aborted first Turner attempt it's been even longer.

It's true that 'Old Margate' has started to look better recently, even though there are still many empty shops the Council have done a reasonable job in tarting up a few of the derelict buildings opposite the TC and allowing local artists to display their work in empty shop windows in and around the High Street.

The trouble is when you take the rose coloured specs off and have a really good look around the area the deep rooted problems of Margate smack you in the face, unemployment is running at 15% and when you add in those on sickness benefits and the many people who scrape by on part time and casual work the situation is a lot worse. Unemployment has doubled in Thanet in the last two years.

There is REAL poverty in the area and it spreads right out of Margate and into West Cliftonville, I can't remember in all the time I have lived in Thanet when I have seen so many people suffering obvious financial hardship. On the flip side over the same period there has been massive improvements in local housing and property development. Banks were falling over themselves giving out relatively cheap loans and thousands of Thanet home owners upgraded their properties and new developments replaced many of the old run down hotels.

Unfortunately investment and jobs in the area just didn't follow, whether you blame the local council or look elsewhere to point the finger it will need more than just the Turner Contemporary to turn this area around and I hope local politicians don't throw all their eggs into one basket. .

Apparently 37% of shops in Margate are empty, incredibly rents and rates for these businesses are as high as ever, surely at some point something can be done to attract new business to this area with a 1st year rent/rate reduction or a similar compensation, Margate has got to attract the small entrepreneur back to the High Street in greater numbers.

A bigger problem is how to replace the massive loss of Dreamland to the area. I haven't heard one local politician standing for election in May even mention it, maybe they should all stop squabbling among themselves and concentrate on the real issues.

Libya and Gaddafi

2011-03-15T22:09:00.002Z

It was interesting to see the international calls for a no fly zone over Libya come to nothing, it also looks like the prospect of military intervention from a US backed force is never going to happen.

Events in other areas of the middle east have certainly been a large factor. In Bahrain, home to the US Navy fifth fleet since 1991, democracy demonstrations against the ruling royal family have been put down with help from Saudi Arabia troops and a three month state of emergency declared, this puts the US in a very difficult position, how can they call for Libya leader Gaddafi to stand down while on the other hand supporting the undemocratic Bahrain rulers who have called in foreign troops to suppress relatively peaceful demonstrations?

These latest events show only too clearly what an incredibly ill judged and unwise decision it was to invade Iraq in 2003 and overthrow a Sunni ruler who had kept a relatively uneasy peace in his country for so long but had done so without the aid of foreign mercenaries or troops. If Gaddafi eventually loses or regains control of his country at least it will have been Libyan people who ultimately decided the outcome and not foreign involvement which history tells us almost always leads to further unrest.

Ancelotti denies discipline problem at Chelsea

2011-02-28T19:54:00.000Z

Private Eye

2011-02-26T20:18:00.011Z

I've never been a believer in the 'all or nothing' philosophy, probably a good thing as I always listen to both sides of an argument and try to reach a balanced and informed opinion.

When it comes to privatisation I can see both the pros and cons, there certainly has been successes, the telephone companies now offer choice and value and the old monopoly of BT is thankfully a thing of the past.

If properly regulated, the power companies could offer a great range of services and choice for the consumer, sadly these companies working in conjunction with each other are allowed to raise prices at will and for many people, heating their home has become unaffordable, when the winter death toll among the old is published later this year the government will get a wake up call.

For me though the one industry that must be taken back into public ownership is the national rail network, each rail route has only one operator so straight away any competition or choice is absent, the industry should be a public service but is currently run as a business to financially reward the directors and shareholders of these companies who frequently see their entrepreneurial schemes fail through lack of investment and subsequently have to be bailed out by the long suffering taxpayer.

I'm sure many of us have travelled on the more reliable and cheaper nationalised trains throughout Europe and wondered how the hell the UK public put up with the over priced shambles on our railways.

And last but not least the great bloated NHS, I hear that 9,000 managers are to lose their jobs which will save £250m, I'm sure this can be done and hopefully the 'real' front line staff will be left to carry on doing the jobs that are truly needed.

Any thought of wholly privatising the NHS would be political suicide for any serious politician but I have a feeling that David Cameron and his Eton inner circle are looking at ways to do this before the coalition government term is up.

Just how far will the British public be pushed? Things could get very interesting.

Same old Tories

2011-02-21T17:34:00.003Z

It looks like David Cameron has showed his true colours less than a year after this unelected coalition government gained power.

His plans to privatise all public services were released this week, I suppose we should have known all along what the man was about, basically his political business friends will be able to cherry pick the most profitable parts of the public sector and the taxpayer will be left to pick up the bill for the leftovers.

As we have seen with the gas, electric, water and rail companies many of them end up in the hands of foreign companies and all screw every last penny out of the British public.
Profit before investment is always the case and toothless government watchdogs are powerless to do anything about it.

I don't remember seeing anything about total privatisation in the Conservative manifesto and they certainly do not have a mandate to do this, unbelievable arrogance by Cameron and his cronies, I thought the free school programme planned by the odious Michael Gove was bad enough but this latest travesty sounds worse than when Margaret Thatcher was in charge.

RIP Gary Moore

2011-02-10T13:44:00.002Z

Another nail in the coffin

2011-02-01T16:31:00.003Z

The news that Pfizer is to shut down with the loss of 2,400 jobs is a crushing blow to the area, it's not just the jobs at the pharmaceutical company but the knock on effect around Thanet, Ramsgate in particular.

These are skilled jobs where the workers earn good money and spend a lot of it in this area, many Pfizer workers have bought property in Thanet and B & B establishments have a good passing trade with temporary workers at the site.

All of this will have a massive effect, Thanet school and college leavers will see a local resource for decent jobs disappear just when the unemployment situation gets progressively worse over the next year or two.

When I started this blog a few years ago I wondered whether the best thing about Thanet was the road coming in or the road going out, I have to admit it's probably the latter for young people with any ambition now.

Your Thanet :: Article :: So what did Thanet Earth do for Thanet?

2011-01-14T14:18:00.001Z

Worth a read, it really sums up the shocking state of affairs at Thanet District Council concerning the failure to create jobs for locally born people.

Your Thanet :: Article :: So what did Thanet Earth do for Thanet?

2010 in a political nutshell

2010-12-30T10:36:00.007Z

I'll start with Gordon Brown, not a lot has been seen or heard of him since losing the election, best points during his term in office were keeping Britain out of the euro, low interest rates and making some crucially correct decisions (which were copied worldwide) when the true scale of the financial crisis became evident in 2008.

Worst points were not regulating the investment banks adequately, allowing public spending to get out of hand and believing the good times would keep on going. The old saying 'Always fix the roof when the sun is shining' should be every government mantra.

Saying that, it seems David Cameron has decided along with his junior partners Clegg and Cable to fix the roof when the weather is shite.

I'll be honest and say I haven't quite made my mind up about David Cameron, yes he's old Etonian and has never lived in the 'real world' but then neither has Ed Milliband, Cameron does talk some sense so hopefully he will realise that the proposed cuts will be too severe, too soon and rein some of them in, I know there were many quangos set up by Labour that have to go and some of the public sector is bloated but what is needed are real jobs, not the part time casual employment which is so prevalent these days, scrapping the EMA payments to 16-19 year old students also just seems like lunacy.

It was good to see the back of many ex MP's who had been milking the system for years on end, hopefully they won't just be replaced with another self serving mob. I won't say too much about Nick Clegg and Vince Cable as they both are really a busted flush already. Out of the two I have been more disappointed in Vince Cable, Clegg for me was always a political chancer but I feel Cable has been the architect of his own downfall, maybe he might redeem himself in the future but going on strictly come dancing was probably not his best career move at the moment and says a lot about the man's vanity and ego, he's becoming a cross between John Prescott and Mr Burns.

On a local note to finish, let's hope Kent County Council having pulled the rug from under Thanet once again with massive cuts to the TDC budget will find some money to repair the hundreds of pot holes that have once again appeared following the freezing temperatures.

As you stroll along our cratered streets among all the empty shops, the dodgy art and the whiff of strong skunk cannabis in the air it actually feels like you could be somewhere abroad in the Middle East, which is nice I suppose as not many of us will actually be able to afford a trip away next year.

Happy New Year

The Tuition Fee Protest

2010-12-10T14:50:00.005Z

It looks like the Tory-Lib/Dem coalition government is stoking up the fires just as Margaret Thatcher's mob did thirty odd years ago. I wrote a few weeks back that recent protest demos weren't in the same league as back then, well yesterdays near riot in Westminster certainly changed all that.

Unfortunately for the genuine student protester who has every right to march, protest and show peaceful civil disobedience, the protest was high-jacked by a known extreme section of society.

Anarchist groups who have attended previous demos such as G20 were out in force and knew they could easily blend in with the students, some of whom also got caught up in the moment and let their adrenalin get the better of them. The attack on the Prince of Wales' car only distracted more from the real reason the students were there in the first place.

Basically this Government will cut around 60% of the budget for English Universities and put the burden of cost firmly on the student, A system that allowed the likes of Nick Clegg, David Cameron and Vince Cable to get the finest education for free will now be part privatised, all the talk from politicians of how easy it will be for the students to pay the money back is just a smoke screen.

Some students could end up with a debt of £50,000 when they graduate. For many future humanities students who will not end up in highly paid jobs but just fall above the £21,000+ threshold of pay back, it must seem like studying for a degree is just not worth it. An elitist system of rich students at the best universities and poor students at the worst and less funded regardless of ability will be the norm.

It's true that most graduates will end up earning more money than people who have not been to university but this will be more relevant when the higher earners pay more in income tax in the future, this is why a graduate tax is favoured by many especially in the Labour Party, some of this money could also be filtered back into funding the universities.

As feared this Government have ignored the fact that this current recession was caused by the bankers, the traders and the investors, they have allowed banks, big businesses including the power companies to get off almost scot free and lumbered the ordinary tax payer of today and tomorrow with a huge burden for years to come.

FIFA A Nice Little Earner

2010-12-02T16:35:00.007Z

So the dust has settled on England's unsuccessful bid to stage the 2018 World Cup, even with the backing of 'The Three Lions' Prince William, David Cameron and David Beckham it all ended in tears.

Not for everyone though, FIFA president Sepp Blatter looked as pleased as punch as he revealed it had gone instead to 'Mafia run' Russia. Quite apt really when you consider how corrupt FIFA is. Only last month after an investigation by The Sunday Times, two of the twenty four FIFA Executive Committee members were banned from the organisation for trying to sell their votes to the highest bidder. I wonder how many members were just a little more careful with whom they dealt with?

Since Blatter was elected FIFA President in 1998 he himself has been accused of financial irregularities, dodgy dealings and even bribery to retain the Presidency. In 2007 Blatter was again re-elected even though only 66 of the 207 FIFA members voted for him, this is the same man who was once the 'President of the World Society of Friends of Suspenders' (an organisation against women wearing tights) I kid you not!

For all the hullabaloo, I'm actually pleased that England did not get the competition, there was just something quite sickly watching all the corporate suits fawning around the England bid team and you just know it would end up the same way as the Olympics where ticket prices for the big days were only affordable by the well off, the well heeled, and the well connected.

As with the FA Cup Final this year 70% of the tickets would end up being reserved for corporate hospitality, commercial interests and in the hands of legalised and non legal ticket touts.

Let's hope that David Cameron and his chums now turn their attention to the British economy instead and start creating the jobs that will pull this country around, who knows by then we might even have a decent England football team.

Cancun UN climate summit

2010-12-02T14:54:00.004Z

Anyone remember last years UN climate change summit in Copenhagen? Barack Obama was there, and Gordon Brown and David Milliband, oh and Hilary Clinton,..and Nicolas Sarkozy, China, India and Russia bigwigs too!

Turned into an absolute farce though, basically India China and Brazil told everyone else to get stuffed, "Why should we pay for carbon emissions when you lot have have been doing it free for 200 years?" Well I suppose they have a point, not to mention the fact that growing scientific opinion is slowly coming round to the fact that C02 doesn't drive world temperature, but hey that's another story.

What I did find funny was who the British Government decided to send to this years climate change summit in Cancun Mexico, to give him his new title, The Council of Europe's Parliamentary Asssembly Rapporteur, I give to you Lord John Prescott!

You couldn't make it up, yep old two Jags has flown out executive class to the luxury beach complex in Cancun to represent Europe. He's left us all behind suffering in freezing temperatures to save the world from global warming.

God help us all.

Carry on Banking

2010-11-17T19:43:00.003Z

I had to laugh last week at the media and government outrage over the recent student protests. If anything it was rather tame compared to French and Greek student demos I have seen.

In fact, it seems the good old protest march seems almost unrecognisable in this country now. I remember the old days when people really got angry, like the miners strike and the Poll Tax demonstrations, Toxteth and Notting Hill, now that's what you call a protest!

But no, demonstrations are a lot more laid back now, one might even say subdued, is it because we're all so scared to protest about anything now or are we just all brainwashed into accepting anything our government does or tells us?

Look at recent events, basically the banks and money traders totally screw up, then are bailed out to the tune of £850 billion of taxpayers money causing a massive recession, £107million alone was spent on city advisers to help sort out the mess! Then to balance the books the Government slash £81 billion from public spending and plan to axe 500,000 public sector jobs including Police and Firemen, not to mention what they have in store for the students!

With unemployment going up in the long term along with inflation and interest rates and food and clothes,..the power companies take it in turns to hike up gas prices just before another cold winter sets in and petrol gets nearer to £1.30 a litre by the day.

Now, if you can't find anything to protest about in that lot then don't bother, but I sincerely think the British public aren't as passive and downtrodden as this government take them for, the cuts haven't even started to bite yet, and when they do in the coming 18 months, that student protest will seem like a walk in the park.

Well Red Ed

2010-09-28T12:38:00.005Z

I've just heard Ed Miliband's first speech as the new Labour leader and he certainly impressed me with his realism, his optimism, his fairness and genuine hope for a more balanced and equal society.

Even though it took the union vote to guarantee he won the leadership ballot I'm sure most Labour members and voters will eventually come to realise Ed will make the best leader of the party and eventually Prime Minister.

Ed comes across as a likeable, intelligent and human individual and David Cameron and Nick Clegg are going to have a tough time in the House of Commons over the next few years.

Fergie on Rooney

2010-09-24T18:44:00.003Z

I hear Sir Alex Ferguson has commented that Wayne Rooney is not getting a fair deal from the 'paparazzi'. "I don't think the boy can turn a corner at the moment without a camera being on him". He can't move without the paparazzi being on him, and for a young person that is not what you want". Ferguson added "You want to play and enjoy your football without that attention on you, and that can be quite exhausting".

Sir Alex is obviously concerned with Rooney's poor form on the pitch recently but it should be no surprise to the Manchester United manager that the player gets so much attention from the media.

Rooney has endorsement deals with Nike, Nokia, Ford, Asda and Coca Cola, he is heavily involved in the Electronic Arts Fifa series football game. He has signed a £5m + royalties deal with Harper Collins for a five book deal, the first one a biography printed in 2006 resulted in Rooney being sued by Everton Manager David Moyes and resulted in a 2008 out of court settlement for £500,000 paid to Moyes and an apology from Rooney for making false claims.

Earlier this year while his wife was pregnant Rooney was involved with a prostitute who subsequently sold her story to the media, after many courtroom wrangles the story finally ended up splashed across the Sunday papers resulting in more media frenzy surrounding the player and his family.

When all said and done, it's a wonder Wayne Rooney actually gets the time or the inclination to turn up at Old Trafford and play any football at all!

Veolia

2010-09-17T14:53:00.010Z

I noticed that the six men arrested in Westminster in relation to a potential threat to the Pope were employed by Veolia, a private company who provide bin collections, recycling and other services to local authorities around the country.

This is the same French owned company that has recently given hundreds of employees 90 days notice of their plans to make them redundant, then re-employ them on lesser terms and conditions. Of course this has led to threats of industrial action by unions and rightly so.

Veolia is yet another company who are taking advantage of the present Government orgy of cost cutting and treating their employees like the rubbish they collect.

Lets hope this situation doesn't end up like 1979 when strikes were happening all round the country and city centres resembled rubbish tips. The Government obviously believe the workforce in the UK are now so fearful of their jobs and the unions so weak that it could never happen again.

The cost to the tax payer for the Pope's state visit will be over £30m. The six men arrested by the police were later released without charge.

No Entiendo

2010-08-28T18:36:00.006Z

I haven't blogged for a while, I sometimes feel I'm getting a little too pessimistic about things I see and hear to write anything positive,..but here goes anyway!

The Government has cut the education budget to ribbons which in turn has left my eldest child in academic limbo. My own employment situation has gone the shape of the pear.

The English national football team are only just fractionally less embarrassing than France,.. and that took some doing.

1.7 million of the general public took the time to vote in a BT advertising campaign portraying two dodgy actors playing unlikely characters,.. Is she pregnant or not? Jesus wept!

Tony Blair offers to give the proceeds of his book 'How we fucked up Iraq' to build a sports centre for crippled servicemen,..then a week later buys his eighth property for £1m cash.

Nick Clegg.

BP and the US government do a private deal to tell the world that all the oil has vanished and we don't really need to talk about it no more.

The United States declares 'job done' in Iraq and will now redeploy their troops into another God forsaken country and focus on bringing democracy to Afghanistan.

The following day Sunni insurgents attack 13 cities in Iraq killing 53 and injuring 270.

Barack Obama turns out to be just a slightly more sun tanned version of George W. Bush.

And on a local note to finish, I was listening to Radio Kent a few days ago who were in Margate finding out about the Town's 'regeneration', one of the guests Karen Astley from Turner Contemporary told the listeners that her company had dealt with 680,000 people in connection with the project, well it looks like I missed out there as well.

Media Bias

2010-05-11T08:02:00.005Z

It seems it's not only David Cameron and his Tory chums who are shocked and slightly miffed they failed to secure a Commons majority at the election, most of the British media are also up in arms, some to the point of completely losing the plot.

Sky political journalists on the Murdoch payroll Adam Boulton and Kate Burley both threw wobblers live on TV while 'impartial' BBC man Nick Robinson looked like he was going to self implode when Gordon Brown offered his resignation and threw a giant spanner into the Tory-Lib alliance.

The Tory Press which includes just about every newspaper in the country barring the odd one or two have slavishly supported the Conservatives throughout the election and the never ending stream of scare tactics they have printed to force a Tory victory has definitely pissed a lot of voters off.

The hung parliament result has proved thankfully that you can't buy an election.

The Debt Debate

2010-05-05T09:39:00.008Z

I look back over the past 13 years of Labour government and like most people in this country I haven't had it too bad, if it wasn't for the greed of those in the banking industry I would imagine Labour would be looking at yet another election victory in the polls tomorrow.

Gordon Brown is now attacked by Conservatives and Lib Dems for racking up a large budget deficit but things could have been a lot worse if the banking crisis had not been dealt with competently, before the crisis the public debt was about 40% of GDP, moderate by European standards, while after the crisis this had roughly doubled to 80% prompting the criticism levelled at Brown and Darling today.

The rescue package included £50 billion of state investment in the banks themselves, these are now either wholly or part owned by the state and eventually will prove very profitable for future chancellors, talking of chancellors I'm old enough to remember a Tory chancellor from the recent past, his name was Norman Lamont, I can also remember the absolute mess he made of the British economy back then, who can forget Black Wednesday in October 1992 when Lamont spent £27 billion of state reserves propping up the pound only to be forced to withdraw sterling from the European exchange rate mechanism and costing billions of tax payers money. Interest rates were also raised to 15%.

The debt issue has been taken up by the Tory media tycoons and big business as they are worried about being asked to pay more in tax to help bring the debt down, of course they are unhappy about increased National Insurance contributions as they have to pay half, they have predictably turned to the party who will help them out.

Lets hope if the Tories get elected George Osborne turns out to be a more able Chancellor than Norman Lamont, I have my doubts.

The Blair Factor

2010-03-19T15:56:00.004Z

Sums it all up rather nicely doesn't it?

Property Professionals+Ltd Collapses

2010-03-02T16:49:00.007Z

In December 2008 I wrote a piece on my blog about a company who were ripping people off with a training course to become energy assessors.
http://motorway2.blogspot.com/2008/12/great-energy-assessor-training-rip-off.html

It seems that the company Property Professionals+Ltd (previously known as Home Inspector Training) has now gone into administration, leaving thousands of people who attended the courses which cost as much as £8000 with massive debts and little hope of finding work in this 'green' industry.

While many 'energy assessors' are now being hounded by banks and loan companies, the owners of these training companies are still looking to 'carry on trading'!

The centres were originally owned by a chap called Allen Jackson, who then sold them on to a chap called Marcus Harriet, who then sold them on to a chap called Richard Hunt.
Jackson was still on the books as a 'consultant' right up to the bitter end when even though the company was about to fail these 'businessmen' were still encouraging their staff to take on as many trainees as possible.

Allen Jackson also owned the Building Trades Skills Centre or BTSC as it is also known, which offers among other things, training to become a plumber in six hours,..or was it days, or weeks, doesn't really matter does it? Oh, and this company is now owned by his mate Richard Hunt, even Conservative leader David Cameron got into the act recently, opening their Manchester office last year.

All I can say is once again be very careful of any training company that encourages you to shell out lots of money in advance and incorporates pressure selling.

Remember if it looks too good to be true....

BBC Weather or not?

2010-01-07T10:51:00.007Z

As the freezing weather continued this week, BBC weather forecasters (and I use the term loosely) have warned the British public to brace themselves for a very cold winter (really?) which is set to be the coldest for more than 30 years.

I seem to remember it was not that long ago they told us it would be a 'mild winter'.

That was the fourth time in recent years they have got a long range forecast totally wrong, remember the 'barbecue summer' they forecast in 2009? or the drought they forecast for southern England three years ago?

When asked about the current brass monkey weather BBC weatherman Simon King said:
"Well the snow we're seeing at the moment is actually a very rare event". (He obviously doesn't live oop north!) "Normally we'd expect to see much milder conditions", (didn't we have snow last winter here in Thanet?) "2009 was actually the fourteenth warmest year on records so things are signalling to be warming up". (There has actually been no global warming for ten years now).

Simon continued:"Well, decades ago the river Thames used to freeze, we used to have snow and ice every week causing all sorts of disruption", ( funny, I heard they used to ice skate and have markets and fairs?). "So in the future we could start to see more colder winters and much hotter summers, so lots of heavy showers, flooding possibly and other severe weather across the globe". (Well that covers just about all bases doesn't it?).

It's not only Britain which is suffering the big freeze though.

Record snow falls have caused havoc from China, across Russia to Western Europe and across the US. Poland has seen record low temperatures of -25C and North Asia is suffering it's worst weather for 60 years, In North China the temperature fell to -32C, brrrr.

When asked about the freezing weather Guo Hu the head of the Beijing Meteorological Bureau, linked the recent conditions to unusual atmospheric patterns caused by global warming!

Oh Dear, it seems it's not only our weathermen that are state controlled muppets.

Copenhagen summit collapse

2009-12-23T20:31:00.003Z

So the dust, or should I say the snow, has finally settled on the great Copenhagen climate conference farce. The world leaders have all had their photos taken and muttered their weasel words. And what has changed? Well not a lot really.

Copenhagen was not anything to do with global warming but all about money and the right for countries to trade and emit CO2, experts agree this industry could be worth countless billions of dollars in the future, already companies and entrepreneurs in the US, China, India and the UK are raking the cash in.

All in all Copenhagen was yet another giant cash junket for businessmen, politicians and scientists alike. I'm sure there are some well meaning individuals and the tree hugging protesters outside in the freezing cold all played their part, aided by the toe curling antics of the tv and media presenters all straining every facial and hand gesture to emphasise their 'passion' for saving the world. In reality it just all looked like a 2009 version of the Emperors new clothes.

The stone cold truth however is that for all the scaremongering and global warming hysteria, global temperatures have been falling for the last 10 years while in that time CO2 has been rapidly rising.

The Arctic was more melted and hotter from 10,000 years to 1000 years ago when there was much less CO2 and there is no real scientific evidence that CO2 has, does or ever will drive temperatures or climate, in fact the relation is more the other way round.

The owners and shareholders of energy companies around the world must be wringing their hands together in glee at the continuing global warming money merry go round, even though the world oil price is less than half of what it was a year ago, Gas, Petrol and Electricity have never been higher and millions of people in the UK are now suffering fuel poverty.

BNP Question Time

2009-10-23T20:53:00.005Z

After watching the much hyped Question Time on BBC1 last night featuring the BNP leader Nick Griffin I can honestly say I learned next to nothing about the BNP as a political party or about any of it's policies.

What I watched was a carefully orchestrated attempt by the BBC and the main political parties to destroy, smear and demonise Nick Griffin in a sustained personal attack.
The audience was almost totally hostile and as the programme ended you had to remind yourself you had just watched Question Time and not an Old Baily trial for a child murderer.

The problem with this approach is that Nick Griffin is just the leader of the BNP at this moment in time, in the near future he could be replaced by a far more charismatic individual without any past baggage who does well on TV, the BNP polled nearly a million votes in the European elections (6.4 per cent of the total) and not every one of these people is a racist nazi.

Over the last ten years the Labour party have taken for granted they would always get the white working class vote and have ignored the fact that many of their core voters have increasingly felt let down and marginalised by this Government and have started to look elsewhere for answers to their problems, with a long recession, unemployment at 3 million, the MP expenses scandal and the Banking fiasco this should not be a shock to any experienced Labour politician, however, it actually took a black guy in the audience and an Asian Tory Baroness to acknowledge there are many people in the UK who are worried about uncontrolled immigration, another big concern for many people especially those living in poorer multi-cultural areas around the country with high unemployment and a failing education system.

Jack Straw gave an absolute hopeless display during this part of the debate and like many other Labour politicians seems to be in absolute denial just why so many people gave their vote to the BNP last time.

Benefit Busters or A4e Sham?

2009-09-02T13:03:00.003Z

Over the last two weeks I've been watching a programme on Channel 4 called 'Benefit Busters'.

I missed the start of the first episode and for the next twenty minutes I honestly thought I was watching a new comedy series with 'over the top' characters thrown in for added hilarity, It turned out the programme was actually a real 'fly on the wall' documentary following a few long term unemployed people from the North East of England trying to get back on the job ladder with the help of a company called A4e.

The programme is unintentionally funny at times until the more you watch the more you realise the hopelessness and despair many of these job seekers have to go through while taking part in the A4e course which looks to be yet another 'back to work' sham paid out of the public purse. The A4e group leader Hilary is probably the most awful person in the programme as she constantly patronises and humiliates the unfortunate job seekers. If there was ever someone not suited to a job it must be her.

Most of the jobs on offer are temporary positions which allow the Employer to dismiss any of their work force without any notice, as it takes up to four weeks to restart any benefit claim this leaves many of the job seekers in a difficult position where the security of a life on benefits looks far more secure than gambling on poorly paid casual work.

A4e receive £100 for every job they hand out and it turns out that the company have secured a deal from the Government worth £145m, not bad for a firm started 20 years ago in Sheffield by the now very wealthy Emma Harrison to help unemployed Steel workers, it turns out that David Blunkett the former secretary of state for work and pensions is also heavily involved in this company, in fact he registered earnings of £30.000 from A4e in the 2008 parliamentary register of members interests under the heading 'remunerated directorships'. Nice work if you can get it.

It seems to me that if this government truly want ordinary people to work in this country they should increase the minimum wage so that anyone working 40hrs a week can actually support their family comfortably instead of forcing millions of families into a life of debt while the obscene bonus culture in the City is still alive and kicking and shows no sign of being curbed.

The real problem now is that basic UK wages are so low they have been caught up by social security benefits which are themselves the minimum amount needed to live. Large trade unions have been dismantled and pension plans have been torn up or devalued, poorly run banking institutions have been propped up by countless billions or nationalised, foreign labour has been been brought in to push wages down even further while boardroom salaries spire out of control.

The gap between rich and poor is widening all the time and even though free market capitalism has been a complete disaster things just don't seem to change, it really does look like a case of the blind leading the blind.

Voting

2009-06-04T21:13:00.003Z

I got to my local polling station at Margate bowls club in good time this morning, very nice there too, certainly a bit more up market than the building in St Paul's Road Cliftonville where they normally set these things up. I almost felt I was voting in a posh part of Thanet!

Although I knew who I was going to vote for in the local KCC election I did have a problem with the European vote and voting for the same party, I am a long term Euro-sceptic and I certainly could not vote for any party that supports the European union in it's present state and refuses to give the British public a referendum on the EU reform treaty.

It seems power in Europe is increasingly concentrated in the hands of unelected people we can't get rid of, even the MEP's are not individually elected, we have to vote for a political party then the party decides who the candidates are. Even the central Bank in Frankfurt is unelected.

This all boils down to a gradual erosion of British democracy taking place and if we are not careful a creation of an undemocratic Europe we will be stuck with until it predictably self implodes .

Euro and KCC Elections

2009-06-02T21:01:00.006Z

With the local Kent County elections coming up on Thursday I imagine it must be pretty difficult for any candidates from the three major political parties to go door knocking at the present time.

I doubt whether they would get through a couple of hours canvassing without being verbally abused by a member of the public or at best having a few doors slammed in their face.

Of course, these local elections have little to do with what the majority of Westminster MP's have been getting up to, but nevertheless, I'm sure many people will either not bother voting this time or will cast a protest vote for one of the lesser known candidates.

Hopefully those planning a protest vote will only do this in the European election, while in the KCC election vote for genuine candidates who not only live in the area they plan to serve but will also put in the time and effort needed to do the job properly with regard for everyone who lives in the area and not just pay lip servce to their peers.

No (MP) expense spared

2009-05-13T14:28:00.005Z

At last the 25 year old MP expenses scandal at Westminster has been fully exposed by the Telegraph, many politicians have benefited from this in-house arrangement over the years but very few will suffer any real hardship now other than acute embarrassment in their local constituencies.

Many MP's will either stand down and some will obviously lose their seats at the next election but like most political scandals the only real losers are the general public.

When forthcoming election ballot cards are sent out in future they might as well remove the surnames and just print MUG on each card, because that's how it feels voting in any UK election at the moment.

Goody or Baddie?

2009-03-23T11:17:00.008Z

As the English media strip the last piece of flesh from the recently departed Jade Goody, I wonder if some of the hacks who have been praising her saintly and brave behaviour over the last few weeks might cast their memories back a couple of years and recall the very different stories they wrote with such gusto back then?

In a media frenzy they collectively screamed and scrawled how Jade was the reincarnation of the devil for her 'racist' performance on the celebrity Big Brother show.

The media outcry over the programme prompted 50,000 knee-jerk complaints from the public, Goody was removed unceremoniously from the show, countless character assassination articles and comments from various media sources followed and even Tony Blair and Gordon Brown got involved. Jade Goody was a national pariah.

And what prompted this outcry? Well, Jade had turned into a bit of a bully on her celebrity return to BB, she had argued with Indian Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty and had called her "Shilpa Poppadom" during a row. When asked if she had been threatened racially by Jade, Shipa said 'no it was just bullying' and she could handle Jade perfectly well by herself.

But Oh no! that was not going to satisfy the outraged white middle class media, oh no, they had all firmly decided to be offended on behalf of every Asian or black person in the country, maybe even some of Jade's own black relatives, (Jades Grandfather is black). Maybe even some of Jades mothers Muslim friends (Jades mum Jackiey was a practising Muslim who performed prayers while in the house). This footage was cut from the nightly TV updates.

If you were a follower of Alternative Medicine or Raiki you might think that all this hateful, negative energy towards Jade may even have caused her cancer. The level of hatred towards the girl was pretty astounding, all the more so considering there had been no mention or reaction from anyone when fellow contestant and black man Jermaine Jackson had called Jades family 'white trash'.

It seemed during these last few days that some form of reality was sinking in with all those close to Jade Goody, the realisation that she was actually nearing the end of her life and the media circus was about to end, one can only hope so.

You can take the boy out of Arsenal but you can't take the Arse out of the boy.

2009-03-09T17:33:00.005Z

Sorry but I couldn't resist it!

Shameless MP and Banker awards for 2009

2009-02-28T13:16:00.015Z

There really has been some great performances over the last year hasn't there folks? First of all we must mention that bunch of bankers in the City.

Just recently ex RBS chief Fred(the shred)Goodwin and ex HBOS fat cat Peter Cummins both walked away with pensions of £693,000 a year and £400,000 a year respectively.
Not bad work for bringing both institutions to their knees, and also managing to shed thousands of jobs, pretty impressive I say!

Also super performances from so many worthy politicians.

Tessa Jowell and Jacqui Smith have both displayed great 'shameless' acting abilities, I now absolutely believe Tessa Jowell is separated from her 'husband' David Mills (another contender for this award I should add) and did not know anything at all about the £350,000 bribe from Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi which Mr Mills used to pay off their joint mortgage and which he has been found guilty of and sentenced to four years in prison.

And of course Home Secretary Jacqui Smith is obviously fully entitled to her second home allowance due to her perfectly legitimate arrangement to maximise the amount she can claim in parliamentary living allowances... Both lookers too!

The second home loophole was also perfected by Commons speaker Michael Martin, he claimed up to £75,000 "expenses" to run a second home with NO mortgage... while living FREE in a stately London palace... Bottoms up I say!

Many husband and wife couples in the Commons are cashing in on taxpayer-funded housing allowances by claiming twice for the same home.
They are eligible for double the money other MP's get even though they share a property... What a hoot!

This cunning ploy has been used by so many MP's I just haven't got room to mention them all, however I must congratulate the more worthy contenders. Cabinet duo Ed Balls and Yvette Cooper, Senior Tory backbenchers Sir Nicholas and Ann Winterton, Labours Alan and Ann Keen all made a tidy packet,...Suits you Sir!

Also a thumbs up to all those paying off family members on the 'pay roll'
Tory MP Derek Conway must get a mention here and his foppish son, what a pair!
Also a shout out to MEP's Den Dover, Michael Trend and Giles Chichester, unfortunately they all got nobbled and sacked but certainly made hay while the going was good... Hoorah!

All super contenders but my vote must go to Gordon Brown and Alistair Darling for managing to nationalise one bank and part nationalise two others while still running them all as Capitalist enterprises, shameless or what?

Take Northern Rock for example, a state takeover was marked with increased repossessions of homes, the sacking of 4,000 workers and then lavish bonuses for some of the capitalist crew who still steer the ship. This is state capitalism without a hint or mention of the word 'socialism', anyone in the Labour Party remember what that was all about? I don't bloomin well think so!

All in all an amazing state funded financial free for all for so many and not one public protest or one march on the street, Oh well, lets hope we don't get too hot a summer.

Update 1 (this will definitely be an ongoing process)

March 09: Employment minister Tony McNulty has claimed over £60,000 in allowances for a second home he owns but rarely visits, clever thing is though his parents live there!.. Way to go Tone :-)

May 09

No neeed to update anymore as the Telegraph has taken over and decided to expose the whole shameless lot of them!

Toodle Pip

Global Warming Anyone?

2009-01-05T17:15:00.009Z

As usual around this time of year my ageing central heating system starts to make the usual odd vibrations and noises as the weather gets colder, I've been told by various plumbers, heating engineers and diy enthusiasts over the years that it's all caused by a faulty valve, a knackered water pump, air in the pipes, an old boiler or sludge in the system!

However, I find that booking an annual January boiler service by a corgi registered heating engineer normally sorts the problem out. I tend not to mention the funny noises as this only encourages Mr Corgi to stay longer :-)

Which brings me rather neatly onto the subject of Global Warming (or not as the case may be during this current cold snap) I've noticed recently a distinct lack of scare mongering from the global warming in-crowd, could it be that the recent increase in Arctic Ice this year (against all predictions) and the unseasonably cold weather and snow in all parts of the world has something to do with it?

I guess none of us will know for sure and that really is the case isn't it? Just like we don't know for sure what the weather will do next, or for that matter my central heating. Now that IS an inconvenient truth.

Energy Assessor Training Scam?

2008-12-17T22:17:00.016Z

Just recently I have noticed a flood of adverts in local newspapers encouraging people with no previous experience to train as Domestic Energy Assessors, according to the adverts, new 'green' laws will require all homes and commercial properties to have an Energy Assessment over the next 12 months, the company claim there will be an estimated 2.5 million assessments needed.

The company which I have been looking at has offices in Manchester, Birmingham, London and Bristol. After telephoning their number you are put through to a friendly recruitment officer who gives you a short telephone interview, If he likes what he hears he then invites you for an in depth interview and aptitude test at one of the impressive office blocks nearest to where you live.

At the interview you are reassuringly informed how the company is government approved and how this fast expanding, environmentally important green industry is desperately short of trained energy assessors and how it is possible to earn up to £1000 per week, how the work is very flexible and you could even start your own assessor business! It all sounds so good until towards the end of the interview you hear that there are subsidised course fees, oh well, it's only fair to pay something towards the training when you could be raking in up to £50k within eight months!

What you may have missed as you were thinking of how you will spend all that money is that the fee for the first part of the course is £4950 + VAT, that works out at £5800! Before you have time to really take this in you are whisked off to take your aptitude test in a different office and the friendly recruitment chap shakes your hand, wishes you good luck and tells you he will call you the next day to let you know whether you are suitable for training.

I know for a fact most people are called the following day and told they were successful in their interview and passed the easy aptitude test, many are taken in by the very professional sales patter and are soundly encouraged to sign the contract agreement and pay the whole amount in one hit as soon as possible. It also transpires that to become a Home inspector you have to take the second part of the course which you guessed, costs another £5800.

The recruitment officer is now working hard to get you signed up, he knows there are a lot of people in the UK desperate to find a new career and he will probably put quite a bit of pressure on you, don't forget he will be working on a commission.

What he will not tell you is that as of December 2008, there are already 12000 fully trained and accredited DEA assessors in the job market while Industry professionals believe that a realistic number of Domestic Energy Assessors required is in the region of 2500-4000.

There are thousands of energy assessors now looking for work who have already made large personal investments in time and money to make a success of this new career. Unfortunately, this has not worked out for many in the manner they envisaged and in some circumstances were led to believe it would by unscrupulous training providers.

Sadly it looks like these are the only people involved in this industry who are making the big money, think very hard before you answer one of these adverts and even harder before you hand over large amounts of cash for what may turn out to be a bitter disappointment.

Turner Contemporary II

2008-10-15T12:28:00.008Z

I seem to recall that work is due to start on the long overdue Turner Contemporary!

I quote from Kent news:

'A ‘groundbreaking’ ceremony will be held at the end of next month to mark the start of the project at the former Rendezvous car park on the town’s seafront, which is due to be completed in 2010, KCC said.'

Now with the recent news that KCC might have just lost £50m in Iceland (the Country not the supermarket), money might be a bit tight at the moment, so just as a reminder here are the bits and bobs that were wasted the last time they tried to build an art gallery for the people of Thanet.

I quote from 2006 KCC records

£2,520,795 on principle architect’s fees, including the cost of the ill-fated test obelisk.
£1,153,132 on staff
£780,073 on promotion, entertainment and a change of identity
£609,013 on project managers and quantity surveyors.
£466,232 on town planners and technical consultants
£299,155 on 'miscellaneous professional services'
£249,746 on premises and office costs
£170,000 on 'other costs'
£103,403 on secondary architects fees
£33,782 on travel

About £7 million,.. but who's counting!

I admit I have my concerns about the current project, I remember the film Spinal Tap when the band members wanted a massive Stonehenge set built and gave the builders a drawing of their plans, when the building was finished it was only three foot high!So can we just check that the builders involved with the new Turner definitely know that the architects design was not 'to size' and must be big enough for people to walk around in...gets coat leaves by back entance.

Credit Where Credit Is Due

2008-10-14T12:42:00.002Z

Ex Labour Prime Minister Harold Wilson once said 'A week is a long time in politics'.

For Gordon Brown that quote is an understatement. In the space of seven days he has gone from zero to hero in many peoples eyes. True for some he has sold the capitalists and some unfortunate shareholders down the river but for the City bosses who awarded themselves £17billion in bonuses while the financial system was on the verge of total collapse I think the majority of people know where the blame lies.

Also many will be only too pleased to see the end of Margaret Thatchers unregulated money markets.

Another sorry state of affairs was the toothless Financial Services Authority and the even worse credit rating agencies, neither was up to the job, these agencies who countless people relied on to give good advice on safe places to invest gave cast iron ratings to Icelands banking institutions right up to the last minute, only changing their opinion a couple of weeks before so many councils, private investors and charities alike lost their money.

Even though I will join many others who will lose money in devalued or even cancelled shares in the bank merger and takeover merry go round at least there may be a light at the end of the tunnel where banks are once again run by experienced regulated individuals who have savers and lenders best interests at heart, and not fat cat bonus driven faceless incompetent twats, there I've said it.

Credit Crunch My Arse

2008-10-06T10:28:00.014Z

How many times have we heard the phrase 'Credit Crunch' used lately?

It seems every newsreader, every journo and every tv reporter has got to mention it at least 27 times in every report!

Basically though, it's all just a con isn't it? Just more trendy media/political buzz words to placate the great unwashed, a bit like 'Global Warming' or 'Multicultural'.

The financial sector have known for at least two or three years that this so called 'credit crunch' was in the post. The more astute lender made his dosh and got out before the shite hit the fan, only the greedy, the stupid and the desperate were left with their fingers burned.

The reason the financial sector knew there were problems within long before the general public was that they were the cause of it! The way it's done is not rocket science and certainly beats working for a living.

Basically it's all about lending money and then reinvesting it, taking the profit and then paying off the original debt. Firstly you had to find a currency that had low interest rates, Japan was the favourite and also Switzerland was popular, the bankers, speculators and financial investors would borrow sometimes enormous sums of money from these countries and then reinvest in currencies with high interest rates, Countries like Turkey and especially Iceland which despite only having a small population saw it's economy growing faster than what seemed feasible. Remember the takeover of West Ham FC by the previously unheard of Icelandic consortium?

Once the deal has gone through and the profit is made, the original loan is paid and the profit is reinvested into an asset, maybe property, a football club or a piece of art (very popular among your rich tax evader).

The problem is every time this transaction is carried out, the asset price skyrockets while the debt level becomes even higher, this type of borrowing has been encouraged for many years now from the pinstriped city slicker to the buy to let property developer or even the family on a relatively low income getting on the housing ladder.

Bankers and financial investors have risked pension plans all over the world and savings have become almost unfashionable. The greed and the debt had bubbled to such a point where it had to explode, and the finger of blame points directly at the the financial sector itself and on a smaller scale (but so widespread it added to the problem) anyone who took out a loan they couldn't really afford.

America has managed to offload a masive amount of it's debt around the world (buying debt can be very profitable as long as the debt is recovered) but now it has become a wordwide problem as the defaulters mount up. Basically a failure of the US free market system.

Ever wondered how all these obscure foreign businessmen could afford to buy our UK businesses and Premiership football clubs, and how all these small European country's seemed to have a thriving economy without any real industry?

Well now we all know,.. Only fools and horses work,..Del Boy had it spot on all along.

Living The Nightmare

2008-09-05T12:48:00.003Z

I was suffering a few hours of daytime tv last week and found myself watching an obvious repeat of a property programme, I can't recall what is was called but it was something like: Living the Dream or Location Location or Property Ladder or Relocation Relocation.. you know the type of show, honest john bloke and posh podgy bird both telling you how you can make a killing in the property boom.

Well it seems the housing market has gone the shape of the pear, however, someone forgot to tell the programme controller at this particular TV station and posh podgy bird and honest john are still encouraging us to buy buy buy, let let let, sell sell sell and probably cry cry cry.

Well if anyone took their advice over the last couple of years and is now staring at the dreaded negative equity, let me part with a little advice my uncle (who made a few bob in property when there were no podgy bird and honest john) gave me many years ago and which still holds true.

Dont ever worry about what your house is worth in a years time. There is never a bad time to buy property just bad times to sell it.

If it is going to be your home and you can afford the mortgage then it doesnt matter if it is worth a thousand pounds or a million ponds, its only when you sell up that it is worth anything.

Oh,.. and all Estate Agents and Financial Advisors are bastards.

No expense spared

2008-05-27T17:02:00.005Z

Looking at the shambles of Gordon Brown's government today, it does seem to have all gone down the tubes in a very short space of time.

I remember less than a year ago the carefully planned exit of Blair, the smooth transition of power to Gordon Brown, then the deputy leadership election,..it all seemed to be going so well.

Unfortunately that was about as good as it got, from the moment the new Prime Minister dithered over calling an early election it has gone from bad to worse. When I now look at the Labour front bench I get the same feeling of distaste I had with the then Tory Government as it was preparing to self destruct back in the mid 90's.

Full of self serving individuals that have either been in power for too long or who have just completely lost touch with what it's really like to be an ordinary working person with a family, a pensioner trying to make ends meet or someone trying to run a small or medium sized business.

When the speaker of the house of Commons, Michael Martin spends nearly £200,000 of taxpayers' cash in a failed attempt to keep MP's expense accounts secret you know there is something seriously wrong.

Money still can't buy you everything

2008-05-26T18:00:00.003Z

After watching Edwin van der Sar save the penalty that won Manchester United the European champions league last week I couldn't help but think the Cup had gone to the most worthy club.

I don't support either of the two teams involved in the final but I felt a Chelsea defeat would be of far more benefit to certain players than a victory.

Individuals such as Anelka, Drogba, Terry and Ashley Cole all learned a harsh lesson in humility that will do them no harm. If they each return next season showing half the amount of arrogance they have all displayed on the pitch in recent years then it will be a good thing for the game.

Chelsea owner Abramovich threw his toyskis out of his pram a few days later and sacked his 'yes man' manager Avram Grant. Fortunately money still can't buy you everything.

Another vanishing species

2008-02-20T16:58:00.009Z

After watching another excellent David Attenborough nature prog last week, it struck me that not only do animals, plants, reptiles and fish become endangered species but so do people.I was thinking in particular of Londoners, well,.. to narrow it down, working class Londoners who spoke with a real London accent and whose families had all lived there for generations.

They hardly exist anymore, I was on the London underground recently and I didn't hear one 'old' London accent, come to think of it there were not that many English accents at all, but those I heard were speaking a totally different form of English to which I heard twenty years ago.

"Is like I aint gonna dis it an I aint gonna mess wiv it init" said the guy opposite me to his friend holding his crutch.I could see what he was saying,..I just couldn't understand it!

As my train passed through the bowels of the old East End I heard the new mockney accent that is especially alive and well among the middle class contingent who are flocking to live in places like Bow and Bethnal Green, "Ok yah I'll see you Sa'urday" the essential dropping of the t to add street cred!

The wafer thin young woman with the blonde ponytail looked like she should have been on a cat-walk rather than a tube train. She had obviously been educated at a good school but was desperately trying to sound like an occasional Jade Goody,. She managed to drop at least three t's and a h before her expensive mobile phone cut out as we entered the underground proper just before Bow Road.

"Well nice piece init bro" said the guy opposite me to his vacant eyed pal.
I wasn't sure whether he was talking about the mobile phone or the blonde who had yet to work out that you can't get a phone signal underground.

As the train passed through the City of London area the more desperate looking individuals had already vacated the train and we were quickly becoming overrun with suits and tourists. Two well dressed 40 something males with Surrey accents, private health dental work and badly disguised laptop briefcases had worried looks on their faces. I wasn’t sure if this was because they had shares in Northern Rock or they had spotted the two characters still opposite me who were making odd sucking noises between their teeth and bottom lip, noises that were strangely familiar from a previous David Attenborough programme I had seen Planet Earth.

My tube journey took me to Victoria station and then on to a south eastern train back home to Thanet. As my journey progressed I soon began to hear the familiar strains of the old London accent I had been brought up with. I think we were passing through Faversham at the time and the woman was explaining to the ticket collector that she had lost her ticket.

I realise that the genuine working class cockney Londoner portrayed in the past by characters such as Dennis Waterman in Minder and Michael Caine in Alfie hardly exist in the capital anymore, the great waves of immigration and the middle class watering down of every working class pursuit from football, local pubs, old style cafe, affordable housing and even beano's to Margate have changed things forever.

To see or hear the original London boy now you have to go to Essex, East Kent or any Spanish resort on the Costas, now they still know how to rip you off with a bit of style.

It's a dogs life

2007-11-22T09:34:00.000Z

Well done Thanet Council cabinet members, did I really say that?

The reason I am singing the praises of our much maligned council is that TDC have just voted to ban dogs from two of our loveliest beaches, Joss bay and Botany bay!

From 15th May until 15th September next year, dogs will be banned from these beaches for eight hours a day. I'm not sure exactly which eight hours they are banned though, hopefully my new found confidence in our council will not be crushed by hearing that the ban runs from midnight until 8am!

But that would be silly wouldn't it? and Thanet Council have told us that they have stopped doing silly things so I am assuming the ban is from, say 10am till 6pm! Perfect.

That would still give all the dog owners a fair chance to take a nice early morning stroll and still let Fido deposit all his shit on the beach!

Glastonbury a tale of two Festivals

2007-06-25T12:53:00.000Z

The Glastonbury festival once again spluttered to a cold, wet and muddy finale. The usual upbeat noises were being made by the festival organisers and the music media but the truth is somewhat different.

Thousands of revellers decided to leave the site early due to the appalling conditions and looking at the grim faces of those who lasted till monday morning it was a case of endurance rather than enjoyment. At least fifteen people suffered broken ankles trudging through the mud while many were forced to abandon their tents. At £150 per ticket it must have been a sickener for those who had suffered the same situation two years ago.

The festival however is quite different back stage for the performers, the music and tv media and the large numbers of celebrities who attend. Motor homes and cabins were scattered all over the VIP camping area, Radio 1 DJ Edith Bowman was not able to get one of the free motorhomes on offer but made sure she hired one before the festival, "I couldn't face the thought of all that mud" she said. Smart girl!

The dressing rooms (although sparse by normal standards) offered respite from the terrible weather conditions, some performers only left their tour bus to play their gig. The back stage bar was always busy though, and even had a carpet put down after Radio 1 DJ Mark Ratcliffe slipped over, whether this was due to the free booze or the conditions is debatable!

Among those caught up in bad weather was Dame Shirley Bassey. After her Glastonbury performance she was whisked away immediately by helicopter only to be forced to land in a school field in Camberley, Surrey, after being caught in a storm. A local resident gave her a cup of tea and use of the bathroom. 70 year old Dame Shirley then stayed at a nearby hotel overnight,...bless her.

Rock chick Radio1 DJ Jo Whiley whittered on about how 'amazing' the festival was and how the Glastonbury festival spirit makes up for the weather conditions, somehow I could not take her seriously as she sat there in the studio without a spot of mud on her boots and not a hair out of place, at least the other presenters had the decency to splash a few spots of designer mud on their wellies.

I've been to Glastonbury myself on two occasions in the mid 90's and know it can be a great event, however, the fact is it has now turned into a gigantic commercial enterprise, highjacked by the middle class yuppie element and media. A corporate gated festival where travellers and hippies are no longer welcome, where the stallholders and food vendors are more interested in cash than the atmosphere. Let's have a bit more honesty from the media and promotors about 21st century Glastonbury rather than this rose tinted spectacled clap trap.

This years event was a complete washout just like two years ago, the sound was poor at the main stage and there were countless problems coping with the massive crowd numbers as they desperately tried to leave the festival site on the Monday.

The truth is the event has now grown too big for it's own good.

Global Warming? ..Not Guilty M'lud

2007-03-12T22:50:00.000Z

The recent global warming scaremongering has been created as much by politicians as by scientists desperate for their funding.
Human activites contribute slightly to greenhouse gas concentrations through farming, manufacturing, power generation and transportation, however, these emissions are so dwarfed in comparison to emissions from natural sources that even the most costly efforts to limit human emissions would have a very insignificant effect on global climate.

Water vapor which is 99.99% of natural origin constitutes Earth's most significant greenhouse gas accounting for 95% of Earth's greenhouse effect while CO2 accounts for only around 3.5%, and the majority of that is formed naturally. No one can really deny there has been a recent warming of our climate but I am convinced this is a NATURAL phenomenon.

Of course we could all be a lot more responsible in looking after this planet!
Destroying the rain forests, over fishing the oceans, the disposal of plastic waste and our morbid fascination with petroleum are just a few of the issues we should all be concerned with, however, I do not believe Homo saps will be found guilty on the trumped up charge of Global warming.

This whole bandwagon that politicians are jumping on like Lemmings over a cliff is just nauseating, Blair, Cameron and Brown in the UK and Schwartzeneger and Gore in the US are about as convincing as the weapons of mass destruction scare in Iraq,.. anyone remember that?

Big Brother isn't watching you

2007-01-17T16:34:00.000Z

After watching the TV programme ' Undercover mosques' I checked out the BBC news website the following day for some sort of reaction to it, I could not find ONE mention if it anywhere.

Elsewhere there was a newspaper article in the Guardian and a couple of the tabloids picked up on it, but overall the main story being run on the BBC was all about racism, nothing to do with the naked hatred being taught across the UK in allegedly "moderate" mosques but the reality show called Big Brother. Apparently a few of the contestants had made bitchy remarks about an Indian housemate Shilpa who is also a Bollywood star in her home country.

This story now seems to be escalating into a virtual international incident with MP's getting involved and questions asked in parliament, even Gordon Brown and Tony Blair have commented on it.

Obviously I should stop getting overly concerned at threats by Islamist fundamentalists urging young UK Muslims to hate me and concentrate more on the goings on in the Big Brother house!

Undercover Mosque

2007-01-16T19:45:00.000Z

I watched the programme Dispatches on C4 last night where a reporter with a hidden camera went undercover in some of the many mosques in the UK, what I saw did not come as a massive surprise to me but I was amazed by the number of older Muslims in prominent positions spouting hatred against westerners, Jews and any non believer they consider a kuffaar.

The fact that these people are allowed to preach their extremist views in a supposed place of worship should set alarm bells ringing again in Downing Street. Some of the views expressed were worse than those spouted by the Finsbury Park fanatic Abdul Hamza who is currently in prison and awaiting possible deportation from the UK when his sentence is finished.

Respected Imams who the Government had praised as moderate Muslims were some of the worst offenders and there was also a deputy-head teacher at a single faith school who obviously loathed any Infidel. Muslim women were treated as second class citizens by every speaker who took the microphone, one maniac preached that it was OK to take a bride as young as nine years old as the Prophet deemed it acceptable and called it a marriage!

Of course when confronted with the story each and every Islamist hatemonger on the programme complained they had been misquoted or had not meant to offend anyone.

Basically these people are stuck in the dark ages and would like to drag each and every one of us back there, they are devious hardcore fundamentalists who have no place in a democratic society, unless the government wake up to the growing threat of these fanatics there will be many other days like July 7th 2005.

John 'Poppy' Snow

2006-11-12T11:15:00.000Z

Newsreader John Snow has announced on his Channel 4 Blog that he refuses to wear the Red Poppy on air, he states "there is a rather unpleasant breed of poppy fascism out there - 'He damned well must wear a poppy!'.

I would like to point out to Mr Snow that the vast majority of the public could not give a toss whether he wears a poppy on air or not, he is in the studio to read the news, nothing more nothing less.

This has got more to do with the man himself being pissed with self importance.

Turner Contemporary off-shore Art Gallery Fiasco

2006-11-12T10:48:00.000Z

I have just finished reading the Kent County Council report on the reasons for the scrapping of the Turner Contemporary off-shore art gallery project. The report tells us that the top brass at KCC decided that the potential stormy conditions and exposure to the sea could be a danger to the building and the overall cost escalated as over- paid architects continually changed the design of the building in a vain attempt to keep the project alive and keep the money rolling in.

I remember when the idea of an offshore art gallery was first touted in Margate, countless local people said the building would be destroyed by the sea. Sadly once again this really has been a case of 'The Emperors new clothes' for TDC and KCC.

An appalling waste of £7m that should have been used to regenerate Margate.

Fuel For Thought

2006-09-27T10:36:00.001Z

In recent weeks the price of world oil has been falling almost as fast as John Prescott's credibility. As crude oil dropped to $61 a barrel, UK natural Gas price hit a three year low.

However, British Gas has continually raised their energy prices, the recent hike of 22% was the second rise in six months and was soon followed by nearly all the other energy companies afraid to offend their investors. These are the biggest gas price rises in British history.

Most household energy bills will now exceed £1,000 per year.

While British Gas shareholders last year divided the spoils of £337 million profit (up 64% on 2004), families struggled to pay gas bills that grew 66% in two years.

The question you ask yourself is why our government and the regulator OFGEM continually allow price rises but do not act when world prices drop. Surely companies like British Gas & NPower should now be passing on the savings to their long suffering customers?

The profits these companies make along with all the privatised water companies are obscene.

Iraq what a bloody mess.

2006-09-20T18:26:00.000Z

As the months go by now in Iraq you almost get a feeling of Deja-Vu as you read about the daily killings, torture, suicide bombings and kidnappings .

The politicians tell us this isn't a civil war, ..they're right of course,.. it's far worse than that.

Sadly this war is far from over, the hatred is now so deeply embedded I see no way that the Sunni and Shia people can ever live peacefully together again.

Iraqi people are leaving the country and especially the capital Bagdhad in their thousands, it has become the most dangerous place to live in the world, I can't begin to imagine what it must be like to be a family with young children trying to cope amongst all the madness.

The United States along with Britain has got itself into a no-win situation, If they pull their troops out now the US lose control of the region and more importantly to them, the Oil.
The Shia majority backed by Iran would want to create a greater Shia state and take over the oil rich southern parts of the Country. The Kurds in the North are already well on their way to total autonomy.

The Sunni's know they are in danger of being left with nothing but desert and scrubland and although in the minority are still well organised well armed.

If the US decides to stay for the long haul I can honestly see things getting as bad as they did in Vietnam. The Army has already lost nearly 3000 troops, almost the same number as people killed in the 911 attacks.

Of course Saddam Hussain currently being tried by a kangaroo court in Bagdhad had nothing to do with that event, and didn't actually have any weapons of mass destruction, but nobody mentions that anymore do they?

Should I stay or should I go?

2006-09-07T18:35:00.000Z

In the immortal words of Joe Strummer, Tony Blair has only one major political decision to make in his career, not so much 'should I go' but when?

I'm not one to kick a man when he's down but TB has gone as far as he can go as Prime Minister and the reasons for him to go far outway the reasons for him to stay.

As soon as the PM announced in 2004 that he would not be fighting a fourth election he was a sitting target for Labour and Conservative politicians alike.

As History has shown us, it's not easy for a Prime Minister to give it all up, the only time Margaret Thatcher seemed human was after she was ousted from power after losing all credibility. She looked a sad figure as she left sobbing from10 Downing Street for the last time.

Tony Blair is in a similar position and I would rather see him leave gracefully before next years local elections and be remembered for some of the good things he has done over the last 10 years rather than be kicked from pillar to post by his own party as he hangs on to the last vestige of power.

I feel TB is unsure about handing over the reigns to GB but if their initials are anything to go by the time is right!

Ramsgate

2006-07-12T17:47:00.000Z

I've recently spent a few days out and about in Ramsgate and I must say when the old current bun is shining it certainly puts it's neighbours Margate and Broadstairs in the shade so to speak.

Sitting in one of the new cafe/bars overlooking Ramsgate Harbour and sipping on a cold beer you can almost imagine yourself on holiday abroad in Marbella, come to think of it some of the people walking past are very similar too, I spotted a few shaven headed quasi-gangsters proudly showing off their gold jewellery and latest tattoo while casting an admiring glance in the direction of a shiny moored boat in the Harbour.

Walking about Town it was good to see Ramsgate Market busy and I noticed the Butchers, Bakers and Fruit and Vegetable shops all doing a good trade in Queen Street. I also managed to grab myself a bargain while I was there, three pairs of sunglasses for £10 and only one of them has fallen to bits, luckily I resisted the urge to buy three England flags for the same price, now that would have been stupid wouldn't it?

England replica shirts: Half price sale

2006-07-02T21:45:00.000Z

The shops are crammed with cut price England merchandise, Beckham has relinquished the captaincy and Sven moves on to pastures new. One word springs to mind,...Bollocks.

Never before has an England team had so much hype surround it yet fail to deliver, All style and no substance. When it came to the crunch the star players fell way short of the mark.

Rooney's temperament let him down again, Gerrard and Lampard couldn't produce their club form and Beckham's wife Posh was more noticable than the player himself during matches.

Sven Goran Eriksson proved once again that he lacked the tactical nous to compete at the top level, I was never a fan and must say I'm happy to see the back of the emotionless one.

Just one good thing came out of the Portugal defeat, Ronaldo gave as all another reason to hate Manchester United, I wonder whether Roon and Ron will bunk together again on away trips?

Christianity US Stylee

2006-06-16T12:09:00.000Z

Take a look at this lovely Lady Shelley The Republican, preaching God's word in the 'Land of the Free', Here she is having a nice little chat with a Fox TV presenter.

http://www.shelleytherepublican.com/2006/06/12/thought-of-the-day-12-shirley-phelps-roper-preaching-gods-word-on-earth.aspx

I wonder what our Richard and Judy would make of it all?

Life on Planet Thanet

2006-06-15T22:58:00.000Z

Being new to all this, I've been reading up on a few of the Thanet Bloggers Blogs.

There is definitely life here and it's certainly not all of the pond variety.

Which is nice.

The Margate Exodus

2006-06-15T09:04:00.000Z

The Margate Exodus weekend on Saturday 3oth September and Sunday 1st October are looking for performers. Auditions are being held on Sunday 18th and Monday 19th June at Broadstairs Campus. Website at www.themargateexodus.org.uk

Thanet District Council

2006-06-14T10:38:00.000Z

Just when things couldn't get any worse the powers that be at TDC come up trumps again.

After the Turner Centre tribulation, the Dreamland drama, the Manston Airport malady, the Margate traffic light trauma and the Hartsdown pitch paradox, what do we get? The plastic flower folly.

The wettest May for 20 years saw beleaguered Thanet council gardeners desperately uprooting water guzzling plants and replacing them with their plastic counterparts. Could this be just to prepare us for the further removal of some more plants and a few trees in Dane Park to be replaced by more plastic and maybe some bricks and mortar thrown in for good measure?

World Cup Hype

2006-06-14T10:20:00.000Z

As expected the media have indulged in a frenzied hype over the World Cup. Godlike status has been bestowed upon the likes of Beckham, Henry, Ronaldo and other players well known to everyone through their varied commercial interests. However, most of the major teams in the competition have so far failed to deliver the goods on the pitch.

Brazil struggled against a well organised Croatia and France were 'merde' against little Switzerland. Argentina and Holland were dull and England were dire in the second half playing Paraguay in Frankfurt, even the journalists hoping for the football hooligans to run riot in the City centre were disappointed.

Most of the highlights so far have been provided by some of the less fancied teams, Czech player Rosicky was outstanding in helping his team thrash the US and Australia capitalized on some Kamikaze defending from the Japanese to win in the last minute.

I have a feeling that the hype surrounding Wayne Rooney is still in it's early days and the player is still not anywhere near fit enough to play a full 90 minutes or give 100%.

Eriksson may well have cocked up in picking a half fit Owen and an untried 17 year old while sending home a fired up and fit DeFoe, still, if it all goes pear shaped I hear Real Madrid are ready to take the Swede on as manager, I'm sure there are a few good looking secretaries working for the Spanish FA as well,..... 'get in there Sven!'