St Albans

Entries Tagged as 'St Albans'

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

London Colney by-election result

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

St Albans Labour Party has been trumpeting their narrow 32 vote margin in holding their London Colney parish council seat as the greatest news since the second coming. Of course their candidate Maria Aguado is to be congratulated on her victory. But the real news was the trouncing of the BNP and the barnstorming performance [...]

Sandy 4 St Albans

Sandy Walkington is the Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Candidate for St Albans