The “Arc & Arc” (St Albans and Hertfordshire Architectural and Archaeological Society to give it its full and proper title) has just published on its website some fascinating photographs of St Albans. The pictures were taken by Stanley Kent between 1895 and 1920.
The Kents were long-standing brewers in St Albans and I presume New Kent [...]
Entries from October 31st, 2011
Photos of old St Albans by Stanley Kent
October 31st, 2011 · 2 Comments · Sandy's blog
Tags:Arc and Arc·St Albans and Hertfordshire Architectural and Archaeological Society·St Albans Market·St Albans photos
We need to shine a searchlight on all high earners, not just FTSE 100 directors
October 28th, 2011 · 4 Comments · Sandy's blog
Today’s revelations about the huge increase in FTSE 100 company director pay are indeed shocking. If fat cats at the top are recording annual earnings increases of 50 percent while their junior staff are getting rises of less than inflation, it blows apart any idea that “we are all in this together.”
We seem to have [...]
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Hold the front page, we’re leaving town
October 22nd, 2011 · 2 Comments · Sandy's blog
The planned relocation of the Herts Advertiser from St Albans to Welwyn Garden City is a matter of real regret. It’s a decision which has been taken by the bean counters at Archant and I feel sorry for the editor and news reporters.
Following the removal of the Review to Watford, it is evidence of a [...]
Tags:Fleetville·Herts Advertiser·Mount Pleasant·Review·St Albans
“Farage”: leader of UKIP; “Farrago”: a confused mixture; hodgepodge; medley
October 21st, 2011 · 1 Comment · Sandy's blog
I found myself unexpectedly crossing swords on air with UKIP leader Nigel Farage last night. I was one of the panel on Rob Perrone’s Three Counties Radio Drive programme’s weekly politics debate. My fellow guests were Kristy Adams, a Conservative councillor from Bedford, and Glen Jenkins, a non-party affiliated community activist from the Marsh Farm [...]
Tags:Europe·referendum vote·Roberto Perrone·Sandy Walkington·Three Counties Radio
The aesthetics of zero carbon Britain
October 14th, 2011 · 2 Comments · Sandy's blog
If we want a zero carbon economy, it is going to have to be based on electricity and intelligent conservation. The electricity will need to be produced in a carbon free way – from wind, tide, sun, wave or even nuclear. Then it becomes our get-out-of-jail-free card, in particular preserving our cherished freedom to travel [...]
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Disturbing trends in youth unemployment
October 13th, 2011 · No Comments · Sandy's blog
Yesterday’s unemployment figures made for depressing reading.
The local St Albans economy continues on the face of it to look remarkably robust.
The September monthly figure for those claiming jobseekers allowance of 1.8 percent of the local working age population was unchanged from August and is still lower than the peak of 2.1 percent reached in October [...]
Blackberry crumble leads to cold turkey
October 12th, 2011 · No Comments · Sandy's blog
It is now Day Three in the almost complete collapse of the Blackberry infrastructure. All to do with servers in Slough they say. So I am now in an enforced cold turkey, bereft of breaking news when away from my laptop. It’s how the world used to be, so I guess I could get used [...]
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The Secretary of State should re-open the Park Street Freight Terminal Inquiry
October 10th, 2011 · 1 Comment · Hands off Herts, Sandy's blog
As an individual objector at the Inquiry into the Park Street Freight Terminal, I was one of the “interested parties” written to last month by the Department for Communities and Local Government asking for our views on how the Secretary of State, Eric Pickles, should respond to the High Court order quashing his refusal decision.
The [...]
Tags:David Parry·Department for Communities and Local Government·Eric Pickles·Helioslough·Park Street·Sandy Walkington·St Albans·Sundon
Friday prayers in London Colney
October 7th, 2011 · No Comments · Sandy's blog
I was delighted to attend Friday prayers at the new London Colney Islamic Centre, occupying former retail premises in the High Street next to the White Horse pub. It has been a long journey for the substantial local Islamic community with many setbacks in identifying and securing a place or worship. For too long they [...]
Banks aren’t all bad
October 4th, 2011 · 2 Comments · Sandy's blog
A quick note to commend the new NatWest CommunityForce scheme which will give money to local charities on the basis of votes from the public in each region.
St Albans is in the “Hemel Hempstead Region” but we will forgive them that. You can learn more at http://communityforce.natwest.com/ If you click on St Albans on [...]
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