Richard Spring MP
Member of Parliament for West Suffolk

I once read somewhere that we males have inferior brain capacity compared with females. In other words, men can concentrate on only one or two issues at hand, whereas women can successfully absorb many more.

It may explain the Prime Minister’s brain. He was a very dominant and focused Chancellor of the Exchequer, a view widely held even by those who disagreed with his policies. George Osborne was considered brave to take him on.

The words dominant and focused could not now be applied to him as Prime Minister. The chaotic muddle surrounding the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill says it all. On Friday we heard Health Minister Ben Bradshaw on the radio backing the Bill with no qualifications. It took a few senior Roman Catholic clerics in the next 36 hours to get Health Secretary Alan Johnson to change tack. It now appears that Labour MPs may abstain but not vote against the Bill, so we have moved on, sort of… 

It is truly astonishing that the Prime Minister did not see the religious reactions inevitably coming. Now, having taken a robust stance in defence of the Bill, there appears to be some wavering. It is bizarre to be challenging the parliamentary convention that MPs should be able to vote on ethical issues according to their consciences or religious views. 

So the impression is yet again being formed that the Prime Minister has lost his political touch, and is vacillating in consequence. 

He once paraded Margaret Thatcher outside 10 Downing Street, and praised her as a conviction politician. It is increasingly clear that it is not an apt description of him at all. 

Whether it has anything to do with male versus female brains is one thing, but whatever the reason, the shambles surrounding the Bill simply fortifies the view that Gordon Brown is rapidly losing the plot. It wasn’t meant to be like this, but assuredly it is. 

As Cilla Black would say “surprise, surprise.”  

Who reads blogs? It is a question I often ask myself, having a list of my own favourites to be looked at each morning. Well the statistics are astonishing. Last month I had 220,000 hits, compared with under 14,000 a year ago. I started it at the beginning of 2007. Also my website has grown from 5,000 to 12,000 in the same period of time. Yesterday I enjoyed recording a discussion on the future of post offices on my website. A number of my parliamentary colleagues tell me that I am unwise to do a blog each day, saying it will come back to haunt me, or that the time it takes up to write is excessive. I disagree. 

Whilst it can be argued that Tibet is historically part of China, culturally there are distinct dissimilarities. In contrast to the many minorities in China, the Tibetans have a powerful sense of their own culture which makes them unique.

China has for centuries been ravaged by invasion, warlordism and dismemberment and has now fulfilled its historic ambitions of being geographically complete. However, it is difficult to understand its view of the Dalai Lama. China insists that he is demanding independence, yet he keeps repeating his desire only for more Tibetan autonomy.

There are ironies in all of this. The US put much pressure on China to try to bring North Korea to the negotiating table. The Chinese persuasively argued that until the USA negotiated directly, there would be no progress. So a formula was devised to prevent any loss of face, and it worked. In my view China should have the confidence to interface directly with the Dalai Lama; it is from their point of view counterproductive to refuse this opportunity.

Additionally there is a genuine longing in China for Taiwan to become part of the Republic of China. Until recent events in Tibet, the voices in Taiwan calling for a greater rapprochement were in the ascendant. Now the elections in Taiwan next week may well be influenced by concerns over actions in Tibet.

The development of China is indeed a latter day economic miracle, and there is certainly more freedom and tolerance than a decade ago. China has every reason to be self-confident – its sound advice to the Americans over North Korea should be echoed in its dealings with the Dalai Lama today.  

There is something rather comical about the Peter Jones list published at the end of last week. It is somewhat bizarre to have such a list but not to tell anybody in case they make a claim. I, for one, never knew such a list existed and have never made a claim on any of the items mentioned. I suspect I am not alone.

In my constituency I went into a number of shops and it was the source of much amused comment. One shop owner, who was expecting me, simply fell about laughing when I walked through the door. In another shop, I was admiring a Victorian desk – the antique dealer suggested with a completely straight face that perhaps I could purchase it on my allowances. Of course I realise that whatever happens, however transparent MPs are, there will be criticism. Throughout history it was ever thus.

Interestingly enough whilst out canvassing (we have two by-elections this week) there was no such banter. People were genuinely exercised about the Budget, were complaining about energy costs, motoring and council taxes. There was a notable level of understanding of how the profligacy of the Government has made us vulnerable in this period of economic slowdown. Doorstep attitudes confirmed our lead in the polls. It will get worse as in my experience doorstep comments are reflected in the polls about a fortnight later.

At a time when MPs pay is under the spotlight (quite understandably) the new Chief Executive of Suffolk is to be paid £220,000 per annum. Officials of our East of England Strategic Health Authority all get well into six figures too, although it has never been clear to me what they actually do.

It is simply part of the reason why public spending has ricocheted out of control in this country. It is indeed senior figures in local government and quangos who have never had it so good.   

This week the urbane Foreign Minister of Ukraine, Mr Volodymyr Ogryzko was in town. He had successful meetings with David Miliband and William Hague. Our bilateral relationship is excellent. 

The country has been enjoying strong economic growth, and the signs of prosperity in Kiev are apparent. However there is still conflict with Russia over gas supplies, and a difficult relationship between President Yushchenko and the Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko. 

In London it has been quite a Ukrainian week, with a very well attended Ukrainian Investment summit, organised by Adam Smith conferences. Inflation may be growing there, but the investment opportunities continue to look good. 

Ukraine wants to join both the EU and NATO, even if it’s a long term aspiration. Russia strongly objects to the latter, and curiously Germany has its reservations too. The process will be taken on shortly at a NATO conference in Bucharest. Britain supports Ukraine on both accounts. 

President Yushchenko is keen to visit Britain, as we are to receive him. Hopefully this will happen in the next few months. One aspect of his visit will be his desire, felt deeply in Ukraine, to publicise the famine which killed millions of Ukrainians in the 1930s. It is called the Holodomor and was deliberately caused by Stalin. There is a remarkable archive on this, and an exhibition about the Holodomor is planned. 

This week in Parliament the following Early Day Motion was put down, and a copy given to The Foreign Minister. It encapsulates the view of MPs right across the political divide.

Ukraine

‘That this house welcomes important progress made by Ukraine in it’s democratic development with the conduct of another election in September 2007 which was judged by the ODCE led international election observation mission to be conducted “in line with international commitments and standards”; congratulates Yulia Tymoshenko on her election as Prime Minister; further welcomes the recent successful outcome of negotiations concerning Ukraine’s membership of the World Trade Organisation which now provides the basis for talks on an EU-Ukraine free trade agreement; urges the speedy negotiation of a new enhanced agreement between Ukraine and the European Union based on political association and economic integration; supports Ukraine’s aspirations to become a member of the European Union and urges the Rada to continue with a programme of political, economic, social and judicial reform; recognises Ukraine’s contribution towards strengthening security throughout the Euro Atlantic area and it’s active cooperation with NATO and hopes this relationship can be strengthened and elevated following the Bucharest summit in April 2008.’