Do you go through the annual rigmarole of coming up with New Year resolutions? I typically don’t as my potential for keeping them is generally pretty slim. However, after a rollercoaster political year and many months of hard pounding of the streets of Cliftonville, Broadstairs, Ramsgate and Sandwich, not only did I lose a stone and a half, I succumbed once more to having the occasional cigarette. Knocking this on the head once and for all is a resolution I’d like to keep, so you may see me with an e-cigarette in the new year. Despite the negativity and attempts by many critics to ban them, I believe e-cigs to be the most successful method of weaning people off of the infinitely more dangerous real thing ever invented. I have seen many friends successfully ‘rehabilitated’ in this way.
My hopes for the constituency are many. I hope to see a solution come to fruition before the second anniversary of its closure, for the re-instatement of Manston as an airport; for regeneration of Ramsgate to take real root and for the dynamism now taking hold across the national economy to come in earnest to South Thanet. For too long we have been at the bottom of the south-east league for unemployment figures, salary rates and indexes of deprivation. I am sure my first few weeks of the new year will be busy in trying to salvage, for the families and staff involved, some good news for all out of the ashes of the Royal School for Deaf Children.
The run up to Christmas saw for me a round of Parliamentary events, not least smaller parties with various Secretaries of State. Always a great opportunity to discuss constituency issues with senior members of government. You can be sure that I used the opportunity to raise issues relevant to us in South Thanet. I also attended a number of local festivities, not least Rainbow Ward at the QEQM, Maurice House in Broadstairs, one of just 6 national Royal British Legion homes for the elderly. I met Santa at Crampton Tower, Broadstairs and attended a carol service at the Sailors’ church on Ramsgate harbour. 2016 will be a big year for Maurice House with the opening in March of a 30 bed high dependency dementia unit, funded with £3m from fines levied against banks caught in the LIBOR rate fixing scandal.
The big event, indeed the issue that brought my political interests to the fore, will be the EU referendum, most likely to be held in the latter part of the year. Unless something more substantial comes out of the renegotiation bag I shall be campaigning for the leave side. It is important that all electors understand the issues. To that end, the first of many local discussion events will be at the Royal Temple Yacht Club, Ramsgate with Dan Hannan MEP as guest on Friday 15th January from 7pm. Please call the Association office on 01843 589266 for tickets.
A very Happy New Year.