A Walk in the Past.

On sale now !    In shops throughout the town (including Michael’s Bookshop) The Ramsgate Town Trail booklet, written and produced by the Ramsgate Society. It features seven seafront walks from Cliffsend to St George VI Memorial Park. The walks are continuous but can be taken individually, or as long as time and energy permit.

The walks will take you back into the grand history of this remarkable town, starting at a Viking ship called “Hugin”, on to see the work of A.W.N.Pugin, “God’s own Architect”, and then contemplate a sketch done by Vincent Van Gogh, maybe in his lunch hour, whilst teaching at Royal Road and living in Spencer Square.

Visit the most remarkable harbour in the UK, the only one with royal recognition, the guide explains how this happened and shows you the work of many famous people who crafted the Ramsgate we know today.

A wealth of bygone celebrities and architectural masterpieces jump out of the book and are displayed in real life before your eyes. You will walk past, squares, crescents, mansions, churches, lighthouse, waterfall, harbour, military installations, monuments, gardens and each one will tell a different story, from the past to the present.

The book is 80 pages, packed full with information about Ramsgate, together with a postcard attached to the last page which can be detached and sent to family or friends saying “wish you were here” and they will when they read the guide. Ramsgate Town Trail booklet costs £5.99 and is available from outlets in the town displaying “Town Trail on sale here” posters. All the proceeds will be re-invested in charitable projects about the town by the Ramsgate Society.

Thanks to the Heritage Lottery Fund and Thanet District Council for funding the initial project. Also thanks to Pomegranate for great work in designing and publishing this complex project. Brilliant job !

Weak Euro or weak £

The graphs say it all, we may not be part of the Euro but we are tied into the system. I thought it was no coincidence when on the same day Euro rates were dropped, the Bank of England announced another £50 billion round of quantitative easing, so I started to dig deeper. Before Sept 2008 the Euro hovered between 65 to 70p, since the global bank crash of 2008 when UK interest rates dropped to almost zero, the Euro has maintained a value of 80p to 85p with the occasional spike to 90p..

News sources in 2012 would have us believe there is a Euro crash at the moment and we all assume from that they mean the Euro is weak but if you read the following extract written in April 2008 you will appreciate that an 80p Euro can be described as STRONG.

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Q&A: Why is the Euro so strong????? (date April 2008)


Holidaymakers will find their pound does not go so far in Europe

The pound has touched an all-time low against the euro - meaning that the eurozone currency is now worth 80 pence.

Euro notes and coins were physically introduced in 2002, although the currencies of the initial 11 member countries had their values fixed in euro terms as early as 1999.

There are now 15 eurozone countries, with a total of 320 million inhabitants.

But why is the currency so strong now and what does it mean?

Why is the euro doing so well?

Put simply, the euro is an increasingly attractive currency for investors compared with its rivals.

The US dollar is in freefall because of problems in the US financial system, driven by the credit crisis.

Interest rates in the US have been slashed in recent months, as the Federal Reserve tries to stave off a recession.
And the Bank of England has cut interest rates in the UK to 5% from 5.25%.

(10 APRIL 2008)

Rate cuts generally encourage investors to switch to other currencies which have a higher rate of return.

As a result, there has been a flow of investments into the euro, as well as commodities such as oil and gold.

What will the impact be people taking holidays in Europe?

Well, your pound will not buy as many euros, making things more expensive for you.

The euro has been edging higher for some time.

But the price of a baguette at the boulangerie, an espresso on a Milan pavement cafe or a beer in a Spanish bar may come as a shock for anyone who has not been to Europe for a while.

While a euro is worth 80p now, it was 71p at its physical launch in 2002 and 57p at its all-time low in 2000.

But how about the broader economy? What will the impact be?

Overall, a strong euro is good for the UK economy.

It makes imports from the eurozone more expensive, while UK exports become cheaper to those paying for them in euros.

This is clearly a boost to the UK manufacturing sector.
"Given the eurozone accounts for such a large percentage of UK exports, companies should be taking significant advantage of a weaker pound," said Jeegar Kakkad, senior economist at manufacturing group EEF.

"Whilst there is a twinge of concern about higher costs of imported raw materials, the benefits from greater pricing power should outweigh these."

The eurozone accounts for about 60% of UK exports.

Does the strength of the euro bolster the case for the UK to join the currency?

This argument is shrouded in politics and patriotism, as well as economics.

One drawback is that the European Central Bank's interest rate applies equally across all 15 eurozone countries, whether their economic growth levels are sluggish or breakneck.

But the euro has many things in its favour, especially when it is at such highs.

It seems to be a safer bet than the dollar at the moment. Even the former head of the US Federal Reserve, Alan Greenspan, has said that it is conceivable that it will one day "replace the dollar as reserve currency or will be traded as an equally important reserve currency".

There is also a strong argument that joining the euro would help lure more foreign investment.

And while many eurozone residents also expressed opposition to the euro when it was introduced, it is proving popular with citizens as well as business, especially those involved in cross-border trade.

So what is the truth? It would appear from the graphs that there is an inverse relationship between the value of the Euro and the level of UK interest rates. The UK rates are so low that quantitative easing is necessary to maintain a weak pound against the Euro and help exports, but a real Euro crash would not make a strong pound, just expose our weaknesses and send the pound into free fall. Sad to say, that the British public are being fed this mis-information as an excuse to leave the EU.