It is the RAF’s 90th birthday. My grandfather was there at its inception. He had gone to France in 1914 as a private soldier in the British Expeditionary Force – an Old Contemptible. He then transferred to the Royal Flying Corps, first as an observer and then getting his wings.
He ended up commanding RAF Hornchurch, [...]
Entries from March 31st, 2008
RAF90
March 31st, 2008 · No Comments · Sandy's blog
Shouldn’t we be allowed to know what MPs spend taxpayers’ money on?
March 28th, 2008 · No Comments · Sandy's blog
It is the time of year when I knock on a lot of doors. I am struck by the incredibly low regard in which politicians as a class are now held. The recent shenanigans over MP expenses have created a corrosive perception of “snouts in the trough”.
People find it frankly incredible that MPs could [...]
Tags:Anne Main·Grant Shapps·MP Expenses·Sandy Walkington·St Albans
Five wasted years
March 25th, 2008 · No Comments · Sandy's blog
Five years ago, the Labour Government led Britain into the Iraq war in Iraq. The Conservatives were their cheerleaders. Labour and Conservative MPs attacked the Liberal Democrats for our opposition to the invasion.
It is now clear that the war in Iraq and its occupation were the worst foreign policy decisions taken by Britain in living [...]
Tags:Iraq·Sandy Walkington
Is 2008 the new 1936?
March 20th, 2008 · No Comments · Sandy's blog
I have just seen the first performance of a most thought-provoking play written by local author Tom McNab and performed at the Trestle Arts Base. Titled “1936″ it describes the evasions and moral compromises in the run-up to the Berlin Olympics of 1936.
The parallels with Beijing this year and their treatment of Tibet and general [...]
More carbon hypocrisy
March 18th, 2008 · No Comments · Sandy's blog
Why am I not surprised to discover that two thirds of Cabinet members travel in the most polluting types of cars. It turns out that of the 85 cars in the ministerial fleet, 30 are in Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) Band F and one is in the most polluting Band G, producing over 225g CO2 [...]
A butterfly flaps its wings
March 14th, 2008 · No Comments · What I Think
The launch of the Butterfly World project was a glittering affair with the Lord Lieutenant, the Countess of Verulam, and all the great and good of St Albans. David Bellamy called for three cheers for the local authority and it was good to see Anne Main applauding her Liberal Democrat council – though I suspect [...]
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What is the significance of C.76?
March 2nd, 2008 · No Comments · Hands off Herts
C76 is "highway authority speak" for the road that runs along the "left bank" of the Grand Union Canal from Hemel Hempstead’s magic roundabout to Abbots Langley past the former Ovaltine factory. Between Nash Mills and Kings Langley Railway Station it runs through the westernmost edge of the St Albans parliamentary constituency, calling itself Lower [...]
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The mystery of the missing politicians
March 1st, 2008 · No Comments · What I Think
I was pleased to be a guest at the annual St Albans Civic Reception last night at Sopwell House Hotel. This is the chance for all the local dignitaries to celebrate this great city and district together with leaders of all the different civic bodies in the company of civic leaders ("the chain gang") from [...]
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