It's been an awful year, so welcome 2014

Everyone has a different perspective on this last year, for me just looking at how things have degenerated in public life, I've little confidence, that things are likely to improve.

In Thanet,it seems to me that in particular, Labour has shown themselves to be at the very least, less tolerant of scrutiny.  It's easy to understand why given the thinly spread talent that makes up Labours front bench.

Thanet councillors seem to expect the mere fact of being elected demands respect, whereas those of us in the real world know that is earned.

In my view, Thanet council officers and council members exude arrogance, one reason I no longer go to meetings is the level of harassment which would not be out of place in Russia.

Having myself been bullied by council staff and forced to leave public meetings,  it was with some sadness, that I read back in October how once again, a local blogger was forced to leave another public meeting apparently with the involvement of Kay Dark the labour appointed council chair.

Coming to more recent history, the councils standards committee I guess felt honour bound to resign after Labour led by Clive Hart objected to conclusions in a recent report suggesting councillors distrust of the public, the local suspicion of secrecy corruption and distance between council offices and the reality of people lives and needs of the community.

Let's face it, local politicians throwing their toys out that pram is nothing new, demanding that an independent group of, I suspect honest decent people volunteering  themselves to serve local democracy, should have to rewrite a report to suit Clive Hart and his cronies is outrageous.

Moving on,  I suggest Labour take lead from Bob Bayford's Conservative group who rather than have a hissyfit, following  a Standards Committee meeting held on 21 November, thanked committee members for their hard work, making councillors aware of the "fragility of their reputation" with Cllr Bob Bayford adding  “We accepted the report’s main conclusions on Thursday and we repudiate the torrent of criticism directed at the report and its authors during Thursday’s Standards Committee meeting.”

If Clive and his colleagues in the Thanet Labour group want a better 2014, I suggest they take good hard look at themselves in the mirror and look beyond the empty headed sloganeering. Probably the best way forward for Labour would be dump Clive Hart and that other genius Alan Poole who seems to specialise in blaming the public when the council cock's up, blimey they TDC cannot even empty the binds round here.