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today i attended a coomunity learning event at the marlowe academy in thanet

there was a disappointedky small turout however i can see the usefulness of a such a forum given the low skill  levels in east kent

i was pleased to be able to ouline some of the initaives thatr dover district council is involved in such as the free parenting classes for people with teenagers

i was also able to outline some of the work that the coalfield communities campiagn is doing in this area 

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Current mood: Cool


Bishop Moves to check prison plan

I read in the local church paper that the Bishop of Dover Bishop stephen Venner has come out in opposition to the proposals for the open prison in dover.

tonight i managed to quiz the bishop about his stance. He said that he was concerned about the way the decision had been reached and that there needs to be more consultation about whether this was right for the nationaas a whole for this facility to be situated here.

He was also concerned over the rise in the prison population that made such a facility needful. He was worried that there may be other corrections that could be administered by the courts which made prisons more of a last resort, for example locking up people for non payment when perhaps a community service  sentence may be more justified.

 

It does no service to country to be in such a predicament.

Current mood: Sad


You Tube

following advice from my ever knowewdgeable son i have created a You tube account

he assures me that this will make me one of the most well known district councillors from eastry and sure to treble the number of hits on this site too though may not help with my spelling.

 

mind you he may have been pulling my leg too!

Current mood: Sceptical


Traffic Issues

i still notice that some traffic moves faster through the villages than it does through the  countryside

do these people feel that this is a safer way to drive?

ie thaye go 20 - 30 miles per hour  outside the villages then speed up to 40 when they reach the villages

 

Current mood: Mad


Eastry Drop in

This morning i attended the eastry drop in. Since it is the mid term break i took my son too as he loves the home made cakes on offer and i must confess that i had some too.

It was an enjoyable chat with other members of the community there and there were no complaints this week.

the only question was concerning walks run by the white cliffs countryside project

This  group leads walks in the district and is also very active during school holidays

i have often taken my children to activities run by them

This is an organization for the community's benefit supported by the district council

 

Current mood: Happy


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Why do some people insist no parking badly . There are lines marked yet some people seem to say no attention to them which annoys me i would appreciate your comments
y . There are lines marked yet some people seem to say no attention to them which annoys me i would appreciate your comments

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we are encouraged to re use waste so today i visited the kent county council scrap store
The place is full of unwanted and used items ideal for crafts and other interesting projects

i would encourage people to have a look to see if there is anything there of use to them

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Current mood: Cool


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Kent public services submission to the comprehensive spending review 2007.

there were colleagues from both Kent County Council, Medway unitary Authority  and other district councils as well as representatives from Kent Fire and Rescue and Kent Police.

A number of MPs also attended.

Paul carter set out the state of central government funding and how Kent residents were having to fund a greater proportion of locla goverment funding compared to residents in the North anb east of the country.

This situation has reached the stage that we are now looking at a decrease in funding for next years settlement despite an inflation rate of 3.6%

 

Simon Ridley from the Treasury gave a short presentation informing us of governemnt plans . This included a look at regeneratiuon where there were proposals to devolve more power to regional bodies as well as local authorities.

There was also reference made to reviews on Planning, Transport, The environment, mental Health . the issue of waste management was also identified as a "Challenge" for this next round of funding.

Other local bodies such as the univesirty of kent, represented bu vice Chancellor Prof. David Melville reported on the strengths of kent including joint working with other authorities but i had to disagree with his assessment that kent was well served by 2 motorways. our Local MP Gwyn Prosser also noted this in his input where he highlighted the deficiencies of the M2

 

The submission was independently vetted by Deloitte and their representative highlighted the unique factors that exist in Kent.

Julian Brazer MP asserted that the current council tax funding regime places an unfair buren on the elderly especially given that Kent has a high inward rate of migration of over 65 year olds

Paul Carter spoke of how this session is the start of a long journey but that we need to start highlighting the unfair position that Kent is in.

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Current mood: Sceptical


Tilmanstone Parish

Overgrown Hedges were discussed

Thsi is an issue for sevral of my parishes and i was able to share the experiences of Great Mongeham in this discussion

 

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Current mood: Cool

Tilmanstone Parish

Tilmanstone parish council was held tonight i braved the elements to attend with my colleague
There was a full agenda and the local county council also mde an appearance

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Current mood: Cool


church

this mornning i attended our local church

it was a much smaller congegation than last week

The sermon was about power and service

The reading was from Marks Gospel

where Jesus is telling his disciples

that in order to follow him

we must serve others

i feel that thsi is a good lesson for politicians

from all levels of government to take notice of

that we are not there for our own glory

but there to serve the communities

who have entrusted us with these positions

of authority

 

Current mood: Love


communities

With the advent of Blogs and internet links the number of hits on our parish council website is increasing

a lot of this ttraffic is from ancestry related searches and the number of links between local sites is also increasing

this is good news for those who maintain such websites so that their work is getting greater recognition

This week i have added a link to the Walmerweb  to the parish website

I also notice that ancestry Deal is generating muchgh interest

hits are coming from as far away as canada for this information

if you are an overseas visitor please leave your comments

although i still love to hear from local residents

Current mood: Cool


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members of the secretariat and deputy chairman of the ccc at national meeting in kilmarnock
there was discussion on the assited area status map as well as debate on the future of the organisation, whether it should merge with other lobby groups on the UKs former industrial base.

 

i was able to give the meeting an account of the English Partnership meeting as well as a brief report on the Community opera i attended the week before as well as Dover Districts Council's support for the move the miner campaign.

 

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Current mood: Cool


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Democracy day where local school students get to be councillors for a day was held at the council chambers
get to be councillors for a day was held at the council chambers

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10:30pm and the meeting continues

still going after protracted discussions  on water shortages, move the miner, housing grants, equalirty and diversity policy  and questions arising from minutes of cabinet and other committees.

 

Current mood: Cool

Full Council Meeting

tonight is full council meeting

so far we have had an indepth address by the leader on the campaign on the open prison for Dover. This will be further discussed later in private in the meeting.

There have also been debates on questions on the Schools proposals by Kent ounty Council, reports on attendance at conferences, recycling, the role of tenants groups, licensing applications, employee job evaluation, performance on re-lets in the housing department and the performance report.

 

all this in just 2 hours !

Current mood: Cool

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english partnerships meeting Anne Denne from The Betteshanger Regeneration Team was invited to speak to delegates about her experices at Betteshanger as part of the National Coalfields Program supported by |English Partnerships. Here she discusses her work with John Parsker a non executive director of EP and another delegate.

The event included an address by Secretary of State Ruth Kelly as well as presenations from key people within English Partnersips.

Robert Napier who is also a non executive director talked about the need to reduce our consumption of resources. He asserted that western europe is consuming resources at the rate equivalent to 3 palnets and that we need to cut this back to a single planet figure.

 

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Current mood: Sad


Post conference reflections

with the east Kent partnerships conference over it is time to reflect.

The transformation of the east kent partnership seems to be making it a policy development group although i wonder about the usefulness of that when one considers that local authorities already have such a team.

There was much talk about the east Kent natural Park but there seemed to be a lot of unanswered questions about this concept.

The issue about the role of SEEDA whether to make investemnst on the hope of returns or based on needs was not tackled although this may not have been the right venue for such a discussion.

 

I came away thinking

so what?

what does this mean for our communities

perhaps thsi is a question to be kept under review

 

Current mood: Sceptical


Coastal Resorts

Prof Steve fothergill, better known to East kent through his work with the CCC on the east kent coalfields  came to the EKP conference to discuss hiw work on seaside resorts.

thse he claimed had unique characteristics that set them apart from the surrounding countryside.

 

In east kent the resorts were defined as Thanet, Herne bay, Whitstable and Deal. Dover was classed more as a port than a seaside resort.

The study found that although foreign holidays may have led to decreased visits to the seaside, there was still some growth in this industry

 

He aslo found that this area while experiencing some growth may be more prone to fluctuations in the economy

he also said that there may be a case for applying to our regional development agency SEEDA for funding to address issues around these towns such as provision of unique infrastructure

Current mood: Sceptical

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paul tipple of ekp

Paul was talking about the work of the East Kent Partnership. he was followed by janet waghorn who said that EKP was to be transformed into a policy development unit as well as working on the East Kent Natural Park

 

A colleague from canterbury City council  suggested the phrase

 

"East Kent - Naturally"

 

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Current mood: Sceptical

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saha hashemi at ekp conference

She gave an inspirational presentation on her exp[eriences with starting up the Cafe Republic chain of cafes.

 

Innovation led to breaking up established preactices which led to obstacles from existing structures including suppliers. finace institutions and ultimately customers but which needed to be worked through to gain a compretitive advantage.

 

Anything worth doing was worth doing badly as entrepreneurs did not have time do do things pefectly but just to do things which could be impreoved upon later.

 

asked whether there was an entrepreneurial spirit in governemnt she said yes there would be but she could not give examples.

I think i know who they are - the elected members who take risks to deliver better public services and i include colleagues from all sides of the political sphere.
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Current mood: Cool


The Promised Land

Last night my wife and I attended a performance of this  Community Opera at the Marlow Theatre in Canterbury.

It Turned out to be an account of the last troubles assocaited wiith the Betteshanger Pit from the 2nd World war to its final closure in 1989.

I can see that it would an appeal to those who recall that time and would like to relive it.

As the show concentrated on some of the conflict between the miners and the rural dwellers, there was little about some of the other main occupations such as seafarers who are also vital to our community and they may feel that they have been airbrushed out of this account.

 

The final scene was one of doom  and despair as the pit closed which again neglects the outcome which is being worked on at the moment by the community led Betteshanger Regeneration Team.

 

As a piece of art it may have some merit as the show contaied some fine moments of spectacle.

Good in parts was how i heard someone else describe it.

Current mood: Sceptical


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my son helping to collect for macmillan cancer relief

I feel it is important to bring children up to help with charities


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Current mood: Happy

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the weekly run to the recycling point

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CCC Midlands Meeting

The  Midlands group of the CCC held their regular meeting in Dover Today, Members travelled from a far away as Bolsover to attend this meeting.

Cllr Anne Denne gave a presentation on the Betteshanger Regeneration Project. She is part of the community consultation team which has been working with SEEDA and local authorities to help remedy this brown field site.

The CCC is concerned with Lobbying on national issues and has been very helpful for our Dover District in attracting additional funding for regeneration as well as campaigning on health, transport and education

Current mood: Happy

Great Mongeham Village design Group

Last night i also attended the monthly meeting of the village design group. Thanks to grants from the parish council and our locla county councillor, the group is able to move on to drafting a report. Thsi has been a long process looking at the history and character areas of the village.

There has been widespead interest in the project and i look forward to the preparation of the first draft report.

Current mood: Cool

Northbourne Parish Council

last night  i attended the Northbourne Parish Council.

Traffic speeding through the village is also one of their concernsn Too many people using rat runs through the back country roads do not slow for the villages. Local residents feel vulnerable trying to cross the road in such places. I wish people would just slow for the villages.

 

There was also a discussion of  footpaths not being reinstated after sowing.

 

Recycling is another  issue as some residents do not have any recycling collections while others have both black box as well as green waste collections. My colleague Cllr Kenton was able to update the council on this vital matter

Current mood: Cool


An Open letter to one of my colleagues

Dear Cllr Knight

Thank you for your brief comment about the work of the CCC.

I am disappointed that you feel that the established information flows do not meet your needs .

The minutes of the CCC are available in the members room for the perusal by all members of the council and these are the official communications relating to the working of this influential lobbying organisation.

I am concerned that you misunderstand my role in respect of the main regeneration projects in the district, namely, Betteshanger, (although I have not seen you at many meetings of this project team), Snowdown, where my involvement was minuted at a recent meeting, and North Deal. My role is to support the communities involved and I feel that I have a rapport with the chairmen of these  organizations. I  am more than happy to take issues forward in consultation with these people. I feel too many members do not spend enough time listening to the community

 

The CCC is a national lobbying organisation and i feel that we are achieving much with their support on key issues such as European funding, education, transport as well as the physical regeneration of the former colliery sites and associated works.

I am  available to listen to members if they have specific concerns  and can be reached by email, or telephone.  Which I have not had from you on any of these issues previously

Communication comes from having a common ground

I look forward to meaningful discussions on the excellent work of the CCC

 

 

Yours sincerely

 

Cllr Stephen Manion

 

Current mood: Sceptical


Kent CCC

this afternoon was supposed the be meeting of the kent sub region of the CCC.

I was detained however my suggestion to delay was deemed to be unworkable hwever i understand that the meeting was cancelled anyway asother members werealso unable to attend.

this is a pity as there is a midlands region meeting here on Friday

however perhaps this will makeup for it. I trust my colleagues will inform me of any matters thay have that need to be raised

Current mood: Sceptical


Learning

our council often describes itself as a learning organisation

but what is a learning organisation?

how can an organisation learn?

 

i see this blog community as an example of learning as we share our experiences, helping to deal with problems that are common as well as commenting on each others experiences.

our society is changing and online sharing of experiences as well as thoughts and feelings is becoming more widespread through sites such as this as well as the more well known ones such as youtube

this online sharing can have enormous advantages for us

Current mood: Cool


Deal Pier

Cabinet discussed the refurbishment of Deal Pier

This is one of the few seaside piers in this part of the country

There is concern of cost overruns however we still want to ensure that the project is completed in line with our aspirations.

we will be keeping an eye on this to ensure that the project is delivered in a timely and cost effective manner

Current mood: Cool

Cabinet Meeting

This morning i attended cabinet meeting with my colleagues.

we discussed important topics for the district such as the approval of £1.8 million grant from the regional housing pot.This will go towards addressing one of major housing problems which is the 12.8% unfit private dwellings in the district. This is the highest percentage in the south east region.

The Kent Joint Municipal Waste Management strategy was also discussed.

I found this statement by a former Chief Executive of SEEDA, Anthony Dunnett,  who said: "Regeneration of this part of East Kent will enhance the local environment as well as creating new jobs for local people. We are determined to unleash the area's economic potential and breathe new life into the local community."

How can the county comtemplate  the siting of a waste management  facility including perhaps an incinerator at the Tilmanstone site

Current mood: Sceptical


Open Prison for Dover

a recent story from the BBC puts the whole notion of an open prison into a new context

we have been assured that public safety would not be compromised however this new statement seems to contradict  this.

the prison system is at bursting point appaently so there must be other ways to manage this problem rather than sudden knee jerk reactions to give a bit of short term  breathing space for their capacity problems.

Current mood: Sceptical

Harvest

This morning at church we had our Harvest festival

This is one of the most well attended services  perhaps only ranking behind the Chistingle service on Christmas eve and the Easter sunday service. Being a rural community, there is still a strong link with the land and many members in the community wish to give thanks for the harvest.

Current mood: Happy


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footpaths can be an enjoyable way to enjoy the kent countryside however landholders have a responsibility to ensure that after sowing that the paths are reinstated

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Current mood: Cool

Hedges

the hot topic in great mongeham this weekend seems to be hedges overgrowing roads

there has been discussion on another website about thsi topic.

our parish council  feels that if there is a complaint then this should be brought to the landholders attention first before we ask the highways authority to begin formal processes.

apparently this approach has angered some residents.

I support my parish colleagues on this matter.

 

i would be interested in the views of the wider web audience

Current mood: Sceptical

Traffic Calming

the issue of speeding traffic has been well publicised by myself and others on this website.

A possible solution was voiced the other night - that the parish council purchases some "bangers" and leaves them parked in strategic points around the village.

Costs apart from the actual vehicles would only be MOT and insurance - is this is viable solution?

Current mood: Sceptical


Feedback

a number of people have commented on the Cherry lane flyer

They have indiocated that the two parish councillors who live in Cherry lane and do an excellent job in supporting not only the residents in this road, but the whole parish.

I too endorse this view and feel that neither deserves the title of "a ranting councillor".

Both of these men have given up much time to the parish council and it seems a pity that some would try to belittle either one of them in this fashion.

Current mood: Sad

Eastry Drop in

This morning i attended the Eastry Drop in

one of the problems that people alerted me to the vandalism of a fence.

I also had a discussion with Michael Kinns, editor of the village newsletter.

My colleague Nick Kenton also dropped by and i feel that many residents appreciate the opportunity to bring up matters which may be concerning them. 

Current mood: Cool


the new conservative party

I have seen much in the media recently about the new look conservative party

i note that there is a new "A" list of candidates to ensure more femal representation

i also see that one of my colleagues has been on the television complaining about white middle class males in Pin stripe suits

i wish to point out that i wear a pinstripe suit and a male as well as middle class 

 

perhaps that means that there is no room for me in the new conservative party

or that sudedenly that makes me less of a representative

your views are welcome

Current mood: Sceptical

Great Mongeham

Tonight i attended the Great Mongeham Parish Council Meeting

Among thetopics discussed was the Kent Waste Forum, Gypsy and Traveller sites consulation and Planning

After the meeting closed there was also a brief discussion of the Cherry lane Flyer

The parish is looking at the likely scenarios for outcomes following the 2007 election and has commenced financial planning so that there can be a smooth transition to a new council

Current mood: Cool

Community Newsletter

this afternoon i received a copy of a newsletter which alleges to support the community in Cherry lane Great Mongeham

Titled The Cherry Lane Flyer, the newsletter is also backed by a website

While i applaud the efforts of the community to publish local newletters, i do have concern over some of the material in  this particular newsletter. I have contacted the districts councils monitoring officer and passed on these concerns.

I await to see future editions of this newsletter

Current mood: Sceptical


Regeneration

In my role as the councils reprentative to the Coalfield Communities campaign (CCC) i spend a lot of time discussing regeneration projects such as the ones at Betteshanger, Snowdon and Tilmanstone collieries.

These are significant investments of public money to remedy physical sites that are contaminated as well as causing deep community unease.

So it was refreshing to find the speech by Caroline Spelman MP at the conference discussing the advantages of community led regeneration.

"The projects which succeed involve their community and the ones which fail do not." she said which mirrors our expereinces at Betteshanger and Snowdon. The substantial inpput which the community has had in these projects  bears witness to the significant improvement which they will have on their local communities.

 

We will be gone at some point in the future but these projects are for the benefit of our children and grand children. 

 

And the best people to support such projects are the local councillors according to Caroline

"The politicians closest to their communities are local councillors who rub shoulders with their constituents daily.2

We ,and i use that term to embrace all my council colleagues, are a part of our communiies and directly responsible to them  and answerable to them, in my case on a regular basis through parish council meetings as well as other forums in the ward.

i am hopeful that with such a close relationship that i am truley representing them and their wishes with the council

Current mood: Happy

Multimedia message

launch of new online pitch booking website

tonight i attended the launch of the new internet based online booking system

With this system,, clubs can make bookings for certain sports pitches 24 hrs a day thus allowing them to conduct this business at a time that suits them.

I am hopeful that we can provide more services at a time which suits our communities rather than just during Business hours.

i note from our latest website statistics that the most popoular time for using the councils website is between 6pm and 8 pm.

I also note that the second peak occurs between midnight and 2am perhaps this is people who cannot otherwise sleep


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Current mood: Happy

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One of our officers with one of our contractors try to resolve problems of missed recycling collections
This was an issue that was raised during one of my regular surgeries so i will be able to report back to the residents that the council in partnership with the contractor is seeking to sort out the situation

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Current mood: Happy


Sutton Parish Council

This evening i attended Sutton Parish Council.

Tonight there was a long discussion about the local Development Framework (LDF)

 with input from nboth Cllr Jeff Goodsell from Whitfiled parish Council as well as the Whitfield Action Group (WAG) and my colleague Cllr Nick Kenton who is chairman of the LDF consutation group.

I was most concerned at some of the comments of cllr Goodsell, particularly in his assertion that the district needs to limit is housebuilding to 6100 homes over the next 20 years which would result in a decrease of about 400 residents over this period.His argument that jobs were necessary before homes seem to be contradictory as he is proposing that we in effect lose more employment.

his ideas about development would also preclude any community incvestment from developmers hence agin leading to less infrastructure for our district.

the one are where there was agreement was about objecting to proposals for an open prison at the connaught Barracks site.

 

Also during the meeting the parish council elected a new trustee to the  John Foche and Cushire Charity. This is an historic charity dating back to the 17th century which still provides a Christmas hampre to those in need in the parish.

Planning was discussed aprt from the LDF.

There was much concern about the alleged demolition of a 16th century building and the subsequent erection of a large shed. I will follow this up with my colleague.

The parish also discussed consultations on waste treatment and Gypsy sites.

The members of the council also raised concerns over roadsigns in the parish.

Current mood: Happy

Scrap the regional assemblies

I see one of the key speeches from conference today was by Caroline Spelmanon the future if regional assemblies.

The one referendum on this in the north of the country was a spectacular defeat for the government as the people voted a resounding NO to such bodies. Why the government keeps persuing them is anybody's guess.

People want locally elected representatives who will work for their local communities rather than for a large bureaucratic organisation which is only intent on self perpetuation.

Caroline pledged that any future conservative administration would scap such bodies and give more power back to the local communities

Current mood: Cool


Eastry Parish Council

Tonight i attended the eastry parish Council Meeting

Eastry is the largest parish within my ward and its meetings are usually the longest. Tonight was no exception with many topics debated. There was a briefing from the local rural community warden Bob Priestly. He is the local and visible face of policing in the Eastry community. There were 8 crimes reported over the last month, 7 of criminal damage and 1 assault.

 

There was also a long discussion about the Kent Waste cosultation and the problems assocated with the Whitfield and Tilmanstone sites  for waste treatment.

planning is another agenda item which stimulates debate and again there was a frank discussion of the merits of some of Dover District Councils decisions. Of particular note was a decision to refuse listed building consent for a solar panel. It was felt that in fact the application should be encouraged as it was leading the way for incorporating eco friendly technology.

 

the regular friday morning drop in was discussed and it was felt that more publicity needs to be given to this worthy event.

 

there was aslo a a brief discussion over problems assocaited with the new bus service and how best to convey these problems to the district council as well as the bus operator.

 

The parish council has many interests and seeks to get the best service for the residents in the parish  

Current mood: Cool

Respect for professionals

i see that one of the morning sessions was about the state of some public services, notably education and health.

now it seems that under the labour government and their reliance on targets that in fact there is growing dissatisfaction amongst the professionals in these services, namely doctors, nurses, dentists in health and teachers in education.

Part of the problem is that there is a lack of respct for their professionalism, a gradual erosion of their standing in the community.

David willets was among the speakers on this issue and it seems that the problems of education, one of the key labour issues in the 1997 election is falling into decay. That teachers are getting less respect from the community whom they serve.

perhaps there are better ways than the labour mismanagement of the last 9 years

Current mood: Sad


Guestbook entry

I see that Mike has come out in favour of the Prison as he believes that it would at least be a use for the Connaught barracks site and may bring more employment to the area.

i thank Mike for his comments as he is looking at the positives of such a proposal.

i still feel that it is in the wrong place as i feel a better use would be for educationalprvision such as a better quality further educatin provision such as a univesity campus. This would have the advantage of helping to train the community of dover to a higher level, and by training i am including adult education, not just school leavers.

i think both Mike and i look to the site to bring employmnet opportunities and i am hoping the government will use this opportunity to enhance our district

Current mood: Sceptical

Conservative Conference

Well it has started and i am preferring to blog it from afar

today there were speeches by Hague, Maude, Davis and Senator McCain from the US.

I read parts of their speeches and was most impressed by willam hagues one

heres the link if you are interested to real the full text.

I found it a thoughtfull and eloquent analysis of the true state of the government which is in some dissarray and i look forward to the next general election when the people of this country can show their feelings towards this government.

Current mood: Cool

Blackbeard the Pirate

I see from last months statistics that one of the most popular searches was Blackbeard The Pirate so for those interested i took a photo this morning of the memorial tablet which is on the side of the church

 Captain Robert Maynard was a lieutenant at the time.

here is the link that will take you to the St Martins Great Mongeham graveyard site

Current mood: Cool