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Was the dockyard closure really that bad?
I am not going to deny that, at the time, closing the dockyard at Chatham probably wasn’t the best of moves by Prime Minister Thatcher and her government.
Today, however, the closure is still used by people such as Paul Clark as a reason not to vote Conservative. But, hang on a minute, these people are also singing the praises of many developments on the land once occupied by HM Armed Forces:
- A commercial port and marina was established, bringing in jobs and boosting the local economy
- 80 acres was transferred to the Chatham Historic Dockyard Trust, which now runs the 18th century core of the site as a major visitor attraction, bringing untold numbers of tourists to Medway
- 150 acres was turned into St Mary’s Island, which boasts some 1500 homes (including Labour Councillor Bill Esterson’s), a primary school and a medical centre
- Some of the land is now a hugely popular commercial, leisure and tourist complex, with Dockside Outlet Centre, Dickens World (a popular tourist attraction, most recently used as the setting for the titles to BBC’s I’d Do Anything) and an Odeon cinema
- The Universities at Medway partnership (between Canterbury Christ Church University, the University of Greenwich, the University of Kent and Mid-Kent College), affording local students, such as myself, a greater chance of entering into higher education
Correct me if I am wrong, but all of these projects are on land which was, up until 1984, occupied by HM Armed Forces. Correct me if I am wrong, but up until the Dockyard closed in 1984, there was no scope for 1500 new homes, tourist attractions, retail facilities or a unique university partnership, all at the heart of the Thames Gateway regeneration area, another project praised by Mr Clark and his colleagues.
Mr Clark, no matter how angry you may wish to get in front of an audience of Sixth Form students (all too young to emulate your anger, all too young to care), you cannot have it both ways. Focusing on the fact that the Dockyard was closed proves that you are constantly looking to the past.
I am looking to the future, and the long-term investment and benefits which have been opened up in housing, education and tourism as a result, with plenty of unrealised potential left, far outweigh the unfortunate short-term loss of employment (including my own father sorry, I’ve been corrected, should read “including my own father, grandfather, uncle and some flavour of cousin”) when the Dockyard was closed.
Closing the Dockyard was a risky move in 1984. 24 years later, I can honestly say I agree with my father (for once) in saying that it was the best thing that could have happened to Medway!
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7 Comments
This could be said about most places where large amounts of secondary industry has closed.
It’s all about the structural change in the economy we’ve experienced in the last 30years.
It could be said about most places, but obviously I wanted to write about Medway, particularly in response to Paul Clark’s continued references to the Dockyard closure.
Alan,
You are of course right that much good has come from the regeneration of Chatham Maritime. The problem of course with that arguement is that it wasn’t until 7 years after its closure that Michael Hestletine set out his plans for the regeneration of the, then, east kent corridor – by which time some 7,000 jobs had already been lost and the area’s economy decimated.
It’s very easy with hindsight to praise the closure in light of the huge benefits since (the majority of which have been realised under, and funded by, a Labour Government). But the Conservative’s didn’t plan the regeneration when the closure was announced – it was a decision based on making cuts in the defence budget. Only later, after the devastating impact had been realised, did any plans come forward for the area.
I can fully appreciate your point of view, particularly in light of what you say about many young people being too young to remember the closure – as am I. Unfortunately that doesn’t make the decision any more the right one.
Thank you for your comment, Scott.
I am not saying that the way the closure was handled was perfect – but then again I could quote many recent examples of events which were mishandled by the Labour government: the non-election, the Northern Rock crisis and the Olympic Torch’s procession through London, stopping off at Downing Street so Gord could have his photo taken with it, further politicising the games and hinting at a government’s support for the brutal, dictatorial Chinese regime.
Being in the Air Cadets, I know all about defence budget cuts. I have seen first-hand the devastating effect of the Labour government’s miserable attempts at balancing the books, continuing to spend, spend, spend on bureaucracy and other waste, whilst they cut, cut, cut on “front-line” services, such as RAF, Army and Naval bases and personnel. I even read recently that Servicemen were being forced to live in a Travelodge because there was not sufficient accommodation where they were stationed. A hugely impressive record, I think not!
I was “privileged” enough to be sent on an Annual Camp to RAF MOD St Athan in 2006 – a virtual ghost town, by all accounts (Mr Clark did receive an email on our behalf upon our return in complaint, which I still have on record, to which he replied, babbling on about the seemingly abandoned “Respect” agenda and other unrelated topics, whilst dodging the important underlying issue that the Cadet Forces continue to suffer, i.e. the youth continue to suffer, because of government cuts). I even have a copy of the photos from that camp to prove it!
In most other Countries, the government goes head-over-heels to support is current, and former, servicemen and their families. The media and public-at-large are also highly supportive of their servicemen.
Not in this Country! Oh, no! In Brown’s Britain our brave heroes are being forced to hide their uniform in public because of anti-social, disrespectful scumbags who think that it is cooler to attack them than praise them for fighting for their freedom!
In Brown’s Britain our brave heroes are quite literally treated as charity cases! It is up to charities such as the Royal British Legion and Help for Heroes to look after serving and ex-Servicemen because the government itself is being disrespectful in sending them out to hellholes such as Iraq and Afghanistan, yet refusing to support them when they return injured and psychologically damaged!
So, before you start trying to lecture us all on Conservative defence cuts, remember that the Labour Party have had eleven years to get it right. Now, however, charities are needed more than ever to support our servicemen because the Labour government has failed to do so!
That is nothing less than a shocking, disgraceful record. One which the Labour Party should be completely ashamed of!
Alan,
I’m sorry to say that your post fails to deal with any of the issues i put forward, but rather is a diatribe that pays little heed to the facts – which is a shame given your usual sensible approach to many issues.
By 2010/11 the MoD Budget will be some 11% higher in real terms than in 1997, and represents the longest period of sustained growth since the 1980s.
The government has committed over £5bn to improve armed forces accommodation over the next ten years and it was Labour that introduced the Armed Forces compensation scheme – as well as the homecoming parades to celebrate the return of our armed forces – which many of your readers will have seen take place in Maidstone recently. Last year over 1200 quarters were upgraded to the highest standard.
Last year the government announced that the new NHS hospital to be built in Birmingham will treat patients from the Armed Forces, and will contain purpose built wards, with a designated reception area for visitors to military wards.
I am, by no means, claiming that things are perfect. There are plenty of areas where the Government could and should do better. But debate cannot be based on a scan over the pages of newspapers, but on the facts. The examples you’ve picked up on are bound to attract media attention, but let’s be grown up about this – regardless of political colour, the Armed Forces are vital to the security of all our lives and it’s important to honour the military covenent. I don’t think you can realistically argue that the Government doesn’t believe that.
A return to reasoned debate would be welcome!
Alan
Yes the closure was due to Defence Cuts, but in this area we also had the closure of major employers like Wingets, Blaw Knox and the BP Oil Refinery on the Isle of Grain, along with the regular down sizing by other employers such as Lucas CAV, Elliotts and Bowater.
Essentially this meant that the Medway Towns ended up with no major manufacturing sites left, and the area now relies on services and commuting for it’s employment.
These cuts came about as a direct result of the monetarist policies of the Conservative Government at the time. There is no doubt that changes were needed and as a result the British economy retained it’s positiion in the top 5 in the world, but there was some considerable human cost in all of this that sometimes gets forgotten in the heat of political debate.
However I do not think that it is remotely sensible for Paul Clark to remind us of the decision that was made 25 years ago to close the Dockyard, the world has moved on a lot since then. It is also not sensible to compare the deliberate decision to sack thousands of workers to the decision to welcome the Olympic Torch to Downing Street. A sense of proportion would be welcomed all round.
Now if you were to get me on current matters about the Labour Government of Gordon Brown (short changing of the police in their last pay settlement, 10p tax rate are just some examples) then I would have something to say!
Scott,
My apologies, I allowed my human frustration to show through in my last comment. You’re right, the examples I mentioned picked up media attention, they were disgraceful failures in honouring the military covenant which needed highlighting!
Let me put this in the simplest possible terms: yes, the Armed Forces are vital to the security of all our lives, yes the Armed Forces do a fantastic job and deserve our support, yes I believe it is important to honour the military covenant and no I don’t believe the Government doesn’t believe that.
However, it is important to remember that there is a significant difference between believing in the importance of honouring the military covenant and the act of honouring it. The fact that servicemen are being forced to live in a Travelodge, the fact that charities are needed to support servicemen shows a considerable failure, in my view, to honouring the covenant.
Twydall Man,
I do agree with you that it is not right for Paul Clark to remind us of this when it happened almost 25 years ago – most people honestly don’t care. Sadly, though, a lot of Labour MPs are now clutching at straws and citing Conservative government failures as a means to win votes. I don’t believe it will work, personally, but we shall see. When Brown finally gets his bottle back we’ll know for definite.
Perhaps the Olympic Torch wasn’t the best comparison to make, I admit. Such is the downside to late-night blogging: you’re not always on top form!
It is my belief that the Conservative government of the 1980s (let’s discard with the 1990s, they weren’t so good) did a lot of good for the Country. However, when Thatcher started ignoring her own ministers she dug her own grave. I can accept, though, that not every decision made was beneficial to every community in the Country. Show me a government with such a record!
What many journalists, politicians, activists and commentators seem to miss, though, is that the Conservative Party has moved on since then. Granted we were a bit slow to change at first, but we are a completely new party with policies resonating with the public at large, and our strong position in the polls over the past few months shows that.
Over the next couple of weeks I shall be focusing a lot on the by-election in Rochester South and Horsted. Once that (and my exams) is out of the way, however, I shall return to commenting more on the current government’s failures and absurd policies. Or I can give praise where praise is due. It is, after all, up to the government to appeal to me, not up to me to change to fit the government’s expectations.