Sunday, May 20, 2012

Thanet notoriety continues

I see Private Eye magazine has in it's current issue, in the Rotten Boroughs section, a feature on Thanet, the author reporting on a recent news story covered in the local press, concerning the former leader of the council, of which we are all familiar admittedly a bit of ancient history has been added, to beef up the story, however I just wonder, if the contributor will be tapping into the rich vein of controversy over current Labour leader Cllr Clive Hart's recent new appointments to the council.

Still where would a journalist start, well I suppose cries of "shame" would be a good one, reneging on a promise to reduce allowances, the irony of a disloyal, councillor, who replaces a long time, loyal Labour party member, who quickly brushed off the Labour group, then gets handsomely rewarded by Clive Hart, who had much grief trying to justify his actions. 

Still you could all keep it simple I suppose, because Clive Hart has basically increased allowances creating a few jobs that didn't exist before and of course taken £10,000 away from money intended to serve the local community.

One other point to mention is that it doesn't look as if any of Clive Harts colleagues are rushing to justify or indeed support him, I have to agree with other critics Clive Hart and his cohorts are wasting money in shameful way.

Finally just to get the measure Clive Hart's concern for reaction to his new increasingly bloated alliance a sort of  smorgasbord of self interest, here is what was uppermost in his brain the day after last weeks AGM if his twitter stream is anything to go by "Morning briefing at TDC and in Margate High Street with our new cleaning machine - The Glutton. Afternoon swim & back to my office at home.   


PS Well done Clive "you couldn't make it up" Hart, can't wait for the inept, horse trading and shenanigans that will surround selection of candidates for next years county councillors, I understand that the one successful candidate from last time around is to be deselected. I note that Labour councillors are keeping schtum as well they might, how can they explain to honest, decent members why they are not honouring their promise to cut allowances and giving jobs and money (allowances) to "supporting" councillors?

29 comments:

  1. I'm trying to decide who are the biggest obsessives in Thanet. Here's my candidates so far:

    (1) Tony Flaig with Clive Hart.

    (2) John Worrow with Simon Moores.

    (3) Simon Moores with John Worrow.

    (4) Michael Child with the Pleasurama site.

    (5) Louise Oldfield (of Margate Architecture) with Arlington Tesco.

    Any I've missed?

    At least my obsessions are healthy! ; )

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  2. Rick with the IRA / Deal Barracks?

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  3. Almost a good call Peter but my obsession is not with Clive Hart but with politics blogging and spotlighting hypocrisy, shady dealings and where ever it comes from.

    Like you I've been doing this S#;t for some years so, if anything I've been a serial obsessive, drawn to crap administrations bent politics, corruption incompetence.

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  4. Tony Perhaps they will not draw their allowaces and start doing the job for the love of the local economy.

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  5. Ok, but please point out to me & everyone else what is so bad about this:

    "Morning briefing at TDC and in Margate High Street with our new cleaning machine - The Glutton. Afternoon swim & back to my office at home."

    All this seems to say is that (a) he's working on a sunday, & (b) he's keeping himself in shape, both of which I suspect are much more than most of us are doing today (and that includes myself).

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  7. I think there's a distinction to be made between political shenanigans - which all three main parties play all the time - and a former council leader accused of being crooked. The latter is an alleged breach of the law, after all.

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  8. Peter

    He refers to his wife as "Cllr Mrs Hart". I ask you...........

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  9. I know men who call their wives worse in public!

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  11. I'd like to remind readers this is blog is about fairness and local politics comments designed as personal attacks will be removed tonyflaig@gmail.com

    7 19 Clive's wife is a councillor so, what's the problem.

    Part of this blog is about the adverse publicity attached to current legal cases and about the misuse of taxpayers money.

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  12. In 2010 when in oposition Clive seemed think that the Labour group should do everytghing it should to keep costs down, yet now 2 years later no longer in oposition he is happy to spend, spend, spend!

    Yours Sincerely
    P!ssed off Labour Voter.

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  13. Look Tom who of us are actually qualified to make judgements on people private medical situation, it's a cheap shot.

    I recall once having the honour, if that's the term of being present for a 27 year old first job since the age of 17, this little worthless, person had been claiming sic for ten years for depression, not that according to his pals ever stopped him gambling drinking or indeed ever missing a home game of his London football team. A complete drain

    So if someone in the public eye has worked in the voluntary sector because they are incapacitated by a physical problem who are we to judge. Lets face it the jobs market is not that rosy at the best of times, do you think I would work in the wind and rain, long hours most weekends from choice, well I might but then we're all individual.

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  14. From John Kirby- From where I was sitting I think Peter Campbell was physically holding David Green's arm up for the vote of Chairmanships for Driver and Worrow -brotherly arm-twisting!!!!!!

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  15. Tony, I made but an observation that was not intended to be a cheap shot as you put it. Indeed, I still think it was fair comment and nothing like as critical as some you deem fit to publish. Accordingly time to say cheerio because I don't do censorship.

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  16. Well Tom, I dont think your unpleasant comments will be missed. Goodbye or as you would say good riddance.

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  17. Thanks for your good wishes, anon 11:01, I will miss you too, whoever you may be!

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  18. Sorry Tom if you think I'm being overzealous, maybe I am, your comments are much valued.


    However after some thought, and having removed a similar if somewhat considerably more personal comment, I thought, erratic and inconsistent as I might be I couldn't not treaty yours similarly.

    Having slept on it I don't disagree with your comments but that said I try not to get to personal and concentrate on the politics yes I don't doubt many consider me to be malign and offensive which does not surprise me as honest analysis is generally more hurtful than abuse.

    And I think John Kirkby, is probably not wrong in his assessment changing the subject. A fair number of the labour bods looked to be
    struggling with the notion of fair play, principle and towering the party line

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  19. Arent all the councillors shady especially the county council ones ?

    A nation of sheep soon begets a government of wolves.

    Personally, Ive not come across an honest one yet must just be unlucky or what !

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  20. Oh dear, Peter. You seem to think the No Tesco Arlington campaign is just me! I think you'll find there are many supporters of the cause who have helped fund the so far successful legal challenge. It's been quiet on the Tesco front for a few months while we wait to hear back from the Planning Inspector, which has given many of us time to work on other things in the town such as the Mary Portas bid, the Coastal Community Fund bid and countless other things around the town. I see from your absence at any of these community activities, Peter that your obsessions are obviously elsewhere.

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  21. Well I see that as soon as Tesco is mentioned you comment, yet you seemingly almost never find anything else that Tony writes worthy of responding to, and the same applies to posts by Simon, Michael, Matt, John & just about every other Thanet blogger.

    So thanks for proving my point.

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  22. Fair enough, Tony, and I do appreciate it is getting harder to run a site with so many Diversity Champions policing the ether. Hopefully, however, we can continue to voice opinions, as long as they are not too obscene or defamatory, under our right to freedom of speech.

    Just one point though, back on the earlier issue. If it is correct to call someone Cllr Mrs then why not Cllr Mr, otherwise there is clearly sexual discrimination. I always thought it was Mr, Mrs, Miss, Ms or other (please state) as a title with the other being things like Reverend, Colonel or Viscount. Where else would you use dual titles?

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  23. Oh and the reason I don't attend any of those activities is because they're usually politically motivated, just like Ian's & John's ever-changing campaigns are. As Simon has pointed out, in all but name your blog is "Margate Labour" (you even repost Labour press releases without comment). I'm certainly not saying that some of these projects are not worthwhile, but I wonder how welcome I or anyone else would be if we were to voice the opinion that (say) those seafront protesters are a waste of space or that Roger Gale's views on gay marriage are correct?

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  24. Is he really bisexual?

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-kent-18151340

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  25. To Peter Checkersfield - isn't it a bit juvenile to suggest the only person 'obsessing' over Arlington Tesco is Louise Oldfield (who I'm afraid I don't know)? There are plenty of people working bloody hard to ensure Tesco doesn't blight the seafront.

    Julie

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  26. Where did I say that she's the ONLY person obsessing over it?

    And (for about the 300th time) it will NOT be on the seafront; it will be around the corner, just like the Tescos in Westbrook and Broadstairs to name just two.

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  27. Tony
    My point was that he refers to her as Cllr Mrs Hart when tweeting about a wedding anniversary trip to London and other family matters! Surely she's only referred to as Cllr Mrs Hart when the subject is council-related; I quote
    8th May "Quick swim with Cllr Mrs H and grandson"
    6th May "Wedding anniversary & birthday so took a day out for trip to London with Cllr Mrs H"
    Not a personal attack just a comment on his strange language.

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  28. Tom / Tim, I'm sure it's just a term of endearment, no different from "she who must be obeyed" or "'er indoors"... but if that's the biggest criticism you can find then perhaps Labour need to bring in more swearing / fighting / animal killing and charges of (alledged) corruption!

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