The Front Page. - Copy 259 ( Abseiling Burlington House, Standing up for the Consumer, Dover's Unappreciated Gem. )
17 May 2012
This dizzying spectacle greeted yours truly upon rising from the slumbers yesterday. The thought occurred that at least one of the councils must have initiated a mad cap demolition. Had they taken the destructive notion up a notch from fountains, and gone full blast for Burlington House as well, excuse the pun, as the only way this thing would shift is through demolition charges carefully laid.
However...upon reflection it all seemed unlikely as there were no explosive charges to be seen. One lives in hope if not in expectation on this, the entire population wants to see the back of the monstrosity. What these guys were actually doing well...who knows. Abseiling for charity has a bit of vogue to it so perhaps that's what it was all about. They had good weather for it, which made a change.
PB
A couple of days ago near neighbour MP Laura Sandys made a speech in The House highlighting the need for better consumer protection, she called for an all round better deal for the shopper, for value for money, particularly for those buying food in the current austerity, making sure they are not hoodwinked by fuzzy packaging, packaging which often promises more than it delivers…it was televised on the parliament channel and yours truly watched the ebb and flow.
The parliamentary debate was on the controversial Queen's Speech. In the debate Laura Sandys, MP for South Thanet, called on the Government to stand up for the Consumer. Laura, who used to work at the Consumers’ Association, said: “This was very much a consumer’s Queen’s Speech, dealing with issues around the largest household bills – water, energy and food. It is crucial that we deal with some of the structures of these sector, but we also have to come clean with the consumer – the cost of food, energy and water are going up!
“Costs are increasing for water - a resource under particular pressure, in energy in the international wholesale markets, and food which has risen by over 5.4% this year. It is crucial that we put consumers at the heart of the proposed legislation to ensure that we support them to get the best value. That means that we need to clamp down on companies that mis-sell, we must ensure that consumers have clear and transparent information about the tariffs, nutrition and services levels they are buying and that we provide at the heart of our education system the skills to be much more resilient – from financial education through to cooking and basic household jobs.
“For too long, Governments have ignored the consumers focusing on the market but forgetting that the market is driven by customers . Big companies have reaped large profits whilst British customers have been mis-sold products, and with the current financial squeeze I am concerned that the consumer needs to be able to trust what they are buying. I have already identified some products’ packaging that is disguising how little food there is in the package; there must be transparency if processed products reduce their nutritional content due to commodity price increases, and new energy tariffs must deliver greater value to the consumer.
“We are approaching, what I believe to be, a consumer renaissance. The public are smart and are starting to fight back in the face of higher prices. We saw this in a scheme that I was championing – the Which? Big Switch campaign. By signing up over 250,000 people, through collective switching, Which? have secured energy bills which are £123 cheaper for customers.
“While no Government will be able to stop global price rises the coalition can ensure that the consumers are protected from sharp operators, get a strong voice in the market and secure a better deal.”
Picture shows Laura Sandys MP for Thanet South as she appeared on TV this week. PB.
What a quiet beauty this is. It lies there unloved and un-noticed, but on a recent evening it caught the eye when the late sun illuminated for a short while its lush green surrounds and its stunning characteristics. It does indeed look very lush right now, the immediate vegetation thriving after all the recent rain, but somehow when hit by the glowing and slanting sun, it called out for fresh attention.
Although situated on the main road and just 500 metres from the dock gates…nobody notices it. Millions drive by oblivious to its charms. This is a great pity as it could be one of Dover’s real joys. We have, apart from the Castle, very few ‘in town’ items to attract the attention, but this could be one. Just savour the picture above for a moment and see the potential.
To make it accessible would of course require a sliver of investment, but it could be a goldmine in return, somewhere for the motorist to stop and rest his weary bones before negotiating the ferry. Just think of its potential... imagine for a moment a polished and well organised tea rooms at ground level, with a rest and play area for families, and it would be one of our very popular attractions. There is unused scrubland in front of it so the space is there for development.
The structure itself is delightful and would be more appreciated all round if the public were given access to its historical charms and an opportunity to enjoy it all.
A little bit of its history now…..
The structure is actually called Moats Bulwark or even Mote's Bulwark...and it is essentially the remains of a gun battery which dates from between the 16th and 18th centuries. As you can imagine at the time it would have had a commanding view of the entire port, so an excellent location for harbour firepower to protect us from all comers. The structure you see was actually built in the period 1539/1540. It was originally known as the 'turf bulwark under Dover Castle' but its name was changed to Mote's Bulwark, called so after its second captain who was a chap called Stephen Mote. It was one of three gun batteries in use at the time ...and this one happily survives as you can see. It continued in full use as a gun battery up until the 1880's. More should be made of it and its quiet beauty.
PaulB... also thanks to Paul Scotchie Wells for the historical information.
Hit the f11 key to see the pic in full mode.
* *
Check out our highly active Forum, where you will find all the hot topics both local and national.
For all previous frontpage features including THE FOUNTAIN item ....
Letting it all Hang Out!!
This dizzying spectacle greeted yours truly upon rising from the slumbers yesterday. The thought occurred that at least one of the councils must have initiated a mad cap demolition. Had they taken the destructive notion up a notch from fountains, and gone full blast for Burlington House as well, excuse the pun, as the only way this thing would shift is through demolition charges carefully laid.
However...upon reflection it all seemed unlikely as there were no explosive charges to be seen. One lives in hope if not in expectation on this, the entire population wants to see the back of the monstrosity. What these guys were actually doing well...who knows. Abseiling for charity has a bit of vogue to it so perhaps that's what it was all about. They had good weather for it, which made a change.
PB
Standing up for you the consumer.
A couple of days ago near neighbour MP Laura Sandys made a speech in The House highlighting the need for better consumer protection, she called for an all round better deal for the shopper, for value for money, particularly for those buying food in the current austerity, making sure they are not hoodwinked by fuzzy packaging, packaging which often promises more than it delivers…it was televised on the parliament channel and yours truly watched the ebb and flow.
The parliamentary debate was on the controversial Queen's Speech. In the debate Laura Sandys, MP for South Thanet, called on the Government to stand up for the Consumer. Laura, who used to work at the Consumers’ Association, said: “This was very much a consumer’s Queen’s Speech, dealing with issues around the largest household bills – water, energy and food. It is crucial that we deal with some of the structures of these sector, but we also have to come clean with the consumer – the cost of food, energy and water are going up! “Costs are increasing for water - a resource under particular pressure, in energy in the international wholesale markets, and food which has risen by over 5.4% this year. It is crucial that we put consumers at the heart of the proposed legislation to ensure that we support them to get the best value. That means that we need to clamp down on companies that mis-sell, we must ensure that consumers have clear and transparent information about the tariffs, nutrition and services levels they are buying and that we provide at the heart of our education system the skills to be much more resilient – from financial education through to cooking and basic household jobs.
“For too long, Governments have ignored the consumers focusing on the market but forgetting that the market is driven by customers . Big companies have reaped large profits whilst British customers have been mis-sold products, and with the current financial squeeze I am concerned that the consumer needs to be able to trust what they are buying. I have already identified some products’ packaging that is disguising how little food there is in the package; there must be transparency if processed products reduce their nutritional content due to commodity price increases, and new energy tariffs must deliver greater value to the consumer.
“We are approaching, what I believe to be, a consumer renaissance. The public are smart and are starting to fight back in the face of higher prices. We saw this in a scheme that I was championing – the Which? Big Switch campaign. By signing up over 250,000 people, through collective switching, Which? have secured energy bills which are £123 cheaper for customers.
“While no Government will be able to stop global price rises the coalition can ensure that the consumers are protected from sharp operators, get a strong voice in the market and secure a better deal.”
Picture shows Laura Sandys MP for Thanet South as she appeared on TV this week. PB.
Dover's Unappreciated Gem.
What a quiet beauty this is. It lies there unloved and un-noticed, but on a recent evening it caught the eye when the late sun illuminated for a short while its lush green surrounds and its stunning characteristics. It does indeed look very lush right now, the immediate vegetation thriving after all the recent rain, but somehow when hit by the glowing and slanting sun, it called out for fresh attention.
Although situated on the main road and just 500 metres from the dock gates…nobody notices it. Millions drive by oblivious to its charms. This is a great pity as it could be one of Dover’s real joys. We have, apart from the Castle, very few ‘in town’ items to attract the attention, but this could be one. Just savour the picture above for a moment and see the potential.
To make it accessible would of course require a sliver of investment, but it could be a goldmine in return, somewhere for the motorist to stop and rest his weary bones before negotiating the ferry. Just think of its potential... imagine for a moment a polished and well organised tea rooms at ground level, with a rest and play area for families, and it would be one of our very popular attractions. There is unused scrubland in front of it so the space is there for development.
The structure itself is delightful and would be more appreciated all round if the public were given access to its historical charms and an opportunity to enjoy it all.
A little bit of its history now…..
The structure is actually called Moats Bulwark or even Mote's Bulwark...and it is essentially the remains of a gun battery which dates from between the 16th and 18th centuries. As you can imagine at the time it would have had a commanding view of the entire port, so an excellent location for harbour firepower to protect us from all comers. The structure you see was actually built in the period 1539/1540. It was originally known as the 'turf bulwark under Dover Castle' but its name was changed to Mote's Bulwark, called so after its second captain who was a chap called Stephen Mote. It was one of three gun batteries in use at the time ...and this one happily survives as you can see. It continued in full use as a gun battery up until the 1880's. More should be made of it and its quiet beauty.
PaulB... also thanks to Paul Scotchie Wells for the historical information.
Hit the f11 key to see the pic in full mode.
* *