http://sandragidley.org/articlearchive.php Recent Press Articles from Sandra Gidley en-GB Sandra Gidley http://sandragidley.org/ Prater Raines Ltd http://www.praterraines.co.uk/ (c) 2008 Sandra Gidley 2008-07-23T19:37+01:00 United Kingdom http://sandragidley.org/articles/000162/daily_echo__17_july_2008.html I spent last Saturday evening with the police in Romsey. It was also the evening of the popular Beggars Fayre and all of the pubs were expecting greatly increased takings as a result. It is probably stating the obvious to say that the police were expecting a busy night but there contingency plans were in place and there were more police on duty than on the average Saturday night in Romsey. 2008-07-17T00:00+01:00 http://sandragidley.org/articles/000161/romsey_advertiser__11_july_2008.html Last Friday I spoke at the Stanbridge Earls Speech Day and had a great time presenting prizes and meeting some interesting young people. On paper the exam results at Stanbridge do not stand out but a closer inspection of what the school does reveals a very different picture because the school deals with many children who have specific learning difficulties and who have had a difficult time in mainstream education. The teachers are incredibly supportive and it is clear that many pupils feel comforted and nurtured there and the whole atmosphere is very very special. 2008-07-11T00:00+01:00 http://sandragidley.org/articles/000155/daily_echo__3_july_2008.html One of the special events in my diary this week has been the NHS 60 Service of Celebration at Westminster Abbey. It is a very special occasion celebrating a very special organisation. 2008-07-03T00:00+01:00 http://sandragidley.org/articles/000159/romsey_advertiser__27_june_2008.html It has been a very varied week. It started with the usual round of meetings with council representatives and the local police, which are invaluable for keeping me up to speed with what is going on in the different parts of the constituency. 2008-06-27T00:00+01:00 http://sandragidley.org/articles/000154/daily_echo__26_june_2008.html No one has a good word to say about MPs these days and, given the biased national tabloid coverage, it is hardly surprising. I will be the first to admit that there are some indefensible practices going on but there are rotten apples in every barrel and it is a shame that these people are not recognised as such. 2008-06-26T00:00+01:00 http://sandragidley.org/articles/000158/romsey_advertiser__20_june_2008.html Last Saturday, after wishing Bill luck on his tandem ride down the Rhine Valley, I took a car load of party supporters to Henley. Following the election of Boris Johnson there is a by election there. Having been the beneficiary of a lot of help from party workers in the Romsey 2000 by election then I like to return the favour whenever possible. It struck me that there are a lot of similarities between the two constituencies so it will be interesting to see what the result is next week. 2008-06-20T00:00+01:00 http://sandragidley.org/articles/000153/daily_echo__19_june_2008.html Polyclinics were discussed in the House of Commons this week. In the blue corner the Conservatives were telling us that this was the end of the health service as we know it and all of our much loved GPs were doomed. In the red corner we were told that this was not a top down diktat from Whitehall and the aim was to improve services for the patient. The truth lies somewhere in between. 2008-06-19T00:00+01:00 http://sandragidley.org/articles/000157/romsey_advertiser__13_june_2008.html I had a very frustrating day last Friday. I decided to try and speak in the debate on lowering the voting age to 16. It has long been party policy and one of the theories behind it is that if young people get into the habit of voting early then it may become a more entrenched habit but there is little hard and fast evidence on the subject. 2008-06-13T00:00+01:00 http://sandragidley.org/articles/000152/daily_echo__12_june_2008.html The debate over how long a suspected terrorist can be held without charge came to a head this week when Gordon Brown faces his first possible defeat as Prime Minister. 2008-06-12T00:00+01:00 http://sandragidley.org/articles/000160/daily_echo__10_june_2008.html I have a confession to make. I carried a knife as a teenager. I belonged to a gang but as we wore a sensible blue uniform and were collectively called Girl Guides there wasn't a problem. Under today's rules I am not sure whether the sporadic desire to whittle away at a piece of wood constitutes "good reason" to carry a knife but 2008-06-10T00:00+01:00 http://sandragidley.org/articles/000156/romsey_advertiser__4_june_2008.html My diary last Friday combined health and local interests. A visit to a clinic run by the British Pregnancy Advice Service was followed by a quick visit to Romsey Hospital at the behest of a retired midwife. She had heard that the antenatal rooms, allocated to the midwives, kept changing and was concerned about the future. I am happy to report that the midwives will have a permanent home shortly and will be able to unpack some of the packing boxes. 2008-06-04T00:00+01:00 http://sandragidley.org/articles/000151/daily_echo__4_june_2008.html Alcohol has been hitting the headlines again over the past week or two. Although it is an important subject I can't help feel that various initiatives have been launched in a desperate attempt for the Government to be seen to be "tackling problems". It also provides a diversion so that people are distracted from worrying about day to day concerns of rising food, fuel and mortgage prices. 2008-06-04T00:00+01:00 http://sandragidley.org/articles/000150/romsey_advertiser__23_may_2008.html My weekend, for once, did not revolve around politics. The highlight of the weekend was the "Moonwalk" in London. Thousands of women took to the streets wearing decorated bras to walk a marathon, or half marathon, to raise money for breast cancer research. It was a brilliant atmosphere and the event raised a huge amount of money for charity. 2008-05-23T00:00+01:00 http://sandragidley.org/articles/000149/daily_echo__22_may_2008.html The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill has dominated the beginning of this week at Westminster. Much of the Bill is technical but there are aspects of it that are considered to be matters of conscience. So, MPs have been trying to understand the detail of hybrid and cybrid embryos as well as considering the pros and cons of gene implantation. The moral issues have surrounded the creation of saviour siblings and the "need for a father". 2008-05-22T00:00+01:00 http://sandragidley.org/articles/000148/romsey_advertiser__19_may_2008.html The end of last week was a bit of a ping pong. On Thursday evening I attended the Mayor Making of Eastleigh Borough Council only to have to travel back to London for a meeting starting early the next day. The end of the day was also a rush as I had to get back to the constituency for the AGM of Romsey Good Neighbours. This is an AGM unlike many others I attend as it is invariably well attended and I don't think it is just the promise of free food. What is obvious is that here are a group of people committed to doing something to help those who can't easily attend medical appointments. It's such a shame that they were described as a drain on resources by the Leader of the Borough Council. 2008-05-19T00:00+01:00