This was the title of a breakfast seminar organised at the Financial Times last week by Editorial Intelligence and chaired by BBC political journalist Jon Sopel. I was on the panel together with serial ex-Secretary of State John Hutton, shadow economic secretary Greg Hands, the wonderful Suzanne Moore commentator, and FT politics editor George Parker.
I’ve [...]
Entries Tagged as 'Sandy's blog'
“The End of an Era – Political Predictions”
March 11th, 2010 · No Comments · Sandy's blog
Tags:Editorial Intelligence·Financial Times·George Parker·Greg Hands·John Hutton·Jon Sopel·Sandy Walkington·St Albans·Suzanne Moore
Tackling abusive and antisocial behaviour
March 11th, 2010 · No Comments · Sandy's blog
Local residents in St Albans and the villages will resonate with today’s strong criticism by the chief inspector of constabulary of the way that police in England and Wales deal with complaints of anti-social behaviour.
At the time of writing I have not seen his individual “report card” for Hertfordshire because it has not yet been [...]
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“Should FCC lose its franchise?” – Public Meeting 16th March
March 9th, 2010 · No Comments · Sandy's blog
I am still being inundated daily with e-mails and telephone calls about continued erratic performance from First Capital Connect. And their mean and overly complex compensation offer is leaving people frustrated and angry.
The mechanism exists for rail franchises to be handed back if franchisees fail to deliver the promised service. FCC seems to have had [...]
Tags:FCC·First Capital Connect·Marlborough Road Methodist Church·Norman Baker·rail franchise·Sandy Walkington·St Albans
Here’s to well-run community pubs
March 5th, 2010 · No Comments · Sandy's blog
I joined CAMRA when I was at university in the 1970s and I remember campaigning for real beer in college bars. I even printed the first real beer guide for Cambridgeshire. Little did I know then that CAMRA had been founded in St Albans and that St Albans was to be such a mecca for [...]
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What’s the difference between the Conservative party and a banana republic?
March 4th, 2010 · No Comments · Sandy's blog
The Michael Ashcroft story is truly extraordinary and there must be more to come.
We all know that whoever wins the election will have to put up taxes and cut expenditure in order to bring the UK economy back into balance. The only questions are timing; how much comes from cuts and where they fall; and [...]
Michael Foot and the role of oratory in modern politics
March 4th, 2010 · No Comments · Sandy's blog
Michael Foot was Labour leader when I first stood in St Albans. In electoral terms he was a disaster, one opinion poll just before polling day even put the Liberal-SDP Alliance ahead of Labour, and in the event they limped in only a couple of points ahead.
His great parliamentary speeches preceded televising of Commons proceedings [...]
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Climate change leadership in “The Last Parliament”
March 1st, 2010 · 2 Comments · Sandy's blog
I have just attended a most interesting afternoon discussing climate change at the invitation of the Green Alliance think tank. They have invited small groups of candidates (about 25 in all) from the three main parties, whom they have identified as having a real chance of winning and who have shown a consistent interest in [...]
Tags:Brian Hoskins·Green Alliance·last parliament·Sandy Walkington·St Albans·st albans transition
Old Albanians and young rugby players
March 1st, 2010 · No Comments · Sandy's blog
St Albans seeks to be “Hertfordshire’s premier community.” The Old Albanians Rugby Club can justifiably be described as Hertfordshire’s premier rugby club.
I always enjoy visiting the magnificent new pavilion at Woollams for lunches or dinners. Recently I was a guest of Geraint John at the annual lunch to celebrate the Mini and Junior rugby programme [...]
Tags:Old Albanians rugby·Sandy Walkington·St Albans·St Albans junior rugby·Woollams
God and the Liberal Democrats
February 28th, 2010 · No Comments · Sandy's blog
“The liberal deviseth liberal things, and by liberal things shall he stand.”
It must be true – it’s in the bible. Isaiah chapter 32, verse 8 to be exact.
The New English Bible has a different translation from the original Hebrew – “The man of noble mind forms noble designs and stands firm in his nobility.”
I am [...]
It’s a two pancake race here
February 16th, 2010 · No Comments · Sandy's blog
Trying to explain to Julie from France and Markus from Germany the ancient tradition of pancake racing was quite amusing.
Given the soggy and bleak weather conditions, I could only admire the participants as they ran up and down in front of the Old Town Hall.
As well as a “Roman Catholic priest” in full soutane, there [...]
Tags:Alison Steer·old town hall·pancake race·Sandy Walkington·St Albans