by Neil » 30 Apr 2010, 19:33
I think taxes could have a discussion to itself. It’s obviously going to evoke a strong reaction, especially given the current climate. On one hand we need to do something about the national debt. On the other hand Margate’s economy is based on tourism (to a large extent) and historic landmarks could bring more people into the area. This could mean more money for hotels, bed and breakfasts, eateries, arcades etc and therefore more money to spend on preservation. It’s a big discussion that we’re all going to have our views on. One that’ll help decide the next government. In fairness the tax system is partly out of TDC control, although Councils can make a difference to these sorts of things, otherwise there wouldn’t be any point in having Council elections.
I don’t want to get too political as hopefully Dreamland goes beyond political parties, but in fairness there were alternative scenarios when the Government Inspector made his decision. As I say, these things are complex, but presumably the Government Inspector was chosen because they understood some of these complexities. There were suggestions of other operators willing to take the park over and some of the public consultations don’t seem to have been taken as seriously as they could have been. I accept that not everyone wants a theme park. Some people may be worried about noise. Others may not have felt a theme park could be viable. But I wouldn’t say the Council has always been behind Dreamland. If they are now then that’s fantastic. It’s good to have them on board and any money they’re donating to the project is definitely appreciated.
I agree that problems may be dumped at the Council’s door which aren’t their fault. I’m not that sure where responsibility for different things lie myself. I don’t think we were ever taught about different layers of government at school. However, people should be able to understand politics. Surely that’s the whole point of democracy. We all vote for the politicians so we should know what they do. If problems are being dumped at TDC which aren’t their fault, maybe their website should be clearer in explaining their responsibility. In fairness they do have an ‘a-z’ of services which is useful, but it could still be clearer. Some things do have to be complex. However, people need to understand enough to be able to make an informed choice in an election. Otherwise what are we voting for? BTW, I’m talking in general terms here. It sounds like dilftechnical is fairly informed and does seem to know about a lot of local issues.
Anyway, welcome to the forum dilftechnical. The more people the better. The coordinators are the best people to ask, although they read these forums so they might well get in touch with you. The gesture’s definitely appreciated though.
Going back to the original post it’s great to see Blackpool getting this level of investment. I’ll have to go there at least once more before I finish uni and potentially move away from the area.
p.s. just been having a look at TDC’s website. Apparently licensing stage hypnotists is one of their roles. Didn’t know that one.
Neil Wilson
Oh what could be done with all the extra space and vast funding...
