Yesterday I was drained, today it's a refill, last week a there was a fair bit of kerfuffle evident as the fragmentation of the Margate town team organisation took place, which had been signposted, some might feel, by government backed wonder guru Mary Portas who put it "You either let the cameras in with me, or I go back on the train and some other town gets it...."
Well it seems Margate got it, as the TV wallahs rolled in and got involved in the regeneration Margate town centre, as we are all aware, Channel four documentary's report the facts straight, you never get salacious cheap infotainment, I'm sure that when Mary Portas is finished and packaged that we will get a straight, no drama, no fuss analytical documentary of how a celebrity saved the day from truculent business men and women of Margate
Perhaps it's me but I find most gurus that are promoted on telly (with the exception of the late great Fred Dibna) turn out to be less than convincing, the more you study them. For instance would you want a meal cooked by celeb Gordon ( ucking) Ramsey, imagine how many abused staff are needed to cook a three course meal, myself I wouldn't trust him to cook a bacon sandwich without exhibiting the need for emergency anger management, coincidentally he works for the same production company Optomen Television Ltd as Mary Portas.
Anyhow forget all that crap, all is not lost, I see that those who will be still around, when the Mary Portas show has left town for good, have set up shop because they believe in Margate, the new group Streets Ahead Margate, seem to have enthusiasm in abundance "We are passionate about where we live and work..... Many of our newly formed team, Streets Ahead Margate had already been heavily in involved taking forward aims and objectives to really make Margate a better place to live, work and visit." and are encouraging help "We welcome help and ideas from all sectors of our community.
If you asked me I'd say it's grass roots people who build towns not media bods creating an hour of telly, given the choice of a consultant working with a channel four contractor and passionate local people with a clear interest and ambition in improving the town and the local community I know who I'd listen to most.
And what have you done to assist Margate's regeneration Tony?
ReplyDeleteNot a lot Tony, or anyone else, can do in isolation which is why we elect a council to pool our efforts using our council tax.
DeleteUnfortunately they, sometime back, decided to invest in Westwood Cross and, at a stroke, decimated our High Streets. Even Mary Portas cannot right that error and she will simply make a bit more for herself telling us what we already know. That most of our High Street retail outlets need to convert to residential.
I can tell you what he has done Anon 08.02, he has been to the Turner Gsllery. This £16.7 millions project was meant to kick start Margate's revival but 18 months on the unoccupied shops rate has now passed 38 percent. Maybe a few businesses near the gallery have benefitted but thats a lot of dosh and an ongoing £2 millions a year to keep the Turner going. I did read on another blog that it has the best toilet in Thanet and maybe the attendance figures are inflated by people just using the toilets. The £100k given for the Portas pilot seems rather trivial compared with this spend.
ReplyDeleteTony cant blame airheaded lefties for the decline of Margate.
Soon it will have the ONLY toilet in Thanet.
Delete08 02 I should hang my head in shame still I have been posting this blog for the last six years, roughly 1750 posts 13300 comments published often about Margate although not necessarily about Margate but from Margate.
ReplyDeleteWhat the heck have you yourself done that you are too ashamed to use your own name.
As ever it's simple enough don't visit these pages God knows that the English is basic, iny defence I started this blog as a reaction to idiots such as yourself, each posting takes an hour or more often two
1750 posts most of them just negative knocking of others that have and are trying to give Margate and Thanets residents a decent living environment. I know that you live in a fantasy world of a thriving Manston where passengers all arrive by high speed rail and thousand of jobs are created and you would like TDC to spend millions on Dreamland with the hope of millions comming to the town but what are you ideas on a realistic plan for the area?
Delete13 36 why don't you try to speak with some authority who arre you what have you ever done.
DeleteYes tony flaig the Nobody from Margate and you anonymous from nowhere who cares for your p ss poor opinion and sour grapes
I should add that my main reason for creating this blog was as a reaction to all those in public life who have been conditioned to think they have the answers. When clearly they didn't
ReplyDeleteWhich is why margate had to wait while building of the Turner was delayed through a combination of poor decision making and design presumably by experts