Friday, March 23, 2012

Thanet Press a new dawn?

With local papers being hard pressed, due to the migration from paper to pixels, on top of the recession, it's encouraging to see the recent launch of a new monthly title "Thanet Watch", which if nothing else adds to local biodiversity.

Having missed the first edition, coming across the April edition, probably gives a better idea of what to expect in future should it last that long.

A quick glance and I have to say it's better than one of those little advertising booklets often found in chip shops, but has some considerable distance between itself and the Gazette. 

Still the Gazette isn't perfect, I note that recently some considerable space was given to Cllr Mike Harrisons choice of words in describing some women he disagreed, interesting that so far no reference to my own complaint, must give them a ring!

One feature that I thought might be interesting in the Thanet Watch, was headed up "Is there human trafficking in Thanet? My view is there almost certainly is but reading this article it goes off on a bit of a tangent which in itself is thought provoking, any how I suggest you divvy up 60p if you want to know more.

For myself it leans to far to the left but then so much of mainstream media leads to far to the right especially BBC radio Kent who almost alone in news gatherers that have yet to cover the rather embarrassing and confusing  state of affairs of senior Kent Conservative County councillors including local Cllr Bill Hayton in handling their expenses and rides in taxpayer funded chauffeur driven cars. Still be assured this all resulted from ghastly  "administrative errors".

Anyway that's it for now


19 comments:

  1. More the Thanet version of the Socialist Workers Party rag than any new dawn. This eminates from that hub of protest in Broadstairs, the Red Hall. Can't imagine anyone with an unbiased view point calling their place 'Red' so don't expect a balanced approach to reporting.

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  2. Well I'm not about to cancel m subscription to socialist workers paper

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  3. The Red Hall is so-called because it used to be the Red Cross Hall, and as we don't teach first aid we thought it best to drop the "Cross". But I am cross a lot - especially at people who've got nothing better to do than slag off new publications that are trying to examine important issues in Thanet, such as the care of the elderly.
    Christine Tongue
    Thanet Watch and Thanet on Film
    PS Are the Red Cross run by the Socialist Workers too?

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  4. I'll buy a copy Christine if it can tell me what's happened to the Margate protesters & (more importantly) what exactly they've achieved.

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  5. Care of the elderly, Christine, surely you are having a laugh. Didn't you campaign vigerously against the new Broadstairs Community Centre which, amongst other things, would have given a veterans' association and Age Concern a new home.

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  6. I thought the Red Cross moved out when the SWP moved in!

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  7. Like you Tony I found it an interesting addition to local printed news, ironic that the previous socialist local paper was financed by our Conservative MP. I would guess that most of the aspiring anonymous literary critics haven’t actually read it. Incidentally I think we still have a couple of copies of the first edition in stock and I would see the first ten issues as being an important local collectable, so I wouldn’t throw them away.

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  8. So some of our KCC county councillors have been prone to making admin errors when making their expenses returns. They should also check that they have filled in their members interests correctly as the council dont seem to do this.
    It makes you shudders to think that some of these people are so called expert in finance, transport, regeneration, childrens and social servies and they are able to make simple admin slip ups.

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  9. anon 8.17

    Totally agree its a disgraceful state of affairs, more like experts at raking it in. And they should be thrown out if they dont declare all conflicts of interests and business interests.

    Imagine, if you are a double hatter at county and local level, as some are. And have a relative who works for the local authority who could also be raking in nearly £50,000 a year with a possible bonus of £3000 on top, whilst most families are struggling to make ends meet and feed their children.

    http://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/childrens_social_services_pay_st_4#incoming-267201

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  10. I see the apolitical, everso nuetral Michael is now plugging a left wing rag (which I have read) and to make sure everyone rushes out and buys it, he dons his antiquarian expert hat and suggests it will become a collectors item. Bit like MacDonalds toys were supposed to I guess.

    Having read the first I think I can live without further editions.

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  11. 7:31, she campaigned against a new disabled access friendly community centre because of vested interests in letting out her own hall. If a councillor had done that she would have been the first to protest.

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  12. I guess you mean me - Christine? Well I have to reply to that criticism, don't I? But I am very uncomfortable about people who attack me so rudely and personally - and anonymously. Of course I worry about the care of the elderly - and not just because I'm old and disabled - and would have welcomed a new community centre in Broadstairs, but not in the park! The Red Hall is not a rival community centre - what a mad idea! It's where we work - making films. My office and editing suite is here. We host meetings here for some small local groups, such as Friends of the Earth, and Amnesty International, and we put on plays, films and community events - all welcome! But the Red Hall is much too small to be a proper community centre.

    Age Concern - as I remember it - had to leave the building in Pierremont Park long before the council halted the project. If I had a suitable building I would welcome them to use it.

    Christine Tongue
    The Red Hall
    inmeds@yahoo.co.uk

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  13. Christine, whilst not approving of the anonymous attacks on you I must say you are being a bit misleading with your comments about the Broadstairs Community Centre.

    Yes, it was going to be in the park but with a smaller footprint than the two buildings it would have replaced. Hence there would have been more park, not less.

    You also made it an election issue, putting out a press release calling on people to vote for the candidates who opposed the new centre. The fact that 13 of the 15 councillors elected supported the centre should tell you what the voters of Broadstairs wanted.

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  14. Tom Clarke, you're comments are very interesting but I still don't think they tell the whole story about why the town council wanted a community centre in the park.

    We are going to cover this in a future edition of Thanet Watch and would welcome an interview from you to give your view if you feel it's been under-represented so far.
    Christine

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  15. Christine, thanks for the invite but I do not do media interviews. In my experience they tend to misquote or take out of context to suit the story they want to portrait.

    As for my views they are more facts, but you already know that for you have been told repeatedly about the refused building footprint in the park and you are equally aware that your endorsed candidates faired miserably in last May's election.

    With you, however, that matters not at all for you remain, as ever, convinced that you speak for some mythical majority who disagree with everything the democratically elected town council propose.

    Perhaps you may find peace and happiness when you get a Labour controlled Broadstairs town council, but I would not recommend holding your breath on that eventuality.

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  16. How can I represent the views of the unrepresented when their representatives won't speak out?
    Christine

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  17. Possibly because they are not as unrepresented as all that for I think mine are supported by at least thirteen of the fifteen Broadstairs town councillors.

    Furthermore, a newspaper produced by the anti-Community Centre protest organisers is hardly representative of a cross section. More a mouthpiece for the opposition.

    As I said before, thanks but no thanks.

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  18. Well in a democracy oppositions need a mouthpiece too!

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  19. Does that hold good for the BNP and EDL as well 12:12? Or maybe it is only a partial democracy with more rights for the left than the right.

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