Riddles

July 2007 | home thanetonline.com michaelsbookshop.com Click here for books about The Isle of Thanet Dangerous cliff ?

this link takes you to the rest of my Pleasurama site this link takes you to my previous correspondence

My attempts learn about the Pleasurama project have lead me into a dialogue with Thanet District Council about their website and the way they pass on correspondence to councillors. Click on the links above to read the correspondence.

Riddles

Although this is a serious matter I felt at this point I could no longer continue without some element of humour.

Subject:		Re: TDC website
Date:		12/10/2006 11:19:37 GMT Standard Time
From:		Michael Child
Reply To:
To:	Richard.Samuel@thanet.gov.uk
CC:	roger.latchford@btinternet.com, johnkirby1941@hotmail.com, Brian.White@thanet.gov.uk, John.Bunnett@thanet.gov.uk

Thank you for your prompt and informative reply.

Can I make a couple of suggestions for your consideration relating to council email.

1 For security reasons elected members should always send emails concerning council business with a thanet.gov.uk email address as it is important that the public are sure that the email has really come from them. This is Mike Harrison's email address as an example cllrboggs@hotmail.com I am sure you agree that it could be anyone involved a scams address. This type of thing is so patently open to abuse and a terrible temptation to anyone wishing to make the council look foolish.

2 Like all important organisations a return email confirming the recipient has in fact received the email should be sent automatically.

With regard to Pleasurama my main concern is that the developer seems to have no track record. When one is told that the names of the directors and the address of the developer are a secret one is naturally concerned. Combined with the development having no parking for its non residential and hotel facilities I am worried that they lack the experience to produce a viable resource.

Subject: Re: TDC website Date: 12/10/2006 13:17:45 GMT Standard Time From: Michael Child

Reply To:
To:	Richard.Samuel@thanet.gov.uk

I have just received the email below, in reply to my questions? which I think illustrates the problem better than anything I could say.

In the 1600s when Canterbury diocese governed this area the archbishop kept a private notebook in Latin this is a translation of what he had to say about his priests. I wonder if you as the leader are keeping one now? Patten of Whitstable kept a mistress and did not pay his debts; Bourn of Ash was "allied to the sons of Eli" ; Roberts of Queenborough, ale-house sot and debtor, "so impudent as nothing is like him"; Bate of Chilham, "proudest and stiffest man" in the diocese, allowing corpses to lie unburied for want of fees; Burroughs of Kingston, "most horribly covetous" ; Ansell of Stowting and Cade of Sellindge, Jacobites and taven-brawlers; Edward Dering of Charing who fought his own sister at the Swan Inn and threw her "head-cloaths" into the fire; Hobbs of Dover, who amassed pluralities; Isles of New Romney a notorious sot and Jacobite; Nicholls of Fordwich who preached that George was a Foreigner, a Lutheran, and a Beggar-"a wicked, swearing. Lying, Drunken man".

Kindest regards and some sympathy for your difficult job. Michael Child.

In a message dated 12/10/2006 12:24:45 GMT Daylight Time, johnkirby1941@hotmail.com writes:

Subj: Re: TDC website

Date: 12/10/2006 12:24:45 GMT Daylight Time

From: johnkirby1941@hotmail.com

To: MichaelChild@aol.com, Richard.Samuel@thanet.gov.uk

CC: roger.latchford@btinternet.com, Brian.White@thanet.gov.uk, John.Bunnett@thanet.gov.uk

Sent from the Internet

Just making contact with my E mail address - I am now away on holiday until 30th october - please feel free to contact me direct .; best wishes john kirby

Subject:		Re: TDC website
Date:		12/10/2006 13:48:54 GMT Standard Time
From:		Richard.Samuel@thanet.gov.uk
Reply To:
To:	MichaelChild@aol.com

I could n't possibly comment on your literary analogy. However I can say

that your intervention is leading to the necessary corrections to the

contact arrangements via the website right now. I have also asked the

Communications team to prepare a Q & A on Pleasurama to be placed on the

website where hopefully most issues can be addressed and enquirers

directed.

Subject:		Re: TDC website
Date:		12/10/2006 14:20:36 GMT Standard Time
From:		Michael Child
Reply To:
To:	Richard.Samuel@thanet.gov.uk

I hadn't considered that it would be analogous to the situation now, more that you perhaps would feel that things could be worse.

I am very glad to hear that the IT problems are being sorted out, I have noticed that when TDC send an auto response saying they have received an email it doesn't say to which email address, so if you send 4 emails and get 2 auto responses as I just did it is difficult to interpret what it means.

As far as council officers not passing on councillors emails, or bothering to reply.

The founder of the Benedictine order of monks in his rule said a wise man can be told the error of his ways but a fool should be beaten immediately, so I will once again publish a record of my attempts at communication on the web as I still haven't heard from committee@thanet.gov.uk to tell me if my email to the councillors has been passed on. No doubt you heard what happened last time, 2 years ago.

Once again thank you for your positive help I have just looked on the TDC website and noticed the improvements.