The tiny online world of Thanet Blogging is abuzz with the news that someone had the audacity to say something bad about Margate. Forgetting the fact the we who write sites like this often have negative comments to make let us not be blind to the facts of the mater. Margate is not exactly a gem.

In case this is all a mystery to you (and you do not have page three of the Thanet Extra to hand) Bob Geldof is quoted as saying "If you drive of piste for five minutes you can find complete beauty. It's a mad mystery, the battle of the ugliness of Margate against the charm of the beaches." Bob is no stranger to Margate and has had an off and on flirtation with it (and Kent generally) from early in his carrier. Geldof fans was recall that it gets a mention in Love Like a Rocket in which he describes something that is still the social norm here today.

Apparently the fact that Saint Bob of Geldof has said that Thanet has areas of outstanding beauty is lost to the fact that he has observed that Margate is ugly. Have you seen the sprawling town "centre" of late? Not too nice to look at and as for Cecil square...

Take, for example Arlington House. It was ugly when built and it has only become worse with age. Even when Naked in Thanet photographer, Peter Checksfield, photographs it in black and white with topless ladies blocking most of it out it is still quite unsightly (link *** WARNING: contains artistic nudity ***).

Now there is a building that could only be improved with a compulsory purchase order and a demolition crew.

The car park and fenced off flea-market that dwelt in the shadow of Arlington House are not exactly photogenic themselves. Looking down the road we see gaps where convenient fires have taken down buildings and night clubs of questionable artistic merit (like the rather tasteless "ESC" design of Escape Nightclub) compete with each other for the "most garish and tasteless frontage award". Not to mention the most comments of "I cannot believe planning permission was granted for that!"

Margate buildings are, on the whole, not nice to look at. Not the garish lights of the arcades, nor the visual wasteland that is the road junction at the clock tower, nor even the half empty high-street are worthy of an award for beauty. The fact of the mater is though that the beaches are fantastically beautiful and the sunsets amazing. It is for this reason (we are told) that the Turner Centre is being built.

Yes there are some right gems. Buildings that might have won awards and buildings that will win no awards but are tastefully unassuming. Not works of art but no monster eyesore.

But Cllr Sandy Ezekiel (by not talking to the press about party issues) has issued a challenge to the former Boomtown Rats front-man and invited him to join our (vague) efforts at making Thanet a nice place. I'm not sure what good such an effort would have but... what do you think?

Julie cries a lot but she tries to hide the tears
From the kids coming in from school
She's looking at a picture taken Margate '66
Of Terry on the pier looking cool
She tries to remember the boy in the snap
But the baby's woken up from her afternoon nap
She runs a wrinkled hand through her tired hair
Then sighs and mutters something sounding close to despair
Bob Geldof, Love Like a Rocket, lyrics (source)