Our readers from across the county give their weekly take on the biggest issues impacting Kent and beyond.
Some letters refer to past correspondence which can be found by clicking here. Join the debate by emailing letters@thekmgroup.co.uk
The 2015 general election count at Winter Gardens Margate
Farage having last laugh on election spending
I was amused to read John Cooper’s call for the government to act quickly to limit cash donations to political parties.
I suggest he casts his mind back to the general election in South Thanet, where Nigel Farage applied to become the area’s MP.
There was blind panic among the Tories who threw everything and everyone into the campaign to stop it happening.
This led to an alleged overspend of tens of thousands of pounds on the campaign expenses allowance, contrary to the relevant act.
Any other candidate would have been disqualified but they somehow got away with it and a party worker claimed it was an ‘administrative error’.
The swing in South Thanet to Nigel Farage that day was around 27%.
So dear old Nigel decided to try again on another day in another place. The rest is history.
What goes around, comes around.
Pete Trow
Developers won’t build anywhere without profit
One could be forgiven for believing that Geoffrey Brooking’s letters are being created by a government instigated AI generated bot, because anybody who has given its policies any serious consideration could possibly conclude that they are even reasonable, let alone the answer to all our prayers as they are being portrayed.
Believing that the rush to net zero and the alleged billions of private investment are going to create thousands of jobs and reduce household bills is naïve beyond the point of foolishness, as there is no evidence they will do any such thing. Indeed, many economists have spoken out against them, some even saying they could have totally the opposite effect.
Likewise, the belief that this government is going to create thousands of skilled jobs, so that it can build 1.5 million homes by speeding up the planning process, demonstrates incredible ignorance of the housing market, because it matters not one jot how much land the government frees up, or the number of planning regulations it chooses to relax, it is an inescapable fact that developers are not in business to solve this country’s alleged housing crisis.
So, wherever the government wants them built, if the developers cannot see a profit in it for them there, they simply will not build them there, and it can be guaranteed, they will never crash their market to further this government’s unattainable pipe dream.
C. Aichgy
Developers aren’t in it to solve the country’s housing crisis. Library image
Reform’s policies are not racist
John Cooper is quite wrong to characterise Reform UK as anti-immigrant, particularly as the party’s chairman is Muhammad Ziauddin Yusuf.
In fact the policy is to put an end to illegal immigration and restrict the number of those entering by other means, as the current total is unsustainable if we are to provide sufficient jobs, houses, GPs, etc. It is not racist in any way.
He also ignores the fact that the party possesses a full range of policies, such as the protection of free speech, the encouragement of private enterprise in order to grow the economy, the end of the net zero nonsense, true and effective reform of the NHS and the removal of the influence of the woke on such matters as education, health and public discourse.
As far as the question of funding is concerned he ignores the fact that the Labour party derives most of its from unions, while the Conservatives obtain large payments from big businesses, with the consequent effects on policy visible to all.
Even if Mr Musk should assist Reform, something that is by no means certain, he would not be allowed to dictate the policies of the party, which will be for the membership to provide.
Of course, it is in the interests of the main parties that any challengers should find it difficult to find the necessary financial resources to fight elections on a level playing field, in order that the current cosy establishment consensus should continue in power.
Colin Bullen
Plans would sideline our local councils
The proposals in the government’s White Paper on local government reorganisation risk weakening local democracy instead of strengthening it.
The reforms favour the creation of centralised ‘super-councils’ and regional mayoral offices, which would shift power further away from local communities.
Local councils play a vital role in driving meaningful local change on issues such as homelessness, energy-efficient housing, coastal and other pollution, social care reform and local economic development.
Empowering district councils, rather than sidelining them, is essential for effective governance and to ensure councillors are close to the wards and voters that they represent.
While there are potential benefits from managing some services (such as public transport) at a county level, these hurried proposals from the minister in London risk deepening public disillusionment with politics and eroding trust in democratic processes.
The Green Party is calling for genuine decentralisation, emphasising that decisions should be made as close as possible to the communities they affect.
The key requirements are: Local decision-making, ensuring decisions are made at the closest possible level to the people affected; empowering local communities to shape their own futures; providing councils with adequate funding to drive meaningful local change and proportional representation to implement fair voting in local elections.
Green Party MP Ellie Chowns has warned that replacing local tiers with mayoral authorities risks creating a “democratic deficit”, especially given the low voter turnout (30% average) in mayoral elections.
The Green Party’s overarching message is clear: devolution must genuinely empower local communities, not distance them from decision-making processes. We pledge to continue calling for district and town councils to retain and expand their role in leading a green transformation across the country.
Christine Oliver, Green Party
Education structure fails pupils and wider society
Recently the government have made two announcements regarding education.
The first was to announce the increase in the maximum fees for standard full time courses at university; the second item referred to the curriculum and assessment review.
There are two sections of the community that, I believe, are badly served by this education structure.
The first of these is the pupils and students who are partaking of the system being provided. The fundamental basis of education is to enable all pupils to develop their own facilities, to expand their mental capacities and understanding and to be able to make their own decisions.
The aim of education is not to fit young people into the pigeon holes determined by the industrial commercial complex.
The second section is the community at large. In every sector of life, demands are made for investment, of people and finance. There is a desperate shortage of skilled people to meet needs.
This is demonstrably true in the fields of health, education and in the need for creative people to develop alternative technologies that prepare our industrial base to overcome the problems caused by climate change.
We all have an interest in seeing that our young people receive the best education possible. This should lead us both to demand that our education system at all levels enables all of our young people to develop their creative abilities in whatever direction is relevant to them. It also means that we should remove any barriers that prevent any pupil or student from reaching their full potential.
In the context of these two announcements, we should support a review of the curriculum which widens opportunities and provides a creative environment in which our children can prosper.
In terms of finance, it means that we should return to the old system under which fees and maintenance come either from the state or from those industries that need entrants with the higher skills on which those industries depend.
Ralph A. Tebbutt
‘The solution to congestion does not lay with more EVs, it is delivering efficient, cheap public transport’
Too many myths about electric vehicles
It’s been a dull damp old winter so far, and it appears to be bringing out the Eeyore in some correspondents.
My hope for 2025 is that everyone stops saying something cannot be done or alternatively shouting out loudly that everything is a disaster. It’s bad journalism to be constantly hunting the negative without offering an alternative or by insisting that things should remain in a permanent state of stasis.
So it is with electric vehicles or EV’s. To hear some correspondents you would think they were invented only a few years ago, yet there have been electric vehicles since the dawn of motoring. They became sidelined because more money was put into developing reliable internal combustion (IC) engines.
Had things remained as they were 100 years ago, the electric vehicle might well have dominated. The first filling station was opened in 1919 at Aldermaston, not in 1899. Prior to that period, motorists had to carry fuel around, giving them the same range anxiety seen today with EVs.
The diesel and petrol fuelled vehicle might have dominated the roads for many years, but the quiet efficiency of electricity in public transport has always boosted passenger numbers, whether in the form of trains, trams, trolleybuses, or battery vehicles. The IC engine was tolerated and not universally loved.
There have been so many myths circulated about EVs such as often catching fire, being too heavy, damaging road surfaces, and not having sufficient range, in just the same way as horse lovers fought a rear guard action against mechanical transport back in the 19th and early 20th centuries.
I accept entirely that the charger network is not satisfactory, that having several different charging apps is a pain, and that EVs are over elaborate, ponderous and too expensive. The car industry is showing its perennial complacency in producing electric SUVs instead of smaller cheaper vehicles. As for on-street charging for houses with no driveways, there are solutions which can be implemented if the will and the means are present.
The EV is not a wonder product. Urban congestion is caused by too many vehicles, electric or otherwise, within a given area.
The solution to that problem does not lay with more EVs, it is instead, by delivering efficient, cheap, reliable public transport, as well as walking and cycling more often. Cars have their uses but, like electricity, they need to be controlled and channelled into a useful social purpose.
Richard Styles
Volunteer to help people in disaster zones
When there’s so much conflict and so many disasters around the world, it can be hard to know how to support. As we start the new year with more people than ever displaced from their homes, at ShelterBox we’re appealing locally for volunteers to join us in making sure no-one is left without shelter after disaster.
Like many charities, the one I work for relies on volunteers in the local area to raise vital funds and awareness of our work and the people we serve. At ShelterBox, our volunteers have a global impact and make a tangible difference to the lives of people uprooted by conflict, earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions and extreme weather like drought, flooding and tropical storms.
One of the first disasters that ShelterBox responded to was the Boxing Day tsunami in 2004. Our response, 20 years ago, was only possible because of people willing to volunteer their time. And it’s no different today.
Our work continues at scale, supporting people around the world whose homes have been damaged or destroyed. Right now, we’re supporting people affected by Cyclone Chido and by conflict in countries in Africa and the Middle East.
Thanks to our volunteers and supporters, we’ve reached more than three million people across around 100 countries since we were formed 25 years ago by Rotary volunteers.
Every contribution is just as crucial as it was when we first started – whether it’s fundraising, hosting events, delivering talks to school children and community groups, or sharing our work on social media.
Volunteering with ShelterBox offers a special opportunity to meet like-minded individuals and gain insights into the humanitarian sector. The roles are very flexible around your skills and the time you can give.
If you think it might be for you, we’d love to hear from you. Contact me directly via jennifersandiford@shelterbox.org or visit shelterbox.org/volunteer/ambassadors to find our more.
Jenn Sandiford, community volunteer engagement officer, ShelterBox