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Keith, I actually have every sympathy for the nice sentiments you expressed so well in your post.
However, I cannot and will not walk around Dover with blinkers on. We've been over this many times, but since I arrived here in 1986 all I have seen is decline. This is not the fault of Labour or Conservative councils or governments, it must go beyond politics as both reds and blues have singularly failed to arrest or reverse the decline that is all around us.
There can be no denying this town of ours, albeit adopted by me, is in a very sorry state indeed. It does have some super and unique attractions, but we fail to market them or make them available to the public. I picked up what appeared to be a fairly expensive to produce leaflet advertising Dover. It contained the castle, corn mill and a few other things, but failed to mention ANY of the superb events that take place here. Beer festivals, carnival, 1940's event, WH open days, multicultural events, regatta, pageant etc., etc., So, a good effort but missing the key information for potential visitors. Dover is so much more than a port and a castle!
With regard to business and jobs, very little in the way of small enterprise survives here, why is that? Visit Folkestone and Deal our nearest neighbours and they have the same challenges but are doing better. Look at Canterbury, it has one real attraction, the Cathedral, yet the place is buzzing.
I don't have the answers but maybe we should be asking the cruise companies that are abandoning us, why? We may hear something unpleasant or it might just be the DHB charges are too high, but have we asked the question?
This is a huge subject and the problems of Dover won't be resolved by a market or a supermarket for that matter. I'm sure all of us want Dover to be better than it is, but we have to accept the reality which is not pleasant as things stand. Only by tackling the problems head-on, and not waiting years for something to happen, DTIZ, Buckland Mill etc., can we possibly address the creeping dereliction we are clearly suffering from.
Now Keith, you may see all this as negative posting, you may be right, but I like to think by "outing" and confronting the issues and those who claim to have the answers, we may be able to turn a corner.