Monday, February 24, 2014

Simon Moores as if

What are we to make of all this intrigue surrounding one of our highly respected councillors.

As a one time close observer of local politics, I just wonder why, Simon felt it necessary to talk to the press, or indeed anyone, I for one do not know what to make of it other than to say that if Louise Oldfield believes she has been a victim of bullying she is entitled as a hard working citizen and champion for Margate to ask for assistance from Kent police and they as the experts expected to do a proper job.

Simon is frequently misunderstood as was the case when I posted this some time ago

Saturday, February 01, 2014

Thanet council Jobs Axe or Officers take early retirement?

This week's headline in the Isle of Thanet Gazette, "Cost-cutters wield axe on council's top jobs" gives the impression of tough hard nosed cost control within in the bloated organisation of Thanet council (700 strong what are they all doing?). But surely is this not, just the usual juggling of council officers that happens every few years.

Call me a cynic but I cannot help form the view, that this is just the cyclical process, in which senior officers decide to cash in thier chips, and walk away from the drudgery, cushioned by a pension that money can't buy subsidised by us taxpayers.

Not quite the slash and burn, that long suffering residents might fantasize, I can't imagine that Clive Hart's gang having the attitude or determination to shake up the cosy laid back oasis local government immune from commerce and the real world.

I doubt that I'm alone in wishing, all those time served public sector bods that make up the management could be cleared out, particularly the current chief executive Dr Sue Mcgonigal who presumably oversaw the loss of three million pounds to the foreign company TransEuropa Ferries, still on a personal note I was rather shocked that Mcgonigal was unable to reply to a complaint I made after being forced to leave a public meeting (not for the first time) by officious security bod, whom was by the councils own admission over-zealous and not properly trained.

Even without the hostile attitude of council officers toward democracy Thanet council is without a doubt a perceived as a shambles and you cannot just blame the officers, apparently when the council's independent standards board recently wrote a damming report about the conduct of the council, Clive Hart's and his Labour cohorts decided to reject the report because they didn't like it, as a consequence the board had no choice but to resign.

Finally until councils recruit from the commercial world for senior management posts, local government will be blighted by those, who've been taught to use newspeak, groomed and moulded into the weird mindset of arrogance, self-importance. 

*Deliberately ambiguous and contradictory language use to mislead and manipulate the public