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EUvote needs careful thought MailMarks
IN the next fewweeks you and I will cast probably the most important vote of our lives. I have studied hard and made upmy mind to vote to leave the EU – and it will take something very persuasive to change it. Most of my Maidstone friends appear to be broadly in the same position. I become increasingly concerned about
the serious detrimental impact ofEUmem- bership on so many aspects of our lives and lack of national power to do much about it. I have enjoyed living in Maidstone for
about 55 years and am not surprised both foreigners and British wish to live here. But what will happen to us and our town un- less we as a nation have firm control over our borders and decide how many and who we welcome from the rest of the world? In my travels among the British I see this
view mirrored by so many. I now expect a thumping majority for Brexit. For so long South East England has been
about the most overcrowded part of Eu- rope. In the last few years this has esca- lated powerfully. Unlesswe leave the EU it will get worse. The impact has been massive on housing growth, traffic movement, education places, NHS and welfare services, care of our aged… Nationally the welfare bill is crippling
our sick economy, and financial cuts forced by our Government are really hurting lo- cally – ask KCC and Maidstone Council and many local organisations losing finan- cial support. Where will the Chancellor of
Appalled by phone-tracking
Dear Sir – Regarding your article about tracking mobile phone habits, I amboth amazed and appalled at the news that this is happening. I amamazed that it is legal, and appalled
that both Maidstone Council and Maidstone Town Centre Management condone this activity. Itwas only a short time ago that we had the press tapping into phones; how is this any different? Whilstwe are told that individuals cannot be identified, how canwe be assured that this will remain the case, as I am sure that the technology exists? I have a contract phone so my details are
stored somewhere.We are already targeted with junk mail and annoying phone calls where details of purchases are sold on to third parties; I’m sure this will be the beginning of new marketing tactics. Your report states that it’s just location
and usage.Well, I don’t really want people knowing where I am, let alone what I’m using my phone for. That’s personal. Your report also states that November
2015was the eighth month in a row that footfallwas down. Have the two
Contact our team ...
Stephen Eighteen Editor
stephen@downsmail.co.uk 01622 734735 ext 231
30 Maidstone South March 2016 Diane Nicholls
Assistant editor
diane@downsmail.co.uk 01622 734735 ext 232
Jane Shotliff
Journalist
jane@downsmail.co.uk 01622 734735 ext 233
Dawn Kingsford
Journalist
dawn@downsmail.co.uk 01622 734735 ext 233
DENNISFOWLE President
dfowle2011@aol.com
the Exchequer look next in his desperation to balance the books? I love Europe, but have had enough of
the EU unless there are fundamental changes. Our Prime Minister is discover- ing these will not happen. I find myself in great sympathy with a paragraph in an article written by ToryMP Peter Lilley, who is voting to leave. “Our membership no longer serves any function in a body whose primary purpose (politi- cal union) we reject, whose main projects (the euro and Schengen)we are not part of, whose laws we find onerous and whose economic attractions have turned into costs.” He has the knowledge to be convinced
that Brexit can be achieved smoothly and with no losses (even a profit) to our export trade. I can understand most international con- glomerateswanting to retain our EUmem- bership. But they view things from a very different angle. And I find many smaller business people will vote to leave for both business and personal reasons. There seems to be wide belief that Eu-
rope will wish to continue to trade with Britain – andwe will be able to trade much more freely with the rest of the world.
organisations above not worked it out yet? Maidstone traffic is a nightmare, parking
is expensive and there are too many pop- up shops and empty shops; not a great experience really. It’s free to park and shop out of town with less traffic and a beer shopping experience. I realise that retail is tough with the age
of online sales, which to be fair I amusing more and more. However, some shops I do go back to because the customer care is so good.
Tracking phones will only compound the problem and keep shoppers away.Will the public bewarned with signs stating that we will be entering a tracking area? Shouldn’t we be asked before being snooped on? We’ve known for some time that big brother iswatching us with the cameras about town; now he’s tracking our phones. Neil Cole, Grove Green
Bypass money was there
Dear Sir – Iwas reading the comments about the Leeds-Langley bypass andwas interested by KCC leader Paul Carter’s statement that he would have to find £55m
The economic arguments seem likely to dominate the next few weeks. I accept the el- ement of risk. But weighed against all I in- creasingly dislike about the EU – and the economic and other dangers facing that huge body – I believe it is a challengewe can meet. We are about to make a decision so vital to
our future and that of generations to come. There are many sides to the argument and no one can cast this vote with complete certainty. For me the balance is now heavilyweighted.
Cllr Carter’s dilemma IAMpleased Cllr Paul Carter acknowl-
edged that he attended a Maidstone Local Plan protest meeting as an aggrieved resi- dent – with about 1,000 houses planned close to his Langley home – and not as KCC leader. KCChas a responsibility to ensure success
of the local plan, mainly relating to infra- structure, and Cllr Carter must lead respon- sibly.
There are top politicians in the borough
who ask very serious questions. A first job for Cllr Carter is to correct a county-wide map showing Maidstone’s housing figure to 2031 in the 16,000s when it is in the 18,000s. Who is still playing games? I note Swale’s housing figure, praised by
some Maidstone plan opponents, has been rejected by a Government inspector as too low – and Swale’s urgently needed local plan will be delayed. Maidstone too needs an approved plan urgently.
to do this project. Didn't they once put £50m into an Icelandic
bank, and would it not have been cheaper to carry out the work at this time? Iwould be surprised if he lives in Langley be-
cause you state that he uses the South Park rat- run to get to work. No doubt we will continue to have 44-tonnes lorries, some containing liq- uefied petroleum gas, mounting the kerbs through the centre of town James Burnham, by email.
Leave our park alone
Dear Sir – I feel I must write to defend Mote Park against ideas put forward by Mr Fowle in his musings in Mail Marks in this edition of the Downs Mail. He thinks that the next area for the council to consider is the “large grassed area lined with lovely trees” between the MoteAvenue entrance and exit roads, which he thinks should make a lovely surfaced car park. To make maers worse he suggests two
or three “quality” restaurants in the same area.We have more than enough concrete and Tarmac in the park already.
Comment
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