Sandy Walkington

Entries Tagged as 'Sandy Walkington'

The NSPCC’s I Stand for Children campaign

March 19th, 2010 · No Comments · Sandy's blog

I have been contacted by many supporters of the NSPCC in St Albans about the NSPCC’s I Stand For Children Commitment. I have been very pleased to sign it.
My association with the NSPCC goes back over 40 years. As a child I went round carol singing every year to raise funds for what [...]

Councillor bites dog

March 18th, 2010 · No Comments · Sandy's blog

Well sadly not but it got you reading the post. I was out with Joy Mann in the Lower Road area of her Bedmond and Primrose Hill ward. (For the information of St Albans viewers, this is about as far west and north as you can go in the parliamentary constituency, next to the West [...]

A new vision for our railway

March 17th, 2010 · No Comments · Sandy's blog

It was rather an irony that we had to slightly delay the start of last night’s public meeting on FCC’s lamentable performance and what steps can be taken to hold them to account or even remove their franchise. This was because main speaker Norman Baker’s northbound train was delayed. You couldn’t make it up.

The picture [...]

All roads lead to Hemel – or do they?

March 15th, 2010 · No Comments · Sandy's blog

Once upon a time St Albans had an A&E. Then the previous Conservative government broke their promise and closed it. So the slightly surreal sign pointing to Hemel was put up at the exit from St Albans hospital in order that the injured should know which way to turn – left down the hill to [...]

A larger audience than Nigel Farage… and an interesting debate on what makes a fair tax system

March 14th, 2010 · No Comments · Sandy's blog

On Friday I spoke to the St Albans School 6th form before rushing up to the Liberal Democrat spring conference in Birmingham. The school certainly has an interesting range of speakers. The previous week they had Nigel Farage, leader of UKIP. This week they are going to have Esther Rantzen. It is an intriguing progression!
I [...]

“The End of an Era – Political Predictions”

March 11th, 2010 · No Comments · Sandy's blog

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 [...]

“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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

Sandy 4 St Albans