Happy New Year for twenty ten !!

[EAS]

I thought I was poking a bit of gentle fun, actually...

I think that all this about grammar has gone a bit far! For those of us that know Jim Douglas Jnr in the states it was meant as a bit of a laugh and a joke, hence my reply to one of his posts on another topic ! Lets not all get too excited and have to have the last say on whats right or wrong

Not exactly excited either, but there you go.

However, there are forums where long posts ensue when someone 'trangresses' what some think is 'correct' - it ain't necessarily so.

There are forums where people argue that they should be called, in the plural, fora too.

But we wouldn't be so pedantic here, would we?

[Hairy Vince]

I failed my English A Level so no comments from me on grammar, punctuation etc.

Happy 2010 to everyone, big love to those Save Dreamlanders who made the Medway New Year's Eve shindig!

[Jim Douglas Jr.]

It is a bunch of fun, but as long as we're on the subject, when writing letters to important people, like the Thanet Council that I wrote several actual paper letters to, you do want to come off as educated and knowing what you're talking about.

One of my letters, just prior to them voting on the rezoning of the Dreamland site, prompted an airmail reply asking what I wanted. You see, I had a few local media people ready to start personal investigations of the council members to see why they were so against keeping Dreamland, as I suspected some of them had interest in or ties to the property. You can all thank me later in person.
Low and behold, some of them changed their tunes pretty quickly. Obviously this is only a footnote to the massive local efforts, but it shows what well written intentions (or you may read into that: threats) can do. Poorly written, I wouldn't have been take seriously.

I find on my forum, keeping it well written has attracted and kept people. I have people with 20,000+ posts, and it's the high standards that do actually keep people coming back.

If we're going to be an information resource and think tank, we all have to contribute to the pool of quality. We ARE monitored by those pulling the strings. You do all realize this, right?
The recent attitude of people globally that they can just exist and not actually contribute is a little unsettling.

In the meantime, chill.
We're never too old to learn or relearn something.
The way I figure it, I sat in school for 12 years. I should probabaly try to use what I learned or it was wasted time. A private or text message is one thing, but this is a permanent public forum and I take great pride in my participation here.
Having the Firefox browser with auto spell check certainly helps.

Looky. Me sound so smarts!

[porterm]

Yes, a belated Happy New Year everyone!

Hi Jim - I was quite intrigued by your airmail reply from Thanet District Council. Many kudos to you for your correspondence; it may indeed have had a profound effect. (I have my own personal views of certain prime local Council members). You only need to view the fairly recent footage of the Culture Secretary's visit to the Dreamland site just before the recent Sea Change award. Body language can speak volumes, and I feel that one does not even have to engage in any conversation to gauge a feeling for certain candidates' inner viewpoints.

I must say once again how wonderful, and sincere, our Culture & Media Secretary, Patricia Hodge, came across on her above mentioned pre-award visit to Margate.

I caught a programme called "Night Cops" on Sky 2 (UK cable/satellite TV) last night which featured consistent youth problems around Margate. It mentioned how some of the area's former hotels and guest houses had become home to many young people who seeked refuge. Something I was unaware of really. Hopefully with the Dreamland revival the area can lose some, or most, of that behaviour, offering a local attraction for the young (and not forgetting the slighter older!) alike.

Martin

[EAS]

Martin wrote:

I must say once again how wonderful, and sincere, our Culture & Media Secretary, Patricia Hodge, came across on her above mentioned pre-award visit to Margate.

Margaret Hodge is the Minister for Culture and Tourism.

http://www.culture.gov.uk/about_us/our_ ... /6360.aspx

Responsibilities

•Architecture and Royal Parks
•Arts
•Fashion
•Heritage
•Museums and galleries
•Libraries
•Tourism

The Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport is Ben Bradshaw.

Jim Douglas Jr. wrote:

I should probabaly

Having the Firefox browser with auto spell check certainly helps.

Hmmm. That spellcheck isn't so great then!



(Pedantry outbreak over.)

[Jim Douglas Jr.]

"Hi Jim - I was quite intrigued by your airmail reply from Thanet District Council. Many kudos to you for your correspondence; it may indeed have had a profound effect."

Thanks! You know, on and off here we've had a lot of people say they wanted this or that and thinking a text message or email was enough.
It's not.
Nothing says "I mean business" like a mailed letter.
I bet when they got one from the USA suggesting an investigation into their personal affairs, some of their hearts skipped a beat.

I basically replied to their reply the demands of what I'd been reading here, and that if the zoning were changed I'd make sure the people knew that their elected officials were not honoring their wishes and I'd make it my life's work to find out who on the council was going to profit from it.
...and I was ready to do it.

It's not a park bench, it's Dreamland.
Nobody ever wants to be "rude," but it's beyond rude, it's immoral, for elected officials to blatantly disregard the will of their constituents.

[Vince, Charlie and Sam]

Yup, you are an absolute Superstar Jim, I can't believe that anyone would do so much, over such a long period of time, for a place they had never seen and ordinarily never would.


I'm sure you're right- everyone is intrigued when they receive an airmailed letter, TDC no less so, and it is good news that they are aware that they are being monitored by somebody who so obviously has no vested interest in the matter.

It's just a shame that when you do eventually visit, the train you get from London will be one of those horrible Electrostars or somesuch, instead of the characterful but slightly scary steel-sprung, slam-door heritage trains we used to have until just a few years ago

[EAS]

I do, for UK readers, point out that all elected councillors have to register all 'interests', and declare such interests if any voting takes place. If those interests are in any way seen to be material considerations, then those councillors may not take part in discussions or vote.

We also have the Standards Board, and any councillor who believes another may have transgressed has to report that. Any member of the public can also report any councillor.

Most councillors are honest people doing a decent job; to suggest otherwise by smear is, I feel not doing this campaign any useful service. Some elected members of Thanet are even members of this campaign.

Of course any executive (those professionals who work for the council) of a local authority will respond to correspondence. There are usually policies in place which state this has to be done, and within a certain timescale. No doubt anyone making claims to a local authority that there could be / is corruption would be asked if they have proof of such claims, in order that an investigation could take place.

Local authority planning policy is really rather more complex, and indeed more democratic, than some seem to believe. It's not a free for all, and is governed by national law and policy, as well as adopted local policies.