Muse. Um.

Here's a very British gem: the Herne Bay Museum.

Fearless and fervent, my woman and I swarmed into the Museum to see what we could find out about The Downs of yesteryear. The place is a treasure trove! If you haven't been recently, pop in and saunter around. From fossil teeth to bouncing bombs, they've got all sorts of goodies on permanent display.

There are also temporary exhibitions - all the ones I've seen have been well worth a good peer. Currently it's 'Inventions', with a few kids' own ideas: "a friendly robot to bring me sweets".

Met up with Craig Bowen who looks after the tardis-full of stuff filed upstairs, like a collie looks after a flock of sheep. He's actually divided between several museums, with Canterbury getting the lion's share of him (hope we get the useful bits!). Enthusiastic and very helpful, as was the nice lady on the front desk.

There's an almost magical, other-worldly, time-slip quality about the archives, as seems to happen when the present is dedicated to the past, so it didn't seem out of place when a paternal Victorian figure stepped through the mist of time into our little tardis, brooding and reserved. He looked like someone's long-lost great-uncle Septimus, and muttered 'pas devant les enfants', so we took the hint and scarpered.

I like the Museum a lot. It's a delightful and poignant venture, burnished by the care and love invested in it, and handsomely repays the time you spend there. Long may it thrive and prosper. I would hate to see it fall prey to the unthinking short-term destructive greed that was directed at the Visitor Information Centre. For instance.

A golden opportunity missed

Disappointing. Unsurprising. Recoverable.

CCC voted down the opportunity to flaunt themselves as 21st century cyber-starlets (see Radio Sausage). The world is a marginally less glitzy place as a result.

More to the point, they voted down the opportunity to let their constituents see them in action. Internet access is becoming much more widespread, and is almost universal among the 'young' (anyone who runs for a bus). These are the very people who must be engaged in the democratic process if we are to stand the slightest chance of not going down the constitutional toilet, as a district, a county and a nation.

In the hope it will make some difference, I am emailing ALL the Councillors a link to the Radio Sausage post, in which I offer to prop up Western democracy single-handed. With luck, we may get some interesting and productive comments.

Councillors: I mean it. I am very worried that you have become so enmeshed in process, procedure and petty politics that you have lost sight of your purpose. You must actively seek out, and then represent, the wishes of your constituents. This takes involvement and commitment from everyone. There is an absolute need for widespread involvement in a vibrant and transparent local democracy.

You won't earmark a few tens (or hundreds?) of pounds to increase accessibility and participation. Out of a budget of millions. That is shameful.

Mappa Monday

Dear Reader, give yourself a treat and check out this map. It is jam-packed with facts and fun.

Just the other day, I quizzed CCC about the Herne Bay Conservation Area. I had heard people (well, estate agents) talking about it, but had no clear idea of where exactly it was. Quick as a flash One-Of-Those-Planning-People came back with a couple of great links. One of them links to this excellent map of the Canterbury District Local Plan. The left hand side of the screen explains how it all works.

This is a detailed, zoomable map of the whole CCC fiefdom, showing conservation areas, cycle routes, flood zones, offices nodes (huh?), ancient monuments, open spaces, regeneration zones, etc, etc. There's an associated Local Plan document that spells it all out in words of English. Words, pictures - whatever works for you.

I don't know if every District Council has one of these maps, or if CCC are blazing a trail. If it's the latter, congratulations, people: a great piece of mapping.

Radio Sausage

A few ounces of reconstituted tree, shaped into a local freesheet, thump to the floor. The crisp metal edge of the letterbox snaps back into place, briefly trapping a small fleshy obstruction. The pain-numbed child continues its paper round.

This is what passes for effective communication in 21st century Kent.

But things are looking up: I read in that very freesheet that one of our elected representatives (Cllr Perkins) seems to have 'the vision thing' (article). He has proposed that Council meetings be recorded and broadcast on the internet, arguing this would encourage greater engagement in local politics - I approve. Anyone who actually gives a toss could listen live, or any time later that suits them. They wouldn't have to get themselves to whichever Council meeting place at whatever (more or less inconvenient) time of day.

Cllr Perkins accurately predicted that other Councillors would oppose the idea. Cllr Gilbey is quoted as saying  

"My personal view is that I wouldn't want to give the opportunity for grandstanding in front of cameras or recorders."

I may be warming to Cllr Gilbey's sense of humour: the idea that the mere presence of a microphone or webcam would transform Council into a casting session for Chicago! just makes me chuckle. On my one exposure to Council I observed:

• very little excessive or unnecessary expenditure of effort
• peer and group pressure to conform
• many conventions and procedures to curtail or restrict Councillor participation
• only about 5% egomania

This is not an ideal nursery for 'grandstanding' prima donnas. And they're limited to three minutes each, anyway.

The dark voices in my head tell me that some Councillors oppose this move towards greater transparency for bad reasons: embarrassed by what they say, or by how little they say; wanting to lay claim to non-existent protests and challenges; not wanting their words to be remembered too precisely; not wanting to be seen as a low-budget part-time imitation of Parliament at its braying worst; and so on.

The saying goes that law-making and sausage-making are not pleasant to witness. The proposed internet broadcast would be like listening to sausages being made (every one a sizzling banger, hopefully). It might set your teeth on edge. It might send you to sleep. It might play havoc with your blood pressure. But if it gets more people more involved, and makes more Councillors more responsive, it will be worth every penny.

If CCC 'doesn't have the money for this sort of thing' as Cllr Gilbey is reported as saying, I am more than happy to discuss digging into my own pocket to help make it happen. Any Councillors wanting to take me up on this kind offer can contact me via the Comments below.

Gale's attitude problem

Saturday: a beautiful frosty, sunny winter's morning in Herne Bay, and time to meet our MP. My fine & beloved woman and I strode up to the dodgy automatic doors of the Herne Bay Council offices and pried our way in. There we found Roger Gale, and Cllr Ann Taylor (HoS) who had kindly made time to see us.

Given that the Evil Land Grab is entirely a Council-level rather than MP-type issue, we asked Roger about the options open to us if the Council behaved illegally. He came up with some sensible suggestions (Secretary of State, Local Government Ombudsman, District Auditor) and a couple of other useful leads.

However, I was taken aback by his views on the covenants. "Twenty-five years experience as an MP... a Council can just say 'Rats!' to a covenant... not worth the paper they're written on...".

Bad attitude, Roger!

I'm disappointed and dismayed to see an elected law-maker wearily accept the spectacle of other elected representatives trampling over covenants. When it comes down to it, even the Law of the land is 'worthless' unless and until it's enforced. The covenants are legally binding, cannot be disregarded, and will be enforced.

Gale's View: Manston

You either believe in the development of Manston as a regional airport or you do not. I have been absolutely consistent in my own view during my entire time as the Member of Parliament for North Thanet. I do. I believe that Manston has a significant role to play in maintaining the United Kingdom's competitive place in the aviation industry and I believe in the capacity of Manston to contribute significantly through job creation to the local and national economies.

I do not share the opinions of the present Member of Parliament for Thanet South over very many issues but on this we have been, and so far as I am aware remain, united.

Where we part company is over our attitude to the proposal to build a Thanet Parkway rail station to carry passengers using the fast link and to serve the airport. Dr. Ladyman believes that our existing local stations and particularly Ramsgate are sufficient to serve the need. I believe that only the upgrading of the track and signalling between Ashford and Thanet, coupled with a new Parkway halt will adequately serve the needs of both commuters seeking to take advantage of genuinely (1-hour) high speed trains between Thanet and London and travellers from further airfield taking flights from Manston. That is a perfectly respectable and honourable difference of opinion.

What those who preach green travel and want to see rail used instead of road have to recognise, I think, is that without the development of the airport there will be little or no economic case for the extension of the fast rail link and that without that economic case the investment is unlikely to be made in the foreseeable future. We may be between a rock and a hard place but I made my decision long ago and I stand by it.

I have been slightly pedantically accused of inaccuracy in stating in the Commons that flights approaching and leaving Manston do so over the sea. Very largely, they do. Compared with the approaches to Heathrow, Gatwick, Luton, Stansted and so far as I am aware every other significant airfield in the UK (including locations such as Bournemouth and Southampton) the amount of overflying of land and property before landing and after takeoff is small.

That does not mean that I have no concern for the environmental effects of the development of the airport upon residents' lives. Again, I do. Those living in South Thanet and my own constituents living in the Thanet villages and Herne Bay on the flight paths have a right to due consideration and to the greatest achievable protection from noise and disturbance that is achievable and compatible with the lawful use of the airfield. That is why, for instance, I have again consistently opposed any extension of night flying at Manston and that is why I meet regularly with the Environment Agency and have, within only the last week, discussed with them the potential effects of airport development upon water supplies and sewage disposal.

I also recognise the wishes of those of my constituents living in Thanet and Herne Bay who have in the past enjoyed the ease and convenience (in some cases dating back to Silver City days) of flights to and from Manston. They were delighted with the service provided by EUJet, deeply saddened when that venture collapsed and are keen to see a restoration of package holiday travel from their local airport.

We have, now, as I said in the Commons, an opportunity. Given investment in the fast rail link and in perimeter security Manston is better placed that any other airfield to become "London's Olympic Airport" for the duration of the 2012 Games. We have the potential to provide a one-stop shop for the reception, processing and accreditation of worldwide athletes, officials and visitors and I believe that we should seize that opportunity in the interests of our local economy and of the UK. The legacy value of such investment, particularly in terms of the high speed rail link, would, of course, be dramatic.

Let me be clear before I am mischievously mis-represented: Heathrow is the World's number one hub airport. Gatwick, Stansted and Luton are not hub airports and never will be and neither will Manston. The development of Manston has the capability, however, to take some of the pressure off Gatwick and, in turn, release capacity at Heathrow and, taken with my party's plans to build high-speed rail throughout the Midlands and Northern England, help to obviate the need for a third runway at Heathrow.

I do not believe that 'Boris Island' is either desirable or politically achievable but unless we want to see UK jobs lost to Schiphol and Charles de Gaulle, with a cost to our economy and no benefit to the global environment, then to do nothing is not an option. Properly handled, the promotion of Manston as a regional airport is entirely compatible with a "Green Isle of Thanet" policy and it deserves support.

Roger Gale M.P. (February 4th 2009)

Shame

Here's another kick in the teeth for local democracy: local Councillors who can't be bothered to reply to an email from one of their constituents about a constituency matter.

My fine and beloved woman emailed the Councillors for Reculver Ward.
One out of the three replied.
Congratulations Gillian Reuby.
Shame on you Ann Taylor and Gabrielle Davis.

She also emailed the Herne Bay Area Members Panel.
Three out of the thirteen replied.
Congratulations Gillian Reuby, Peter Vickery-Jones and Ron Flaherty.
Shame on you Ann Taylor, Gabrielle Davis, Evelyn Bisset, Sharon Sonnex, Peter Lee, Vince McMahan, Margaret Flaherty, Roger Matthews, Ken Hando and Robert Bright.

If any of the "shy" Councillors have a convincing explanation for not replying, do please let me know. Otherwise, you keep your place in the Hall of Shame.

Democracy is a verb

When I went to the Council meeting on 22nd Jan, gracing the middle of the chamber were 50-ish Councillors, the Lord Mayor, and some Council officers and assorted hangers-on.

There was one guy sitting at the other end of my bench who left after hearing about the Council unearthing Roman remains in the basement of the Beaney - I assume he was an archeology fiend of some sort. There were two guys (spouses/partners/cabbies?) on the other side of the chamber who didn't seem to be paying much attention to anything. In other words, the public benches were all but empty. I'm told this is pretty well the norm.

Given that this is supposed to be the centre of our local democracy, this is not healthy.

I've always worked on the basis that if you don't vote in a General Election, you forfeit the right to bleat about whichever party becomes the Government. I've always voted, and have thoroughly enjoyed wailing and gnashing my teeth at each pitiful result. Members of Parliament are closely watched and extensively reported on - it takes very little effort to keep track of them, so I have grown lazy. Mea culpa.

MEPs and Councillors manage to fly over and under the radar, respectively. Until this Evil Land Grab popped up, I couldn't have named my Councillors, the Lord Mayor, or my MEP. (Just had to look up the last of those - turns out I've got 10, yes ten, MEPs. But I'm sharing them with several million other people.)

I freely admit, I've not been keeping an eye on CCC. But nor has anyone else, or not enough people. I have this awful dawning realisation that just voting isn't enough. It's not enough to make my mark on the voting slip and silently hope that everything-will-come-out-alright-in-the-end-somehow. Unfortunately, it's becoming increasingly obvious that the Council (and as a result, all of us) would benefit hugely from more of the public having more of a say.

I say 'unfortunately' because this does imply effort, and I am a lazy sod. I've heard a lot of people complaining with good reason about CCC's high-handed treatment of Herne Bay. The catch is: if you don't raise your voice (somehow), they'll never hear you, let alone listen.

The Council would find it harder to act with such high-handed disregard if they could hear the tuts of disapproval, the world-weary sighs of disappointment, the bitter "I-told-you-so" chuckles, the mocking laughter, the raspberries of derision, and the howls of rage from the Mighty Herne Bay Public.