Margate Mayor - Margate Charter Trustees reputation is it worth anything

With the Mayor of Margate’s conviction for animal cruelty, its the case that once again the reputation of local political institutions is called into question.

Apparently at this point in time Conservative cllr.Ted Watt-Ruffell has resigned from the Tory group on Thanet council but retains his post as Mayor of Margate.

I know little of the Charter Trustees and believe that the membership is made up of District councillors for Margate.

You would think in the 21st century such nonsense as “Mayoralty” would have disappeared but clearly not, it would seem that Thanet and one presumes much of English politics, is brimming with people who wish to dress up in funny clothes and stick lumpy chains round their necks.

What’s next, will Ted do the next decent thing and resign from the council on Monday?, probably not, if you recall the Tory group seemed uninterested in seeing a by-election in Dane Valley previously when Cllr Broadhurst had upped sticks to Panama, the ruling Tory group appeared none to keen to do anything hasty, although belatedly after Bignews Margate exclusively revealed the bogus entry in the register of members attendance, there was talk of a letter of resignation which as I understand it was thrown out as Mr Broadhurst had not signed it. The election resulted automatically as a result of non-attendance not as reported in this weeks Isle of Thanet Gazette after he resigned.

It might be handy if, Thanet council reported on just how Cllr Broadhurst was “signed in” just to clear the air, was it fraud or a clerical errror we should be told, perhaps the Isle of Thanet Gazette should pursue that, rather than perpetuate the conservative resignation line.

Its my view that the Mayoralty, is an anachronism having as much to do with representing the town as a pantomime horse, still this country is obsessed with pomposity and feudal society hence the Royal family presumably descended from god knows what.

Coming back briefly to Cllr Ted, I hope he does the decent thing and we can have by-election, at the earliest opportunity, you will notice no comment from either Clive “Photo-op” Hart or even Sandy “Carpets” Ezekiel, seems both Labour and Conservative don’t want to be judged by the electorate.

Finally according to the Gazette Mr Goldspring ( representing Ted) “rounded on Thanet’s blogs for what he called the “character assassination” of his client, I’d like to point out that this blog and many of Thanet’s blogs have not mentioned the issue, so far even when pressured by family members!