Crappy New Year!

Hello ECR fans! In fact, hello generally!

As you can see from the press release below, I've wrested control of the old blog back from those chaps at Angloway Media - hurrah! It was a tough fight, but once I offered the princely sum of one whole British sov, they caved in. So it's out with the old and in with, er, the old again.

What, I hear you ask, is new for 2014 then? Well, not a lot really. Our beloved council is still struggling to clean up after the festivities, and has had to apologise for getting it sooooo wrong with the new recycling system. Same old, same old.

Along the trendy East Cliff here in the Millionaires' Playground, the shelters have been vandalised once more. My contact in the trench coat and trilby writes: 'The shelter nearest the kiosk on Victoria Parade was wrecked last night. Five windows smashed....'

The same East Cliff spy also clocked another of these recently renovated shelters, the one closest to the park, smashed on New Year's Day, adding: 'It also reeks of human poo.' Eurgh!

It's not the first time these shelters have been vandalised, and you have to wonder what kind of nitwit knuckle-draggers are perpetrating these acts of wilful incivility. As you know, I'm not the hang 'em and flog 'em type, but I have to say I'd be the first in line to pop along and blow raspberries if the woefully short arm of the law were ever to catch up with them and they were made to do community service!

Better news, however, on the beer front. I was invited along to the launch of Gadds' Uberhop last night at the excellent Ramsgate Music Hall. This splendid, lagerised (technical term) beer was first brewed for the Planet Thanet Beer Festival in 2010, and has been revived due to popular demand. I must say, I don't remember much about the 2010 Beer Festival, thanks mostly to the Uberhop. Similarly, I don't recall all that much about last night! Happy days!

See The New Year In With A Bang!

I dunno. I seem to be the only person still functioning after the Daily Thanet office party the other night. Quite why we had to top a case of Krug off with Espresso Martinis, lord knows.

Any-old-hoo, I trust all is well with you, dear reader, and that Santa emptied his sack in your chimney with the desired results.

TBH, there's not much news around to talk about. I see that Scobie The Younger has been arguing against spending dosh on the refurb of Ramsgate Station on the grounds that it'll soon be made obsolete by the ridiculous new Thanet Parkway. Quite why someone who wants to be the next MP for South Thanet would undermine the main railway station in the chief town in his potential constituency is a bit of a poser.

Ah, but then our foetal Labour candidate lives in Cliftonville, doesn't he? So I suspect he's more aligned with the Margate Mafia than us minted Ramsgate DFLs who want to walk to a station where we can be whisked to God's Own North London in just over an hour!

Speaking of Margate, this year the town will be putting on a New Year's fireworks display. It's the first time for ages, and it's been instigated by those nice hedge fund people who run the Sands Hotel. Of course, in past years Margatonians have just had to make do with watching another amusement arcade burn down. Oh how times have changed over on the North Side!

Meanwhile Ramsgate will be continuing its long tradition of seeing the New Year in with a bang, so do pop over and say hello!

Oh yes, and to show that I don't just make this bilge up, I heard a rumour the other day that those pyrotechnics people out at Manston might be pulling the plug, due to their lives being made a misery by the elf 'n' safety types. It comes to something, doesn't it, when the council can't be arsed to inspect restaurants, but can make life hell if you're just cooking up a few bangers!

Happy New Year!

What do you mean, I'm a day late?