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Thanet: "The People", the bollocks and the truth!

Written by Matt B · first published 28/03/2008

Apparently we are all a bunch of work shy slackers here in Thanet. According to both the "News of the World" and "The People" (two papers not exactly famed for their fact finding abilities) we are all here to laze in the sun (what sun?) and claim benefits.

I work bloody hard from seven or eight in the morning until six or later every single day. This year I have only had 3 days in which I have not worked. Most people expect to have Saturday and Sunday off each week but I know that I do not have the time for that.

Given the utter inability of these two national newspapers to even tell half the story here are a few facts that upset their over sensationalised and frankly insulting attack on Thanet.

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» Continue Reading: Thanet: "The People", the bollocks and the truth!

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Exposing Ladyman Before Breakfast

Written by Matt B · first published 27/03/2008

An update now available as new facts have come to light

I am no special fan of the political representatives of Thanet but even I feel I should offer a word of congratulations to our local MP Stephen Ladyman. Whatever else you might want to say about him (and a good number of negative things spring to mind such as his strong support for ID cards) I had a great deal of admiration for his altruism and transparency in publishing his commons expenses for all to see. However, I was soon massively disappointed in the truth of the mater.

All of the information was already in the public domain but he has taken the step of "publishing the information on his website" (here). I should point out that the "table of expenses" is the only data he has actually (re)published (rather than just linked to) and it can be found at They Work For You (dot com). The fact that the table of expenses on theyworkforyou.com is better formatted notwithstanding I, for one, want to applaud the action but call for him to go one further and provide the details and breakdown in his own words. Specifically I would like to know if he maintains a second home and what he spent on it.

Keep reading to discover how this makes it as little more than a footnote in the current debate over listing of MP expenses as it does not provide the information that the public have been asking for.

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» Continue Reading: Exposing Ladyman Before Breakfast

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Announcing Thanet's Own Search Engine.

Written by Matt B · first published 10/03/2008

Thanet's Own Search Engine. Thanet has already picked up a blog list and a social networking site and now it has it's own search engine.

Thanet Finder is powered by Google and controlled by people from Thanet. People like you and me. Between us we select what is important enough to be listed and how it is categorised.

To do this you will require a Google account which almost all blogger.com users will have already (it's what you log into blogger.com with). You can add the community created search engine to you Google homepage if you wish and you can add yourself as an editor of the sites included in the search. Already there are over 60 sites listed and most are sub categorised too.

Where it goes from here is up to you.

Visit Thanet Finder

Random Acts of Kindess

Written by Matt B · first published 03/03/2008

If you did not happen to be blinking when it slipped into the news briefly you might recall that a brave young man has decided to walk from the UK to India using no money at all. Just for the love of it (dot org) pilgrim Saoirse is a man with a mission. A mission to perpetrate random acts of kindness on the world.

He is also coming to Thanet. I know this because I took the time to catch up with him over a few emails recently and suggested that he pass through. You can read his blog here which details some of the things he has been up to as he tours the UK on foot foregoing our financial system as he does so.

Recently the National (British) media got hold of the story and by all accounts were about as accurate in their reporting as our local lot. Saoirse writes: "...if they are so inaccurate and irresponsible with a small story like this, how much more so with the really big news! Is anything in the papers or on the news really true?" (Post entitled: Paper accepts all ink...).

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» Continue Reading: Random Acts of Kindess

Overstretched?

Written by Matt B · first published 02/03/2008

I first picked the story up via "The day a crane driver really fell for a new �1m home" which is the title of a post that was posted in Nothing To Do With Arbroath. The story is of a crane that was used beyond it's limit and fell over... onto a house worth a cool million. The event (picture below) happened in Broadstairs.

Who says nothing interesting or ironic never happens around here. I did a quick look for other Thanet blogs running with this news but found very little. I guess Sunday is a good day to get out and do other things (like drop cranes on new houses).

There are more images and a better write up in "arbroath.blogspot.com".

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