Friday, July 09, 2010

East Of The Wantsum

Here's today's EotW. As ever, click it to big it.

It's anyone's guess which page it'll appear on in our local blue top from week to week. Today it was under Countdown to Turner, my old journalist chum John Kampfner's column, writing in his guise as chairman of the Turnip Centre trustees.

I'm sure John won't mind me saying (as he probably didn't write it, but only put his name to it) that I've never read so much fantasy guff in my life. If his column is to be believed, Margate is about to be transformed into some kind of Willy Wonka wonderland, where the streets will be paved with Saatchi gold, and fifty pound notes will spew from the top of the Turner Contemporary every day for the 'ickle Margit chilren to collect. And not a mention of any destination south of Westwood Cross.

You can read it all on the excellent Margate Architecture blog, where it's been scanned and reproduced, along with, as it happens, East of the Wantsum. I don't recall giving my permission for that!

Meanwhile John Kampfner has rather more reason to celebrate in his capacity as CEO of Index on Censorship, part of the campaign group that has been fighting our archaic and draconian libel laws. The ConDems announced today that they will review our ridiculous statutes, which have made us the laughing stock of the world, and London the centre of international libel tourism.

So, if all goes well, in a couple of years time, I may be able to tell you what really happened with Euroferries!

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I hope he didn't write it, for his reputation's sake.
All that chummy stuff about "schoolkids" and the "guys" at Dreamland. Heaven help us, it now seems even the splendid idea for a Hornby museum is somehow thanks to the Turnip Centre, as of course are the views, the beaches, the sunshine. Walpole Bay Hotel must be mortified not to get a mention until the second paragraph, though.

Anonymous said...

Walpole Bay Hotel is mortified .. oops sorry petrified TOTALLY frozen in time. Went there for afternoon tea and it stinks of decay and the woman there is a good contender for Morticia Adams. If this is Margate's best then god help them!