WE must applaud UK Athletics for opening up the doping debate with a 14-point proposal which the International Association of Athletics Federations warmly welcomed yesterday. As the world body reels from life suspensions imposed on three senior associates and a five-year ban on their former head of anti-doping, there has never been greater need for the Manifesto for Clean Athletics proposed by UKA chairman Ed Warner.

If even a half were adopted as a package it would be huge progress. Yet much of what is proposed has been on the table before, sometimes in this newspaper.

UKA's motivation is to prompt debate. With the possibility of drawing a line under existing records (perhaps by adjusting event rules) debate will be heated.

History is fundamental to track and field. When the javelin specification had to be changed on safety grounds, because it could be thrown onto the track, it meant fans and those who formerly threw the spear could no longer compare the past with today.

Might athletics rulers consider altering the weight of the shot putt, discus, and hammer? Changing the width of lanes? Amending distances? Reverting to imperial instead of metric? Say, sprints over 90 metres instead of 100m?

That is patently absurd and would destroy the sport, besides effectively branding innocent athletes like Paula Radcliffe and Jonathan Edwards as cheats.

The greatest suspicion lies in women's athletics where many World and European records are dominated by performances in an era when state-sponsored cheating in East Germany was rife, and Eastern Europe cynically copied. Not unlike the prevailing climate in Russia.

The women's 400 and 800m world records were set more than 30 years ago, the two unchanged throws (shot and discus) are more than 25 years old. Clouded in suspicion, with the likes of East Germany's 400m record holder Marita Koch named as a doper in Stasi files – but never definitively proven to be a cheat. The men's world record holder in the shot, American Randy Barnes, who won Olympic gold in 1996, is banned for life.

Radcliffe and Edwards, the only British outdoor world record-holders, would be punished along with the guilty.

Not mentioned by UKA is a suggestion we made many years ago, namely that all performances by convicted dopers be struck out as if they never existed – not merely those from the time of the offence which brought conviction. That should be re-examined now.

When David Jenkins was exposed as a dope cheat, we proposed that the Scottish athletics body remove his national record, instead of leaving it to taunt and tempt future generations. They bottled it in the face of potential legal challenge. Taking a lead from UKA, they should now reconsider.

UKA wants to explore how serious doping offenders can be excluded from ever competing again for Britain. A spokesperson confirmed last night that they had already taken significant legal advice and were "prepared to lead on the front foot" by going to court and inviting offenders to challenge the policy they hope to have adopted. "Even if we do lose, it won't be a bad battle to lose," she said.

Britain is hampered by double standards and hypocrisy. The BOA attempted to block selection of such as sprinter Dwain Chambers, shot putter Carl Myerscough, and cyclist David Millar – all convicted of using cocktails of banned substances. However, the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne ruled in their favour and all competed in London 2012. This remains a gross betrayal by the very organisation charged with protecting innocent athletes. I have not changed that view.

England selected Myerscough for the Commonwealth Games, and Commonwealth Games Scotland, fuelled by the lust for medals, forfeited the moral high ground when they picked cyclists David Millar and Bruce Croall – both convicted dopers.

UKA won't use anyone with a doping conviction on their coaching staff. But England Athletics employ doping-convicted former Olympic 100m champion Linford Christie as an area mentor.

If we can't achieve consistent policy in the UK, what chance is there of achieving global consensus?

UKA want to criminalise possession of performance-enhancing drugs without a prescription. When Sir Menzies Campbell attempted to do this, he could not secure support.

They also want the IAAF to increase bans from a maximum of four years to eight. WADA have only just managed to convince the sporting world to double suspension from two years. And every other global sport federation would need to agree. So meantime, the IAAF cannot move.

Loss of sponsorship revenue, appearance, and prize money was a significant feature for Scotland's 800m runner Lynsey Sharp. Suing in a Russian court is not viable. UKA propose member federations be made responsible for reimbursing prize monies to athletes denied by cheats, leaving them to take legal action against their own athletes. UKA suggest IAAF member federations who fail to honour this responsibility be suspended from participating in major championships.

Following the Ben Johnson affair in the 1988 Seoul Olympics, we suggested that the world top 20 athletes in every event be tested at least once a month, and that only world records set by athletes in the top 20 would be ratified. Just a handful of world bests would have been lost over five years.

Anyone who used drugs to get into the top 20 would be caught as soon as they reached testing level. Prospects of making a living when ranked outside the world top 20 are zero, so the need for national anti-doping programmes would effectively disappear. Cost-saving globally would be massive.

We put this to the IAAF who declined to act. Had they done so, they would not be where they are now.

UKA's new proposals are a legal minefield, but if adopted, could save the sport.