Category: Malcolm Blair Robinson

Expenses Footnote This thing gets worse. The spectacle of protesting MPs, claiming ‘injustice’ over Sir Thomas’s review because ‘he changed the rules retrospectively’ is appalling. He did not change the rules. The Green Book states quite clearly the significant limitations of the Additional Costs allowance. It allowed MPs known as ‘Honorable Members’ to use their […]

Expenses and the Constitution Not only have we had the revelations of unimagined expenses paid with our money for MPs who had lost touch with reality, but we now have to watch their posturing to avoid doing the decent thing. Never mind what the rules were. We all know they were ridiculous. Sir Thomas Legg has […]

Foreign Affairs For far two long our foreign policy has been tied to the United States. Throughout its history the U.S has a record of being clumsy and unsuccessful in diplomacy, with the military always close behind. Against us in 1776, again in 1812, Mexico 1846, the Confederacy 1861, the Spanish in 1898, the Germans as late […]

Conferences  Now that the Conservative conference, the final one of the big three, is over. The general election campaign has begun. Of course anything can still happen. New events may occur, present events move out of control or someone can blunder handing advantage to the other. Nevertheless we have a feel for the battle readiness […]

Welcome to my blog for 2010 A Blueprint for Change. This is your opportunity to comment on my ideas and add thoughts of your own. We all want change, but naturally different people will want different changes. Every contribution which adds to the debate will add value to the search for the right outcomes to […]