South Thanet MP Craig Mackinlay: Shock at tragic Ramsgate collision, heatwave and the cost of living crisis

Craig Mackinlay

All across our community will have been shocked and saddened by the appalling crash in Leopold Street, Ramsgate leaving two members of a family dead and others injured whilst simply enjoying a holiday. I will say little more about the driver except to say that serious charges have been brought as the emergency services, who responded rapidly, complete their investigations. Our thoughts are now with the young daughter who remains in a serious condition in a London Hospital, having lost her mother and grandfather.

The second heatwave has meant local tills have been ringing up record takings. This does bring into focus the added obligations not experienced by many other Kent authorities in looking after the number of visitors. Some visitors leave behind far more than their footprints with vast amounts of rubbish simply left behind on our beaches for us to clear up and the need for additional community officers, parking management and provision of toilet facilities. I have been pushing various Secretaries of State over the past few years for a fairer settlement for coastal communities to account for this un-budgeted burden. I will not stop in this endeavour.

The immediate issue facing a new Prime Minister will be the cost of living crisis, notably the likely annual price of domestic energy which could hit £4,000 per household, a tripling of long term prices in just a year. There is no obvious silver bullet but plenty of suggestions. All require ‘the government’ to do more which means taxpayers (the government has no cash), either now or in the future paying out for whatever scheme prevails. We are in the realms of philosophical argument as to how we manage society and how much more ‘government’ is desirable? What is obvious is that support will be needed as these price rises are beyond the realms of people making small adjustments to their lives to absorb the costs.

Do we tax more and recirculate money back as one-off ‘grants’? This always sounds incoherent as it can be validly argued that it is surely better to allow people to keep more of their own money in the first place. Who is worthy and needy? The cash poor, yet asset rich pensioner, who by historical happenstance is in a large and valuable home, perhaps alone? The non-working family on benefits – one could argue that with a buoyant jobs market perhaps taking work might be a positive step than simply paying out more in state benefits? What about families receiving a healthy salary but because of mortgage obligations and other inflationary increases will find it difficult to match income to outgoings? It would be the most administratively simple to give a universal fillup to offset the rising price of energy for all but is it fair or affordable to support the multi-millionaire (who will be paying a huge amount of tax) in the same way as a low income family? Might it be better to use government (taxpayer) cash to insulate homes better? How about demanding though the National Planning Policy Framework that all new homes be hugely energy and water efficient? I’d agree with that. These are the conundrums.

Those on the left leaning side of politics see this as an opportunity to reset how a capitalist society works with nationalisation, price controls, more nanny state or more tax upon the energy companies. Bolder socialists even suggest that supermarkets be nationalised: I’ve been to Cuba, there is little to buy.

In an international marketplace for energy I struggle to see how nationalisation adding to the sloth of state control, or controlling prices with the taxpayer making up the difference between the real and centrally controlled fixed price can assist. We need more energy, not less but I won’t stray into my objections to Net Zero at any cost and by a certain date which no-one can really explain (why not 2035, 2060 or 2100)? Allowing governments to control prices has all been tried before and indeed we’ve been in an energy cost and supply experiment for the past 25 years: it always fails.

Capital and investment will always follow a profitable enterprise; our pension funds similarly need good dividend flows. If we make profit a dirty word across industries we want more more of, we’d soon find shortages, outdated and dirtier production methods and a government appointed elite who run things. One only need look at the pinnacle of old East German car engineering – the two-stroke Trabant that you’d wait five years to receive compared to the capitalist creation of a Mercedes being made just over the border in the West. The UK tried similar state control and we ended up with a Morris Marina.

We baulk at the price of many things. How can an Apple iPhone cost £700? Surely with state control and an appropriate government committee of prices we can demand it be less, ‘essential’ as it has now become. It would mean we’d never see an even more brilliant iPhone 15.

Lots to report and comment upon once the new Prime Minister (I’m supporting Liz Truss) is announced on September 5.

44 Comments

  1. You sir will be out shortly… Along with your failed govt…12 yrs and recently an eighty seat majority and you have done nothing good and mostly just nothing. Spaffers….

  2. We were, I feel, all shocked at that terrible accident in Leopold St.
    I believe, if death has occurred by dangerous drink or drug influenced driving, that the driver should NOT be able to refuse breath or blood tests being taken.
    It should already be compulsory.
    Something for Mr Mackinlay to propose to his colleagues in the House of Commons?

  3. how much of OUR money is sent abroad propping up christ knows what , and the wastage of money and resources by this present government has been scandalous , just look at the covid PPE scandal, and the old boys network ?. as joris rightly said they will be out at the next election , hopefully these multi millionaires will go back to thier country estates and ponder the mess they have left the country in – thats if they are even bothered ?

    • Yes, they even said they were ‘INTENSELY relaxed about people becoming FILTHY rich’. Oh sorry wait a minute, that was Labour!

  4. The Coservatives could thrash all other Political Parties IF they got the ‘Cost of Living ‘FARCE’ back to what it was a year ago.
    Otherwise….. you are done for, good and proper!
    NOT ‘my thoughts only’

  5. Brexit is a tax scam and the ERG are a bunch of crooks. The Cost of Living Crisis is worse in the UK and our energy price rises are the highest in Europe. Craig Mackinlay will kill us all for capitalism, so his billionaires friends can get richer.

  6. “how much of OUR money is sent abroad ..?”
    Vast amounts of it.
    Much of our infrastructure is owned by foreign investors.
    For example, our ludicrously high rail fares subsidise German rail travel.
    But that’s free market enterprise for you.

    And Craig: instead of posing endless questions in your piece, we want solutions. We don’t want raging inflation (or coronavirus or climate change or a failing NHS or the Brexit cock-up…) but, if you don’t have the answers, just what are you doing in Parliament?

    • Even more of a shame that no Labour government has reversed the situation. And SIR Keir has said he won’t re-nationalise any industries. So don’t expect much to change.

  7. Craig could fart whilst in a lift on his own and find a way to avoid taking any responsibility.
    But it is easy to acknowledge that the cost of fuel is going to literally kill people over the winter when you don’t pay for your own bills. Can’t wait to vote this joke of a man out.

  8. Trouble is, who do you vote in to take his place? I don’t see an inspiring leader amongst any of the current political parties. Somehow we have to break this socialism capitalism duo which cyclically has been bringing the country to its knees for 100 years

    • We need systemic change, a complete overhaul of how this country is run to allow for a fairer distribution of wealth and resources. We have to stop the rich getting richer through crony capitalism, and refuse to tolerate those in charge working us harder for less. Till then, I will vote for anyone, literally anyone other than Craig the climate denying, ultra right-wing, flat earther.

  9. Why on earth is he comparing renationalisation with Cuba?!! Cuba has had decades of trade embargoes with the US and other nations. The last time I looked we didn’t have trade embargoes slapped on us (although the way our sham of a government are acting and Brexit are going we may well have).
    I am ashamed that this guy is our MP. His government have had 12 years to sort our energy needs out, yet all they do is reduce feed in tariffs for Solar and say they will build pie-in-the-sky nuclear factories which experts believe won’t materialise. We know who funds you Craig – the fossil fuel industry.

    • or Poland before that country fried itself from Russia.No one could buy anything without hard currency.The state supermarkets had mostly empty shelves except for a few gherkins.It was terrible for Poland under Soviet rule

  10. Mr Mackinlay…you are deluded.The litter in many parts of Thanet backstreets has been around years and areas that tourists never visit.There are weeds on an industrial scale.The image your councillors set is of a very low standard.It almost looks acceptable to throw litter.This area has the worst litter problem of any seaside towns I have ever visited.The A299 is a marker for Thanet as the litter increases 20 fold the minute you cross the River Wantsum.Lets hope Kent CC s neglect doesnt start a fire.Also go out and look how many drains are silted up.There are hundreds.Thought the Tories were leading the world on green issues.Youre not even getting the basics right.

    • Correct !

      The further you get along the thanet way the worst the weeds and litter gets. Just open your eyes it’s a fact.

      We use to spray the weeds of but TDC councillors wont use weed killer but havent come up with another method. So the weeds just grow. Or are the weeds left as some members of our community think it’s great for wild life ?.

      As for the litter it’s the people of thanet who drop most of the litter. Why should my taxes be used to pick pick others litter ?.

      I am a tory by any means but the Tories under Thatcher encouraged this behaviour. Look after number one and sod the community. Thanet is a very good example of thatcherism. Homelessness, street drinkers, anti social behaviour all this and the house prices keep going up. The increase in top end cars in the area means people with lots of money like thanet the way it is. Hence thanet will always be a tort strong. If another partly looks like getting in the tories just break the rules to get their person in, like last time.

  11. It is appalling that Mackinlay can cite this terrible road traffic incident and then go on with loads of politics unrelated to this.
    He was totally absent after the incident unlike other local politicians. Why was he not at the vigil? why has he said nothing up to now? Where are his plans to make Ramsgate road safe?

    If Mack doesn’t like the “nanny state” then give us free reign to make our roads safe, let utility users decide how much they want to pay for energy and water, let us decide how our taxes should be used.

  12. Won’t vote for you again
    You have let your residents down with the no help for housing policy.
    That you yourself distance yourself from Mr Mackinlay
    Shame on you!!!

  13. the trouble is people around here treat voting tory as a staus symbol , even when they havent got a pot to p**s in , and are up to their eyes in debt with thier range rovers and other d**k extensions

  14. How can you forget that Cherie Blair ( wife of Tony Blair ) stood for Labour in the 1983 general election for the North Thanet seat ,coming 3rd after the then Roger Gale and the SdP candidate ?
    And how can you also forget more recently that during Gordon Brown’s Labour government that Dr Stephen Ladyman was the Labour Mp for Thanet South before Tory Boy Mackinlay ?

    • Actually, Laura Sandys was the MP who preceeded Craig MacKinley (a very nice person too, I met her numerous times).

      It’s the NORTH Thanet Labour candidates that I can’t recall…

      • In life no one normally remembers losers or runners up ,hence after Gale being Thanet MP for Thanet North since 1979 ,is it any wonder if no one remembers who the Labour candidates against him were for this very safe Tory seat .
        That might change at the next general election due to a potential backlash against the Tory government and the cost of living crisis that we are living through which looks likely to get worse

        • 1983.

          Labour always field their very worst candidates against Sir Roger Gale. A few years back, it was impossible to even find out what the Labour candidate LOOKED like (she was from Faversham, but I don’t think she even visited Thanet during the run-up to the election).

          Of course, one Thanet election “loser” EVERYONE remembers is Nigel Farage (he may have lost South Thanet, but he won Brexit!).

          • I think that you’re missing the point . Why would Labour put a strong candidate up in a Tory stronghold seat ?
            At the end of the day any Labour candidate for Thanet North is just a sacrificial lamb to the slaughter with nothing to gain
            I’d like to think that might change at the next election which I think might be tighter for the Tories than before ,due to this cost of living situation .which is hitting most people in the pocket

      • We “won” Brexit?
        Let’s unpack that a bit.
        What did we win?

        Our Sovereignty – no. We had a Sovereign before Brexit, and we still have one.
        Regain control of our borders- no. So far this year, 20,000 migrants have crossed the Channel. When we were part of the EU, under the Dublin Protocol, we could send them back. Post Brexit, we can’t.
        And look at the situation on the NI/RoI border. The government is about to tear up its own “oven ready” agreement.

        Make Britain great again – no. We have the worst performing economy in the G7,and one of the worst in the G20.
        Dreadful post Brexit agreements have left our agriculture and fisheries Industries on the brink of collapse.
        Apples are rotting on the trees in Kent’s orchards.
        Major airports and airlines are chopping the number of flights, because of a shortage of baggage handlers.
        The hospitality industry is struggling because of a lack of staff.
        And, most shameful of all, our once World Beating NHS is tottering on the brink of disaster, despite an extra £350,000,000 a week not being spent on the EU.

        We won?
        I think Brexit has been a disaster for Britain.

        • I totally agree with your comments and I don’t get this Brexit bravado from others ( Mr Checksfield) on this platform bearing in mind that the Mp’s either didn’t understand Brexit at the time or greatly misrepresented it to the public
          I suspect it was a bit of both of those 2 options , so please , none of this childish “ We Won ! “ crap from said “ We Won Brexit camp “.

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