News
A round up of Westminster news

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A round up of international news

The Oakley Column
Robin Oakley's look at the latest political developments
Robin Oakley

Month in review
Edward Davie looks back at the last month in politics

Straw’s Act of Settlement
Leader of the House of Commons Jack Straw tells Edward Davie that effective reform of party funding and the Lords is finally on the cards
Edward Davie

Big beast bares his teeth
Ken Clarke tells Sam Macrory that his Conservative Democracy Taskforce will strive to find remedies for the system of government ‘wrecked’ by this Labour administration
Sam Macrory

Goodbye to all that
Anthony Howard reviews the departure dates of previous Labour leaders, and argues that mostly their timing is to be admired
Anthony Howard

Blue murder
Even when Tory leaders are not undone by poor election results, their own MPs tend to turn on them in the end – and therein lies a lesson for Mr Blair, says Michael Brown
Michael Brown

The assassination of Kennedy
Tania Branigan weighs up the removal of Charles Kennedy as Liberal Democrat leader, and wonders whether the third party now has a taste for decapitating the person in charge
Tania Branigan

The man with renewable optimism
As the chairman of the Sustainable Development Commission, Jonathon Porritt advises the government on its energy policies.So is he happy with the latest energy review? Sam Macrory meets him to find out
Sam Macrory

Beyond initial reactions
Contrary to what the headlines may say, the government’s energy review covers a huge range of issues on both the supply and demand sides, writes Malcolm Wicks
Malcolm Wicks

If the cap fits
Politicians shouldn’t be in the business of choosing technology, writes Alan Duncan, but they should be developing schemes like the Conservatives’ ‘cap and trade’ proposals, to make energy green as well as safe
Alan Duncan

Time for a clean break
Edward Davey remains unconvinced by the arguments for nuclear energy, and bemoans the ‘peanuts’ spent on promoting green and renewable alternatives
Edward Davey

Mix and match?
Three months after stepping down from his role as environment minister, Elliot Morley questions why nuclear power appears to be dominating the quest for a balanced energy mix
Elliot Morley

Splitting opinions
Jan-Erik Enestam explains why his views on nuclear energy have changed since Finland voted to build a new reactor, but says that the country’s energy needs would still be better met with more renewable energy
Jan-Erik Enestam

Capturing the moment
Lord Oxburgh explains the principles behind Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS), a technology that could make fossil fuels environmentally friendly
Lord Oxburgh

A subsidy for a spent force
Amory B Lovins explains the theory of ‘negawatts’, and asks where the private capital is for the prime minister’s new generation of nuclear power stations
Amory B Lovins

Windows of opportunity
Don’t let the furore over new nuclear build obscure the need to reduce energy use in buildings, writes Roland Clift, Philip Sinclair and Filip Johnsson
Professor Roland Clift, Dr. Philip Sinclair and Professor Filip Johnsson

Recipe for success
Sam Macrory talks to Food Standards Agency chairman Dame Deirdre Hutton about her goal of making Britain a nation of healthy eaters
Sam Macrory

Salt of the earth
Jeff Rooker wants farmers to enhance their role as the lifeblood of rural communities
Jeff Rooker

Landscape designs
Burdened with red tape, bullied by the supermarkets and nearly bankrupted by Single Farm Payments, Britain’s farmers are hurting under Labour, says James Paice
James Paice

Peaks and troughs
This government has failed to expose the myth of the rural idyll, argues Chris Huhne, who explains the ways that the Liberal Democrats would help the UK’s farmers
Chris Huhne

Think global, act local
Paul Coen explains the schemes that show how councils can make a difference for rural people
Paul Coen

Harvest for the world
There will always be debate about the Common Agricultural Policy, admits Mariann Fischer Boel, but it is helping to deliver a competitive farm sector and support thriving rural communities
Mariann Fischer Boel

Come Hell or low water
Lord Selborne assesses the threat of a major water shortage in the UK, and looks at what can be done to reverse this problem
Lord Selborne

Heart and soil
Emma Blunden explains how the England Catchment Sensitive Farming Delivery Initiative aims to tackle agricultural pollution
Emma Blunden

Back on the rails
While our railways can never be completely invulnerable to terrorist attacks, there are ways to make it as safe and secure as possible, writes Derek Twigg
Derek Twigg

Platform for progress
Unlike the government, the Conservatives would try to protect branch line railway stations and find ways to keep train fares down, writes Chris Grayling
Chris Grayling

Just the ticket
Labour have failed to clear up the Conservative-made mess of the railways, says Alistair Carmichael, with the government long overdue in getting a grip on Britain’s train services
Alistair Carmichael

Underground movement
Steve Norris assesses the partial privatisation of London Underground, and says that while improvementshave been made, deep-seated problems remain
Steve Norris

Shady lanes
Steve Hounsham bemoans politicians’ faint-hearted response to the car lobby, and says a little imagination could help promote sustainable transport in the UK
Stephen Hounsham

Sidings of comfort and joy?
History shows us that the relationship between the government and the railways has been far from close and at times utterly disjointed, writes Colin Divall
Colin Divall

Making the judges jump
In his role as chairman of the constitutional affairs committee, Alan Beith enjoys the occasional pleasure of hauling a law lord before his ‘bench’. He talks to Sam Macrory
Sam Macrory

Let’s hit the ground running
If we are to build momentum for the 2012 Olympics and give the games a meaningful legacy, it is vital that we invest in people as well as places, says Tim Lamb
Tim Lamb

Relocation, relocation, relocation
Mark Serwotka explains why the PCS is not against relocation in principle, but insists that it must be on a voluntary basis with a guarantee of no job losses
Mark Serwotka

Acting in haste?
There is political mileage in reforming the Human Rights Act 1998 but not in scrapping it, says Richard Gordon QC
Richard Gordon

Roots manoeuvres
Stephen Dunmore responds to critics who suggest that grassroots sports in the UK is being poorly managed, saying that the government and its partners have a joined-up and positive approach
Stephen Dunmore

Je ne regrette: Greg Dyke
Greg Dyke was director general of the BBC from 2000 to 2004. He resigned following the criticism of the corporation’s news reporting in Lord Hutton’s inquiry into the death of government weapons expert Dr David Kelly. He was talking to Sam Macrory
Sam Macrory