They Blog For You

According to the Sunday Times, Republican front-runners for the next presidential election include Mitt Romney, Donald Trump, Mike Huckabee, Newt Gingrich and Sarah Palin.  If so, then perhaps that's Obama safely back in the White House for a second term.   Fortunately, in America they allow millions of ordinary folk, not just [...]

                  Based on doorstep conversations recently, and visits to speak to Conservative Associations, I encounter the following attitudes. Many Conservatives now see the Coaliti0n government as heavily Lib Dem influenced. They tell me they want changes in policy, to reflect the poor financial condition of the country and the preponderance [...]

  Once the darling of the middle-of-the-road voters Nick Clegg has had a hideous 48 hours. Anyone can forget a microphone in the pocket,but his comment will return to haunt him. If he is to recover a separate identity for the LibDems his confession  of no differences between the two parties will [...]

Westminster politicians sometimes make the mistake of thinking that they’ve tackled a subject because they’ve talked about it. But clever phrases are not the same thing as a policy. Immigration is a major issue and my constituents raise it with me more than ever. Dealing with immigration requires more [...]

                 As an MP I have always thought I should be loyal to my constituents, to my country and to my party – in that order. I have always taken seriously what I promised electors at the last Election and done my best to further those aims. When the Conservative [...]

The problem with Coalition governments is you can end up with policies that neither party wanted and few electors voted for. The Alternative Vote is one such idea. I fought the Wokingham election against changing the electoral system. The Lib Dems fought it in favour of a proportional system. We [...]

Since the General Election the political debate has understandably focused on the economy. But on May 5th we will all be voting about whether to change the voting system to the Alternative Vote, a proposal that I believe would massively reduce the accountability of members of [...]

                    The tragedy of the Eurosceptic movement continues. The enthusiasts for more EU government delight in the  continued divisions.                   The choice of voting system is important. Eurosceptic Conservatives are sure that keeping first past the post is the best chance of having fair elections which can change governments, and of [...]

"Prime ministers who want to devolve power from central government" the Economist tells us "find themselves having to hoard it within their own office." It doesn't have to be that way.  Not if you have a coherent plan as to how to let go.  Not if you have an agenda designed to [...]

                    My two grandfathers were working class. They both lived in rented accommodation, and earned their living from a skilled trade. They both spent teenage years in the trenches in France fighting for their country.   One, a farrier, had to become a labourer for the electricity company when horse shoeing went [...]

                    My two grandfathers were working class. They both lived in rented accommodation, and earned their living from a skilled trade. They both spent teenage years in the trenches in France fighting for their country.   One, a farrier, had to become a labourer for the electricity company when horse shoeing went [...]

             This week’s politics have been dominated by the economy. The GDP figures will lead to further measures to promote growth, and to much more debate about where we are heading. Meanwhile, business on the floor of the Commons has been dominated by the government’s EU Bill.               The Bill was [...]

David Lidington tell us that Conservatives should be "proud" of the EU Bill being debated in the Commons this week. It puts in place a "referendum lock", he writes.  The reality is that it gives us neither a referendum nor a lock. The Bill serves as a check against the further [...]

                 This week the changes to the NHS have at last come centre stage in the UK political debate. I am starting to receive emails disagreeing with  the government’s plans.                There are two common criticisms of the Lansley proposals which I need to dismiss before we can begin intelligent discussion of [...]

Today is the day that VAT rises to 20 per cent. More or less every time you buy something (with the exception of food and some other items), you’ll have to give the state a fifth of the value of the transaction.  Even with a new growth Tsar, I’m not sure [...]

                 Nick Clegg kindly sent me his New Year message. I think I get it, because I logged on to the Lib Dem site during the 2010 General Election to check their promises for that campaign. It is nice he stays in touch.                He told his troops that many Lib [...]

              The government has said it will allow voters to petition the Cabinet Office website, and arrange for Parliamentary debate of the most popular petitions. Some of my correspondents seem to think this will allow a referendum on the EU, or permit the public to legislate for popular causes which Parliament [...]

  This is today’s blog  for www.johnredwood.com which technical  problems  stopped me posting. I apologise to readers for the delay. I can also now catch up with contributions – I have been unable to ac cess the moderator’s pages.              I am glad the Conservatives and Lib Dems formed a stable government [...]

             This week has seen important changes of moods within and between the parties at Westminster. A Labour party asleep when it came to the job of opposition has woken up to campaign against the Cable plan for Higher Educaiton. It has united them for a few days and given [...]

Mr John Redwood (Wokingham) (Con): This Bill is born of a very serious mood in our country. A majority of people in Britain feel that a great amount of power has already passed to the European Union over the past 20 years, and they feel that powers are still drifting [...]