Sandy 4 St Albans

Last night’s packed St Albans Abbey hustings demonstrated that there is a huge interest in this election.  The nave was a magnificent and uplifting venue with the evening sun streaming through the west window.

The event was chaired by the Archdeacon, Jonathan Smith.  He began by introducing us based on short descriptions we had provided – some laughter in the audience when Anne Main was described as having a home in St Albans.

The questions were thoroughly stimulating, I hope our answers gave food for thought, at two hours in length the audience sat through a marathon .

We were asked about

- What do we do to reinvolve people in politics? Actually I think Nick Clegg has set this election alight.  We have people of all ages pouring through the door of our office in 9 Hatfield Road, offering help, asking for posters etc.  My facebook pages are buzzing with new friends and supporters.  We just have to maintain the connections after May 6th.

- Is there more that should be done for young people, and how do we stop antisocial behaviour?  Big issue, we can celebrate the good (youth theatre, county music service, uniformed groups), need to recognise the need for more activities that appeal to everyone – over to our Conservative county council – but hooray for the Pioneer.  I noted that when we had a spate of garden invasions at home, one of the worst perpetrators popped up at our Remembrance Sunday service a few years later as a member of the volunteer fire brigade.  But we also need to recognise that antisocial behaviour makes some people’s lives a total misery.

- What were our views on the Digital Economy Bill? Having worked in the industry but left it five years ago, I know enough to know I don’t know enough.  People who create content (mostly music) need to be paid properly rather than have their stuff illegally downloaded but it is a horribly complex area and the Government’s determination to rush through legislation in the last week before Parliament was dissolved was wholly unnecessary.  The digital economy is crucial to Britain’s future, all parties agree on that, the time for full and proper debate would have been in the new Parliament.

- What about Trident replacement?  Apart from Anne Main, we all agreed that this is really stupid (though Roma had to express a personal opinion since Labour of course led on the unnecessary decision to continue with a weapons system for a Cold War that is no more).  I am delighted to see in this morning’s papers that a whole bunch of senior generals support the Liberal Democrat line on this.

- The treatment of people in immigration centres and particularly the detention of children?  The way we treat immigration and asylum seekers defines us as a society.  We need to separate out asylum seekers (where we have legal responsibilities) and then have clear, rapid and effective procedures for sorting out who is genuine and who is not.  Economic migrants are a separate issue, and clearly numbers need to be controlled. Liberal Democrats would end the detention of children.

- Global warming and should we be helping third world countries to adapt and mitigate?  Well yes we have to and this played directly into the previous question.  If climate change starts to accelerate, the implications for sub-Saharan Africa and low-lying nations like Bangladesh will be too awful to contemplate.  Climate change deniers like John Stocker who also don’t want any immigration had better realise the two issues are inextricably linked.  Lib Dem policy is to provide additional aid over and above existing commitments to help third world countries who are having to deal with massive problems created by our past carbon emissions.

- Is it reasonable to have a 50% target for participation in higher education? In my view Quality and Equality are the two key goals.  Apart from the USA we are the only country in the world to have truly world-leading universities and we should be cherishing them not starving them.  We also need to make sure that everybody has a fair chance of getting into higher education.  I am genuinely shocked that there is a lower percentage of state school educated students at Cambridge today than there was when I was there nearly 40 years ago.  The 50% target for participation seems wholly arbitrary and we need to think far more creatively about how we raise the prestige of vocational training.

- What about the loss of our Urgent Care Centre and the general downgrading of health facilities in St Albans? I replied as I have written in many previous postings in this blog about the way that the NHS “has left us”.  I also reported on the responses from our current survey (still being collated into a dossier) – some people are delighted with the care they have received, which always interests me as a politician since people are generally more ready to complain than to praise.  But what comes through loud and clear is the distress of older people at the problems of getting to Watford or Stevenage for appointments or to visit sick friends and relatives – impossible bus journeys, huge taxi fares, and if driving the difficulty and expense of finding parking.  We have to come up with better transport solutions.

- And finally answer in a word or 10 seconds what you would immediately campaign for if elected?  I answered “Fairness” – the Liberal Democrat mantra in this election.  This embraces taxation of course but also a fair start for young people, a fair approach to university costs with the abolition of student fees, and also a fair, sustainable and green economy – in fact see all of the above.