Apparently, if what I am told is true, my blog is becoming a popular subject of whispered conversation and merriment throughout the Fortress. I have done some analysis of readership patterns and I think what I have been told must be true. There are three spikes of readerships numbers - between 7-9am when Council staff are breakfasting with their loved ones, Lunchtime when Council staff take a recreational stroll and consult their mobile devices and evening when Council staff kick off their shoes pour a stiff gin tonic and relax over a good blog, On the weekend my readership numbers plummet. I've worked why. Because Council staff are so knackered, after managing an impossible workload following never ending rounds of re-organisations, re-structuring and redundancies, that all they want to do is sleep.
Anyway I encourage all my new readers from Thanet Council to keep checking in and spreading the word about this humble blog. I occasionally receive unsolicited documents and feedback keep it coming say I and thank you to hard working civic minded officers. Here are a few of the messages good and bad from this week
Dr SMcG "Hi Ian I am a hardworking top council boss and regularly read your blog for tips and tricks about managing the public purse"
Cllr CH "Afternoon Ian I am a hardworking top council political boss. Your blog is great. It's taught me all I know about openness and transparency. I have stolen a lot of your ideas about reporting bad debt and getting tough with developers keep it coming I need all the votes I can get"
Mr TP. "Ello Ian. I am a hardworking real estate boss with close links to the Council. I hate your blog you are an annoying fat w**ker" - Calm down Mr P. My advice to you is to take a relaxing stroll along the Ramsgate Royal Sands
Mr HP Saucy "Hey Driver I am a hardworking top legal adviser I just wish you would stop twisting the Council's melon man or I'll be forced to caaaall the cops!"
Ms LS "Hi Ian I am a hardworking local MP somewhere in the south east my advice to you is frack orf! - blimey what did I do wrong?
Mr HP Saucy said
ReplyDeleteMoney Laundering Regulations. There is a reporting officer who does not enjoy a privileged defence of client privilege. Apparently it's me ! I only just found out because Cllr Mrs IJ asked me (Because Rick had told her about the subject ! Law it is called so had to familiarize myself with the concept.)
And when cllrs tell me stuff (like it is a BVI company and we haven't verified details) I am supposed to do something about it.
Then it turns out the Terrorism Act 2000 isn't just for peeople we think are terrorists. There is no minimum value on activity and that kicks in a duty on the council to use Money Laundering regs. The reporting officer duty. me again !
I just couldn't see why Rick kept wanting me to look at Companies House Records. But it seems that if a venture only first registered as a company in 1997 and TDC had evidence it was operating tax free before that (providing live fire training to middle easterners and others) TDC had a duty ever since 1998 to liaise with Kent Police Authority and report to Mr Tax Man.
And it gets worse because our liaison with Kent Police Authority was Cllr Hayton. And we held a Standards process on complaint against him at the material time. Whilst the evidence file was hidden up from the Standards Cttee and Full Council. Yes the evidence file we should have anyway been discussing with Cllr Hayton of Kent Police Authority meaning he knew about it.
And it gets worse because I was supposed to find out about Cllr Hayton's evidence to High Court in 1998 and whether he said anything on oath related to TDC duties under Crime and Disorder Act.
I don't think law is the subject for me. It imposes duties and all sorts of complications
To the good people at the council. Keep strong. Have faith. We know its not all of you. However. To the others. We are gonna get you. If you have not got the moral centre to resign, we will highlight your behaviour. Leave now if you dont want the whole island knowing of your incompetence. Its coming soon. Have faith good people. Peace n luv
ReplyDeleteThanet's civil servants have hardly covered themselves in glory - and now sidling out of the shadows with some snivelling praise is hardly whistleblowing on the blatant corruption. Sack more of them.
ReplyDeleteI still wonder at how TDC was involved, through legal officers, with the alternative dispute procedure of Civil Procedure between Steam Museum Trust and East Kent Maritime Trust ?
ReplyDeleteI phoned the Charity Commission. It was public information that EKMT had not filled annual accounts for 3 years. And they had not declared a legacy of about £267,000 from Butler Trust. As it happens the EKMT were already subject of a Charity Commission Inquiry to whom the Butler Legacy information was promptly passed.
I thought that the rules of civil procedure require that all Interested Parties are copied into the pre-action protocol procedures and Alternative Dispute Resolution process.
But the Charity Commission was left out of the loop.
The issue of damages was potentially substantial concerning deterioration of steam tug Cervia whilst on loan to EKMT. The unlimited liability for such damages if agreed, or awarded by Judgment, was on EKMT trustees. Well blow me if two of those didn't up and disappear off Charity Commission listed trustees !! And there was me thinking that can't happen as they can't resign and escape liability for the time they were trustees. Tory Cllrs Hayton and Kirby IIRC.
Naturally I wondered if TDC legal advisors were representing the public interest (what we pay them to do) or making agreements out of court that somehow enabled two tory cllrs to quit from liability.
This question arose again recently with Cllr Simon Moores. He had written on his blog that I libelled cllrs. So I emailed him, pre-action protocol, giving him 14 days to provide me the names of the cllrs he claimed I libelled and the forms of words he would cite in defence of his accusation.
The reply I got was that a Harvey Patterson had advised him to keep quiet. Well the law doesn't actually afford that option other than to admit that the accusation against me was false. His silence is an acquiescence that he falsely accused me. Who is this Harvey Patterson I thought. And blow me down if he ain't the TDC legal officer. What was he doing advising a tory cllr in a private capacity at public expense ?
As you know for Standards to resolve matters requires first that a foundation for their jurisdiction be established. Putting right that was done wrong in the past. Namely a Standards Procedure in which evidence was concealed from Standards and Full Council on a previous occasion.
I did ask Simon Moores to clarify his claimed Royal Marines Service, which gun ranges he has used as a hobby shooter and who provided his EMT training as his CV implies it was NHS at Stoke Infirmary. There was a private company owned by the Roberts Bros who rented rooms at Stoke Infirmary for private courses of questionable professional body recognition. I believe they provided training for the security and bodyguard industry ?
Sir Adrian Vincent Roberts of the paramedic training companies
Is this firearms criminal he I wonder ?
An MI6 fantasist who can supply aircraft ?
I don't understand why Simon has not clarified such simple matters.
Best wishes Richard
Ian You do realise that this is a history going back to about 1970 ? A middle aged couple from Cliftonville, who were gun enthusiasts, made a crime complaint to police about unlawful burst firing of Russian assault rifles at a quarry ? A quarry just outside Thanet and not consented for use as a range. Certainly no extended range safety area suitable for firing high velocity.
ReplyDeleteThis activity appeared to be connected with a gun club whose membership included the late Ken Speakman (retd MI5 officer murder victim 1996)
You may recall the era. My brother (Who was ops controller of Oman war) was approached in what can be described as the Walberswick social scene (centred around Clement Freud set) about joining "Churchill's Commandos". The era of plots against Labour and secret armies and private intelligence companies penetrating trades unions.
You may recall that the plots allegedly involved the Special Forces Club clientele. Those who "Wished to keep the spirit of the SOE alive". So it may be worth remembering that Corpus Christi College had been very helpful in wartime through Earl Selborne in providing SOE training grounds. Corpus Christi own farmland at Birchington. And not long after the above 1970 crime complaint arose, an application for change of use of a quarry on that Corpus Christi land was approved. TDC had barely come into existence when it rubber stamped the approval for .22 rifle range 25 yard.
As far as I know Clement Freud after he became an MP was never given a security warning on who was moving in his social circle.
But as a police officer in 1972 I certainly became interested in one. OIRA asset acquiring information of use to the Soviet. I had him tagged for his interest in Cobra Mist and in activity of Sue Ryder and Airey Neave of Special Forces Club.
So I feel confident that whatever "Churchill Commando" or insurrectionist ideas may have been hatching amongst right wingers (with firearms cert issues from helpful Chief constables) OIRA were way ahead of them and cheek by jowl with them.
The SAS Sergeant major responsible for training me in 1969 was very clear. If we get drawn on to breaking the law extensively to ostensibly uphold law the IRA has won its strategic objective. in the end it is the law, that all are equal before the law and its primacy that defines whether the Realm is worth defending.
And when those acting unlawfully (IE Without Crown Authority) in contravention of the Petition of Rights it is they too that become the enemy. So be prepared for the tory party to be the home sheltering enemies of the Realm.
I have seen nothing that would cause me to doubt the wisdom of the SAS man's words.
Is Harvey Patterson the de facto Chief Executive of Thanet Council?
ReplyDeleteWhat did he do before he came to Thanet?
Harvey seems Macgonigal's mouthpiece to deflect attention from her and generate spurious legal views to baffle the public and rovide a veneer of legality.
ReplyDeleteThey're in it together with Bayford and Hart and Wise and Everitt.
16.21 You might add the former Chief Executive Samuel and failed Regeneration Boss White, that's a little joke for fellow plumbers out there, who have escaped with lucrative payoffs and confidentiality agreements.
ReplyDeleteHi Anon a recent FOI request I submitted has reveals that the Council has agreed 5 "compromise agreements" (or gagging orders as we mortals call em) in the past 2 financial years. The Council failed to tell me how much this has cost but I have asked for a review of this decision. I will publish on this shortly.
DeleteI wonder if Mr TP has been cutting through any bullshit recently
ReplyDelete