Hooley-dooley, that was a good night out last night in Broadstairs and the girls were on good form. Unfortunately it was a bit chilly and it even rained at one point. How the local ‘ladies’ can go around in lycra mini skirts, or ‘pussy pelmets’ as my old recidivist Dad still calls them, along with tiny tops that leave nothing to the imagination I don’t know and I won’t go into the quality of Thanet men. I think I’ll save that for another day.
Talking of local ladies, I see from my copy of the Sunday Times this morning that Margate’s ‘wunderkind’ Tracey Emin is thinking of moving to France for tax reasons. She reckons that with the new 50% tax rate for those earning over £150,000 a year she will have to pay something like 65p in the pound in tax. ‘The French have lower tax rates and they appreciate arts and culture,’ she tells the Sunday Times and adds: ‘This Labour government has had no understanding for the arts. At least in France their politicians have always understood the importance of culture and they have traditionally helped out artists with subsidy and some tax advantages.’
Well said Tracey. Did anyone else see our ‘Culture’ Secretary Ben Bradshaw struggling to remember who Roman Polanski is on the BBC’s Question Time on Thursday? You could practically see the cogs whirring. I was sure he was wondering: ‘Roman Polanski? Did he do Rosemary’s Baby?’ To which the answer would in all likelihood have been ‘Yes’.
Now I know this isn’t the general view around here but I have always admired Tracey and think she is an underused asset as far as Margate is concerned, and I would be sad to see her go. At least here in Ramsgate we could wave to her in France on a clear day. Maybe she could build one of her famous neon signs for us in Calais, 100s of feet high, saying ‘Wish you were here’?