The post you are reporting:
Of course I can still participate, and listen, however, unless otherwise stated, all views expressed will be my own.
Mr Vic, I like you quite a lot, but almost everything that you put down to open this thread is inaccurate. I always try and avoid attacking the integrity and honour of other people as I do not know what is in their heart. You ought to know that even though I strongly disagreed with Mr Goldfield and with the way in which he had chosen to achieve his stated objectives, I did not attack his integrity or impugn his honour. I spent almost all my time explaining how the DPPT plan could and would work and a small amount of time showing how what was then the plan of the DHB would pan out if allowed to proceed, or how it fell short of the revised criteria when they were published.
I was critical of DHB policy, of a private equity sale and the approach that had been adopted towards their community and their customers. I believed, and still do, that much improvement can be made in the way that the port worked and works and am honoured that I will now be a part of making that improvement in however small a way. I think that you will find that all my criticism was reserved for the then executive and the policy and methods that he had adopted and that I ALWAYS spoke well of the day to day management and staff of the port who always have and continue to do a brilliant job. When privatisation was rejected, I, on behalf of the DPPT, vowed to continue fighting on for reform of the port and its governance to ensure that privatisation did not emerge as an issue again in the future. Perhaps you missed the point that the DPPT made right at the outset of the privatisation process which was, 'The Port of Dover should not be sold to private equity, but if it is going to be sold, then it should belong to the people of Dover and no one else'. The Port of Dover has not been sold and that is brilliant news for all of us.
Things have certainly moved on since December 20th in 2012 and the Minister's statement in April of this year was the culmination of a lot of effort.
The DHB has started reform and that continues, it has access to the financial powers that it needs to invest in the growth and development for the future, it will have a new governance HRO with Directors from the community and the principle of a Community Fund has been established.
Basically, all the things that I criticised the previous executive and board members for not doing are now in progress; unlike some I do not leap to resume kicking if everything that I want to happen does not happen immediately and exactly as I wanted it to. Change takes time, reform takes time, improvement takes time and they need to be given time to put down roots and establish a shoot in order to begin to flourish.
I am no longer Chairman or Board member of the DPPT because to remain so could be perceived as a conflict of interest (everyone would have been right to point that out had I not stepped down) and I will need to devote myself to serve to the best of my ability within the Board of the reforming DHB and help to deliver what we all want and need, a flourishing port at the heart of a newly flourishing town and a community which enjoys the best port-town relationship in the country. That means working with people and building bridges to bring about the change that everyone seems to want.
For the record, Charlie is still a member and Director of the DPPT, so all the huff about rats jumping ship is total guff.