When in doubt, secede
Plus new donations for Kent MPs, politicking through the summer lull, Kent's favourite baby names, news in brief, and more
We don’t want to say the Spectator has a bit of a thing about Kent, but fresh from describing Canterbury as a lawless no-go zone, one of their columnist is now proposing Kent become an independent nation. Obviously, no one should take this seriously, but the summer weeks are a bit slow, so we’re running with it anyway. Further down, we have news on some hefty donations for Kent MPs, ongoing political posturing, Kent’s favourite baby names, news in brief, and more.
When in doubt, secede
It was only a matter of time before someone floated the idea of Kent breaking away from the United Kingdom, and this week, Toby Young, columnist, free speech enthusiast, and perennial contrarian, stepped up to the plate. Fresh from a fundraising dinner in Vancouver (because of course), Young returned to the pages of the Spectator to ponder what if Kent went it alone?
Young’s grand theory, cooked up somewhere on the way back to the UK following a crash course in Canadian oil politics, is that if Alberta can talk about seceding, why not Kent? With Reform now running the county council, surely it’s time to break away, write our own laws, and sort out the Channel crossings without having to worry about the European Convention on Human Rights or all those annoying treaties signed in Brussels and Strasbourg.
You’d be forgiven for thinking the Spectator has developed a bit of an obsession with Kent lately. Back in May, they ran a piece so full of doom about Canterbury that you’d think the cathedral was propped up with police tape and the whole city was ready to be evacuated. The reality, as anyone who’s actually been there in the last year will tell you, is a lot less apocalyptic and a rather more 'blimey, the car park is a bit expensive, isn't it?' Apparently, Kent’s function in the Spectator is to be Britain’s canvas for whatever the latest existential drama happens to be.
There are, of course, a few details Young seems to have missed in his rush to carve out his imaginatively named 'Kentland.' For a start, he fails to address the Medway question, which would run the risk of becoming an enclave trapped on all sides by an independent Kent. Would Medway residents have to apply for dual citizenship? Does Bluewater become a kind of international duty-free zone? How do you fix the congestion at the Dartford Crossing once it's an international frontier?
In fairness, Toby Young’s plan isn’t meant to be taken that seriously, not that you’d know it from his references to international treaties and visions of Reform councillors patrolling the Channel with harpoons. It’s just the latest in a long line of “what ifs” from commentators who love using Kent as shorthand for “Britain’s border.” The reality on the ground is a bit less glamorous, with Kent facing the same issues as everywhere else, like a lack of GP appointments, unaffordable housing, and inevitably, potholes.
But there is a certain comic energy to the idea of an independent Kent. You can already picture the squabbles: Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells arguing over where the parliament should be placed, border checks on the edge of Sevenoaks, and perhaps Manston finally roaring back into life as the county's country's only international airport.
For now, Kent will have to settle for being the punchline of Toby Young’s latest column rather than the world’s newest state. Independence is off the menu, but arguments over small boat crossings, housing, and who should run Kent in the future are very much here to stay.
Kent MPs receive foreign trips, big donations, and tennis tickets
The Register of Members’ Financial Interests is where all MPs must register donations, gifts, and hospitality they receive. On the most recent update to the register, some Kent MPs have had some pretty substantial additions to declare:
Tom Tugendhat (Conservative, Tonbridge) took up a new job as a member of an advisory board of environmental science and tech firm Sulnox Group at a rate of nearly £300 per hour. Foreign policy forum Le Cercle also paid for him to speak at a US event on international affairs, with travel and hospitality totalling nearly £7,000.
Tony Vaughan (Labour, Folkestone and Hythe) received £1,131 for three hours’ work as a barrister.
Laura Trott (Conservative, Sevenoaks) received two donations totalling £27,500, including one of £25,000 from Lord Philip Harris.
Helen Grant (Conservative, Maidstone and Malling) received two tickets to Wimbledon from the Lawn Tennis Association, valued at £640.
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What’s happening at KCC this week?
Not very much, frankly. Like most councils, things go pretty quiet through the month of August, but that hasn’t entirely stopped politicking between parties.
Acting leader of the Kent Greens, Cllr Mark Hood, wrote for Byline Times this week, giving his take on the first 100 days of Reform running Kent County Council. He describes it as being a period of ‘clickbait and chaos.’
Labour MP for East Thanet, Polly Billington, described the Reform administration as ‘continuity Conservatives’ for not reversing cuts made by the previous administration. It is unclear whether Reform or the Conservatives will be more offended by this.
Reform councillor for Sevenoaks Rural North East, Maxine Fothergill, fresh from failing to win the leadership of Kent County Council, has put her name forward for election to the national party board, Reform’s new decision-making body.
Kent can’t agree on favourite baby names
Every year, the Office for National Statistics releases data on the most popular baby names over the past year, and the press falls over themselves to publish the top ten. But this misses the most significant issue of all. What are the most popular names in each part of Kent, and what does it tell us about our county?
The main thing is that there are few clear patterns to be found across Kent. No one name dominates the county, with several contenders sweeping across our districts.
Amongst boys’ names, no less than six names take the top spot in the different parts of the county. Oliver takes the top spot in four districts, being the most chosen name in Canterbury, Dover, Maidstone, and Thanet. Harry is also top in four, claiming Ashford, Dartford, Folkestone & Hythe, and Swale. Jack is top in Gravesham and Tonbridge & Malling, while George leads in Sevenoaks and Tunbridge Wells. Of course, Medway, being Medway, has gone its own way, where Charlie’s as most dominant.
The picture for girls’ names is just as mixed, though Olivia is the clear frontrunner, taking the top spot in Medway, Ashford, Canterbury, and Maidstone. Olivia is also joint top in Swale, where it is shared with Poppy, the number one choice in Folkestone & Hythe. Amelia is top in Dartford and joint top in Thanet, shared with Evie, a name which tops the table in Dover. Emily is top in Sevenoaks and shares Tonbridge & Malling with Sophie. Elsewhere, Gravesham is topped by Isla while Grace leads the way in Tunbridge Wells.
So does this actually tell us anything? Probably not. In the end, the list feels less like a revelation and more like a reminder that people across Kent will call their children whatever they like.
In brief
🥶 If you feel a cold chill in the air this evening, it’s possibly because US Vice President and awful human being JD Vance is due to arrive in Kent. He’ll start his UK holiday here, meeting Foreign Secretary David Lammy at Chevening near Sevenoaks.
💉 MMR vaccine uptake in Kent has fallen to 84%, which is rather below the 95% needed for reliable herd immunity.
☢️ The Office for Nuclear Regulation has served an enforcement notice against Dungeness A nuclear power station, citing fire safety deficiencies, which seems bad.
🏘️ A plan to build 76 homes on a former BT depot in Gravesend has been approved.
🇵🇸 Protestors placed a giant Palestinian flag alongside the Folkestone White Horse over the weekend.
🚆 A rail junction west of Dartford will close for nine full days next year to be upgraded.
🚉 The iconic departure board from Euston station now lives (and still functions) in a Margate warehouse of an eccentric rail collector.
📰 This week in newspapers discovering Kent for easy content, it’s a Daily Express triple header, which in a single week has recommended that their readers visit Whitstable, Folkestone, and Ramsgate.
⚓ A 350-year-old English warship, which sank off the Kent coast in 1703, is more complete than initially thought, a new assessment has found.
🍛 Prime Minister Keir Starmer had dinner at a Kings Hill restaurant at the weekend for some reason.
🏪 Some residents in Tenterden are unhappy that a Premier convenience store is trying to open on the high street after a Domino’s did the same last year.
🐦⬛ The red-billed chough has flown from a wild nest in Dover, the first time the bird species has done so in the UK in over 200 years.
🏗️ Flood defence works can continue after a successful £2.35m funding bid.
🧖 Plans are afoot to build Kent’s biggest seaside sauna on the beach at Folkestone Harbour.
🗿 FAD Magazine has been reviewing art installations around Folkestone.
💷 Hadlow Tower, the UK’s tallest gothic tower, is up for sale for a mere £2.8m.
Footnotes
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