
In his first and only public statement about the tragic death of a teenager at Margate Dreamland, thirteen days ago, Labour Council Leader Rick Everitt has revealed that this terrible event was part of a much bigger incident than what has been reported.
At a meeting today Everitt said that in addition to the sad loss of life, numerous other people attending the Dreamland concert on 29th June were taken ill and hospitalised. Some of them were said to have been in very serious conditions.
As Leader of the Council, Everitt would have certainly been kept fully informed by senior TDC officers, the police, and medical services about the unfolding events, including the heart-breaking loss of young woman’s life and the hospitalisations as they happened on the 29th June.
The council officers have delegated decision making powers and should have immediately launched a fact-finding enquiry and made a professional decision including revoking the concert/events license for Dreamland.
Why has no action been taken by TDC? And why has the Council Leader remained silent about this very serious issue for almost two weeks?
Those of you who follow politics will know that during the recent election the Labour Party followed the so-called “Ming Vase” strategy which, translated into everyday language, means avoiding saying or doing anything which might possibly embroil Labour in controversy and which could lose the Party votes.
Had our Council Leader Everitt been open and honest with the public about the extent and seriousness of the tragedy on 29th at the time I believe that questions would have been raised which may have seen the Labour controlled council exposed, through understaffing, negligence, and mismanagement, as contributory factors to the death and hospitalisations on that day.
Anxious to avoid Labour candidates Polly Billington and Helen Whitehead being caught up, just days before the election, in what may have become a huge public row about Labour controlled TDC’s public safety record which has been legally challenged in recent years, and which could have lost them votes, I believe that Everitt followed the Ming Vase rule and ordered those around him to say nothing about the Dreamland tragedy until after the election was over.
I also believe that despite the extreme seriousness of the 29th June events, Everitt has also used his power and influence as the Leader of the Council to back off from revoking Dreamland’s entertainment license until after a full investigation has been completed which could take many weeks depending on the coroner and Police findings.
As I have said before the council and presumably Everitt is deeply afraid of Dreamland owner Live Nation’s financial power and any possibly retaliation it might take should its concerts be suspended.
One such retaliation is likely to be Live Nation’s rumoured purchase of Margate’s Winter Gardens, which TDC is desperate to get off its balance sheet, being called off.
Since becoming Prime Minister just last week Sir Keir Starmer has gone out of his way to emphasise that Labour will put people before politics. It would appear that the reverse has happened in this instance.
So keen were Thanet Labour politicians to ensure Labour’s General Election win that they have manipulated and suppressed the truth about heartbreaking human tragedies to try to ensure that their party candidates were elected on 4th July.
Thanet Labour is so desperate to keep an international, tax dodging capitalist monopoly sweet, that they have allowed Live Nation to continue holding concerts at Dreamland when serious questions about their ability to keep the ordinary people who Labour allegedly wants to engage with, safe at their concerts.
Thanet Labour have, in my opinion, sold out to the people of Thanet to advance their selfish political fortunes and to buddy up with the monopoly from Delaware.
We are only one week into a Labour run Government, nationally and professional and effective decision making by our Councillors still in Teflon mode.
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