Monday, January 11, 2016

Thanet MP's Why can't they do more for the Royal School for the Deaf

I may be wrong but I get the impression that both Rodger Gale and his colleague Craig Mackinlay MP have given up any hope of the Royal School for the Deaf being saved

Both seem to put the argument that government cannot continue to throw money at the school since it has been run into bankruptcy.

Clearly it seems to be a no-brainer that you'd never want to employ the previous management of the school in a similar institution.

Still it is clear to me that children at the school and young adults are victims of a harsh ruthless system with no compassion but will still need provision for care and education and it therefore seems ridiculous that a new management and organisation couldn't be set up to take over the bricks and mortar and employ the excellent staff.

I looked at Craig Mackinlays thoughts of the 23rd December concerning the Royal School for the Deaf and I found his language a bit too mechanical and lacking sensitivity perhaps I have misinterpreted his words "service users" (3rd paragraph from end) if so my apologies to Craig McKinley

Still the diminishing number of "service users" had a voice on Radio Kent this morning in the form of the mother of a teenage boy who is blind and deaf but has found a home at at the Royal School.

An hour later after the item was broadcast it was announced that David Bowie had passed on and that I found disturbing inasmuch it made me feel older realising that I'm approaching 60 this year, life is short.

However on the drive home, the thing that dominated my thoughts  was the realisation our local MP's or as I sometimes think of them publicly funded protectors of wealth, privilege establishment could do more.

It seems the government has endless money  to waste on pomp and ceremony perhaps one of the most shameful things(2015) I've ever seen in my life was the respect and fuss surrounding the funeral of the Saudi king last year, flags on government buildings lowered to half mast and probably many hundreds of thousands of pounds spent on flying out dignitaries such as Royals and politicians to pay their respect.

We are a country that can afford to let technology companies, banks, manufacturers, construction firms, simply refuse to pay tax but how sad that loose change cannot be found to clear the debts of the Royal School for the Deaf and a new competent management structure put in place.

We can live without MP's who can't change the world, save Manston or move mountains but they could be heroes if they save this school, the money could come from anyone of the hundreds of tax avoiding suited CEO's or their businesses.

22 comments:

  1. As usual Government departments to stupid to act. The individual cost implications far out weigh stepping in and saving the school but you can't stop red tape getting in the way of common sense

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    1. I've sort of given up on blogging but I listened to Gale on TV and read Mackinlay I just find their attitude totally alien and was reminded listening to the radio the impact on just one family.

      It seems immoral that MP's etc have a very comfortable life, some are even able to hold down jobs outside to maximise their earnings.

      Like I mentioned seeing just one company paying up a fair wack in taxation would fund this school and many others

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    2. Nothing wrong with Mps or councillors being well paid. Unless they're idiots...

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  2. Well said Tony and it seems the new Riveroak Dco bid for Manston wouldn't be submitted before November. ..giving our MPs a year of doing nothing....Gale and Craig are useless nonentities even in their own party

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  3. Indeed and the Saudis bankroll hundredd of Uk civil servants and military advisors for their arms deals. Let the Saudis buy their bombers elsewhere

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  4. Thoughts on the Newington election Tony? Disappointed with Ukip yet?

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    1. Fair point Tony although nobody has ever heard of the Libdem fella who is he

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    2. Thanet Ukip in private eye rotten boroughs again as incompetent...the magic touch of Wells in just over a year. What are Latchford and Shonk doing at Kcc...have they lasted the winter?

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  5. £19m tdc budget but £14m salaries isn't impressive from u kip. We're just funding civil servants with no money to do anything...

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    1. Yes it does seem a lot and there is no doubt that councils regardless of political persuasion pay way too much for staff particularly at the senior level.

      I was quite shocked when a chief executive spent money on lawyers advice for defamation in what clearly looked to be a personal issue

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    2. Who would you sack at TDC Tony?

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    3. Who are the Tdc legal bods...that would be a good start after Dreamland

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    4. Tim Howes is the Legal Head but he may be interim? Who was the TC Dreamland lawyer?

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    5. How much are we paying Howes Tdc seems riddled with legal cockups

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    6. About £80K not including pension etc. Not sure if he's a temp

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  6. It wasn't a personal issue Tony it was worse ie Homer threatening Gale as MP with tax funded legal action because he criticised TDC. Not what our funds were meant to br used for. She seems to have let the role go to her head and more fool Gale for not launching a parliamentary enquiry and sacking her

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  7. The closing of the school is a difficult one. I am not sure why the trust needed to employ 500 when there were 55 children at the Royal Deaf school and another 55 students at the college. Other special need residential schools in and around Kent charge £45,000 per pupil which would indicate a staff ratio of less than half that of the trust. Ican see how another trust could step in without goverment funds to keep the trust running. I did think that if KCC can spend over £20 millions building a grammar school in west Kent for the able bodied they could have stepped in as they have a legal duty to educate the 16 to 19 year olds but I guess that many of the students are out of the county.

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  8. Its a specialist national school so would require higher staffing levels and out of county kids. Agree plenty of Kcc funds in a £2bn budget and weak and out of thanet MPs

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  9. Craig Who? He was elected and disappeared never to be heard from again much like Sandys and even Gale. He was supposed to reopen Manston and do up the seafront?

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  10. We'll never hear from Craig again except his dull accountancy tweaks in the parliamentary dull accounting committe. Waste of tax and an election

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  11. In almost a year why hasn't he spoken up about the tdc corrupption or is this the sort of accounting we should expect from him?

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