These pieces seek to initiate and/or contribute to debates about the UK's public policies in support of the visual arts. The Party Political Manifesto of each successful party elected during the three decades covered is criticised and reviewed, with suggestions and arguments being advanced for improvements to legislation, funding or policy.

There is a consistency of approach in these pieces, repeatedly arguing for such reforms as: the definition of 'artist' for the purposes of Income Tax and welfare benefits; copyright law reform and the introduction of artists' statutory moral rights (achieved in 1988); the introduction of legislation giving artists a right to a share of the profits of the resale of their works - droit de suite (which will be enacted into UK law by 2006); artists' public exhibition payments (voluntarily introduced by some publicly-funded galleries); the introduction of '% for art' legislation - to promote the integration and commissioning of art and architecture in public places; and the need for common EU cultural policies.