Iain Dale: Let’s send pro-reform, bone-dry Theresa Villiers to Brussels

Plus: The shuffle I want. Brown flops. Why on earth do Conservative Governments pour millions into Liverpool? And: In memory of Andy Wilson.

Lewis Baston: The national election that saw the highest Conservative vote in the age of democracy

The 1979 saw the election of a group of Tories to the European Parliament whose enthusiasm for the European project is part of a vanished age.

Marcus Roberts: Tempted to play the Game of Thrones? Here’s how.

There’s a whole world beyond the TV show – from the books and fan-sites to the podcasts and card games. This is a guide for the uninitiated.

Greg Clark MP: Rod Bluh, David Renard, and the success of Conservative Swindon

Ed Miliband said last month that the council leader is doing a very good job. He was absolutely right. But he was not aware that the leader in question is a Tory.

Henry Hill: Salmond vows to stand in 2016

Also: From the demise of non-English ‘big beasts’ to increased culture clash – how we might drift apart in the age of devolution.

Garvan Walshe: Why the Vauxhall View of cutting deals with extremists is wrong

Even if his Celsius 7/7, with which I helped Michael Gove, is not the end of Tory inquiry into the matter, it is the right kind of contribution.

Charlotte Leslie MP: My decision to stand for election to chair the Health Select Committee

There are big, brave, politically difficult discussions that we need to have as a nation, if we want to save our NHS from going over a cliff.

Iain Dale: My Queen’s Speech. The Liberal Democrats (Abolition of) Bill. The 40p tax threshold up. The Joanna Lumley (Listed status) Bill…

And: Plastic bags. Britain’s arch-nemesis. Norman Tebbit, my hero. Norman Baker, not my hero. Plus: Lutfur Rahman isn’t brave enough to come on my programme.

Book Review: Bleakness and compassion. “Ben’s Story,” by Lord Tebbit

He brings to this book what he brings to politics: an unwavering sense of perception and authority.

Stephan Shakespeare: In defence of big corporations

The idea of a permanent revolution spurred by an anti-big business Conservative government is a nightmare on a par with Miliband’s anti-capitalist rampage.

Grant Shapps MP: A hundred ways in which the Conservatives have delivered for you

We are building a stronger, more competitive economy. And if you work hard, we are on your side. You’ll hear more about this in the Queen’s Speech today.

Henry Hill: CCHQ must root out the rot in the NI Conservatives

Also: Jones overrules local preferences to give Welsh pre-eminence; Scottish Isles bid for more powers; and embattled NI21 leader receives sexual misconduct report.

Garvan Walshe: Japan and Vietnam cut up rough over China’s salami-slicing

The philosophy of expansion, slice by slice, assumes that democratic countries will balk at responding to all but the most blatant of provocations.

Priti Patel MP: Europe isn’t working. The time to reform, repatriate and renegotiate is now.

After last week’s results, the public will expect all UK MEPs to get behind the Prime Minister’s plan.