30 October 2010
11:0277367So Charlie is launching this today (30/10) at the Water Sports Centre @ 13.00 with Dame Vera. I may well poodle along for a gawp!
'MP calls on Big Society to run Dover
By Robert Wright, Transport Correspondent
Published: October 29 2010 22:55 | Last updated: October 29 2010 22:55
The Conservative party's free-market ideals and its latest intellectual big idea promise to clash this weekend when Dover's Tory MP launches a campaign to block the privatisation of the town's port.
Instead of being sold to private sector investors, Europe's busiest ferry port should transfer to a company owned by Dover's townspeople, Charlie Elphicke will argue. The plan accords with the prime minister's Big Society rhetoric, he says. "We believe it's a model that can point the way to a new form of governance structure," Mr Elphicke told the Financial Times in September.
Dame Vera Lynn, best known for her sentimental second world war-era hits, will join supporters of Mr Elphicke's "People's Port" plan on Saturday. Her presence will highlight campaigners' claims that only their plan can guarantee that Britain's main maritime gateway to the Continent stays in British hands.
The campaigners have the port's main customers on their side. P&O Ferries, SeaFrance and DFDS, which are angry at their treatment by the port's current management, will back their proposals.
However, the Department for Transport looks likely to follow the lead of the last Conservative-led government and privatise the port to a conventional, probably non-British, private sector investor.
The argument is pitting the party's free-market and big-society tendencies against each other, according to Douglas McNeill, transport analyst at Charles Stanley and a former economics adviser to the Conservative party. "It highlights the contrast between these two strands of conservatism in quite a neat way - better than anything we've seen since the election," he says.
The port needs to finance around £400m in construction work on a new ferry terminal on the site of Dover's derelict western docks. Growing traffic and larger ferries are likely to exhaust capacity at the existing terminal within a decade.
The Dover Harbour Board, a charity-like trust that has run the port since 1606, is barred from borrowing to finance the work. Its directors have asked the DfT to let it sell a majority stake in a new operating company to a private investor, with minority stakes going to employees and a charitable trust to benefit the local community.
Mr Elphicke is expected to outline at Saturday's launch details for the financing of his rival plan, under which Dover area residents would be invited to pay £10 each to buy shares in a new company, the Dover People's Port Trust. He was unavailable to discuss the plans on Friday, but in September said City institutions would be prepared to lend to the new company.
"There would be a long-term contract with the ferry companies and long-term finance in the company," Mr Elphicke said. The People's Port idea was compatible with traditional Conservative enthusiasm for free enterprise, he insisted. "One has a group of people come together in association and run it as a commercial enterprise," he said.
However, Mr McNeill said the People's Port plan was likely to be higher-risk than a traditional privatisation. Others involved doubt the new trust would be able to raise as much cash to buy the port as mainstream financial institutions.
"I honestly don't think the People's Port idea is going to stack up," one person involved said. "We're talking quite serious money here."
Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2010. '
Guest 653- Registered: 13 Mar 2008
- Posts: 10,540
30 October 2010
12:1377368Here's an email I sent round about it:
Good Morning
Very short notice perhaps, but:
The launch of the People's Port bid will take place today, Saturday, the 30th October, at 1pm at Dover Water Sports Centre, The Esplanade, Dover.
Dame Vera Lynn will be there.
Dame Vera backs 'People's Port' for Dover
Dame Vera Lynn says she would support a scheme for local people to buy the port of Dover if the Government decides it should be privatised.
As we all know, forces sweetheart Dame Vera Lynn, sang (There'll Be Blue-Birds Over) The White Cliffs of Dover during World War II, she said it was an important landmark.
Conservative MP for Dover & Deal, Charlie Elphicke, has proposed that Dover becomes a "People's-Port
The government is expected to make a decision on privatisation this Autumn.
The port has operated as a trust for 400 years and with no shareholders, all revenue goes back into the business.
The Port of Dover board asked for government approval for privatisation in January. A second public consultation on the scheme ended last week.
'Gateway to England'
"Dover is the gateway to England and if it is not going to remain in the hands of the nation it should remain in the hands of the community," said Mr Elphicke. "I'm encouraged that the ferry companies support this plan and the trade unions tell me they like it as well. "People universally tell me they like this plan. My job is to try and make it happen".
Dame Vera, who lives in East Sussex said Dover and the White cliffs meant a lot to people. "I would support the campaign for the local people to manage it"
It was such an important scene for the boys who were going away and when they came home.
Mr Elphicke has said his scheme would involve setting up a community trust which local people could buy into "for a tenner" and the big-money raised in the money markets to buy the Port.
Come along - 1pm Dover Water Sport Centre on the Seafront.
Roger
Keith Sansum1
- Location: london
- Registered: 25 Aug 2010
- Posts: 23,942
30 October 2010
14:0677370Fuuny, when gwyn used to put Labour M,P Some forumites(political ones) said hes the MP for all and rightly so.
But now that charlie boy is MP is ok to put conservative MP
all double standards.
On the issue of the port, It looks like as i said in very early postings the Idea of a peoples port s fantastic, will that type of finance be raised is another issue.
looks like other experienced conservatives think the same way
ALL POSTS ARE MY OWN PERSONAL VIEWS
Ross Miller
- Location: London Road, Dover
- Registered: 17 Sep 2008
- Posts: 3,707
30 October 2010
14:2577375Here is a link to the report on the BBC News web site
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-11657831"Dream as if you'll live forever. Live as if you'll die today." - James Dean
"Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength,
While loving someone deeply gives you courage" - Laozi
Guest 690- Registered: 10 Oct 2009
- Posts: 4,150
30 October 2010
15:2177378 Dame Vera Lynn arriving at the Seasports Centre this afternoon. How fit and well she looked for her age. A few interesting speeches made, and Charlie Elphicke did sound very convincing in his. I`m still confused as to the best way forward, so I`ll leave it to other`s who were there today.
Tell them that I came, and no one answered.
Guest 690- Registered: 10 Oct 2009
- Posts: 4,150
30 October 2010
15:2477380 The singer and what her famous song was all about.
Tell them that I came, and no one answered.
30 October 2010
15:4577383Keith, the problem is that Charlie is putting through a very socialist idea with his concept of a people's port (which I would have thought the brothers would be backing, rather than UNITE handing out leaflets opposing the idea) so has to label himself 'conservative' to show that he has not gone completely over to the dark side.

Guest 696- Registered: 31 Mar 2010
- Posts: 8,115
30 October 2010
16:1577391Roger, in my article online I presented Dover Port as the Gateway to Britain! That ranks the Port higher than Gateway to England.
To the best of my knowledge, DHB's privatisation proposal is being weighed up by the Ministry for Transport. Although Charlie may have an alternative, officially there are many alternatives to DHB's proposal, and not just Charlie's. I won't go further than that out of correctness.
Terry Nunn
- Location: London Road, Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 4,316
30 October 2010
16:4277404I'm going to have a little moan. The Sea Sports Centre was double booked. Half of the area was taken up with about six tatooists plying their trade and another quarter with a very loud rock band. I was sandwiched between the two. Ok, so I coped but did have to change mics early on due to wind problems. My thanks to Swingtime Sweetheart Le'Arna for pushing through the crowd to get it to Charlie.
Clearing up was a problem. I couldn't believe the clientele who just stood there and wouldn't move when asked to do so while we were struggling out with the equipment.
Nevertheless a good time was had by all but I did feel sorry for Annie and Le'Arna and Andrew the keyboard player who were frozen.
Terry
Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?
Terry Nunn
- Location: London Road, Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 4,316
30 October 2010
16:4577408Love the link that Ross put on. Timed at 1308, before the event happened!
Terry
Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?
Guest 698- Registered: 28 May 2010
- Posts: 8,664
30 October 2010
17:1777419Terry, you did a great job. We are most grateful and I am sure you will receive an official letter of thanks once we get some notepaper printed!
PG.
I'm an optimist. But I'm an optimist who takes my raincoat - Harold Wilson
Guest 673- Registered: 16 Jun 2008
- Posts: 1,388
30 October 2010
17:3777424Seems a bit churlish of Unite to be handing out leaflets opposing Charlie's plan for port privatisation when it seems like only yesterday that Charlie was marching in support of Unite in their opposition to the outsourcing of port jobs as a prelude to privatisation.
Ross Miller
- Location: London Road, Dover
- Registered: 17 Sep 2008
- Posts: 3,707
30 October 2010
17:4077427Ed that is politics for you
"Dream as if you'll live forever. Live as if you'll die today." - James Dean
"Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength,
While loving someone deeply gives you courage" - Laozi
Brian Dixon
- Location: Dover
- Registered: 23 Sep 2008
- Posts: 23,940
30 October 2010
17:5077431well what a waste of time that was,all huff and puff with lots of lip service.yes i did go done expecting a sit down q&a session but no we had to stand on the beach to listen to all of the waffle.
some questions need to be asked.
1,what big city names are backing the scheme and whats in it for them.
2,if not enough money is raisedwhat happens then.
3,will the residents of dover district be screwed rotten.
4,is it another eurotunnel in the makeing.
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
30 October 2010
17:5177433i see that no-one has mentioned the actual presentation yet.
to start the ball rolling i found it a bit lacking in substance, there was no opportunity to ask questions.
luckily i had been chatting to someone earlier who explained the nuts and bolts of the deal very clearly to me.
just before parting i said something to the effect that i had not caught his name,turned out to be a robin wilkins of sea france.
i quietly crawled away.
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
30 October 2010
17:5177434looks like we posted at the same time brian.
Brian Dixon
- Location: Dover
- Registered: 23 Sep 2008
- Posts: 23,940
30 October 2010
17:5277435howard,looks like it.

howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
30 October 2010
17:5977440interesting that it was on the beach, at this time of year it is cold and windy, how many would have turned up if it had been raining too.
Brian Dixon
- Location: Dover
- Registered: 23 Sep 2008
- Posts: 23,940
30 October 2010
18:0277442not many,now let me do a head count for a rainy day 4 coppers 6 unite persons oh and charlys lot. about 15 then.
Guest 649- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 14,118
30 October 2010
18:1277446I did not go because like most of the public I think that the port should not be sold off at all, and stay the same today as it has been for 100sof years.
