Richard Spring MP
Member of Parliament for West Suffolk

Yesterday I had breakfast with Patrick Snowball, Chairman of Towergate and former Executive Chairman of Norwich Union, along with his colleague Marc Don Francesco, and Gregory Barker MP our Shadow Environment Minister. 

Patrick has been asked to chair a task force that will look into how incentives can be given to encourage both companies to improve their green record and the public to invest in environmentally responsible companies and green technology. 

Under the plans under consideration, new green Individual Savings Accounts (ISAs) will be introduced. These will allow the public to save money with a tax incentive, up to a certain limit. 

There would also be criteria for firms to obtain a green ‘kitemark’, enabling them to qualify for investment under the Green ISA. This would create a major incentive for local and national businesses to curb their emissions and adopt greener technologies and practices. 

Over the weekend, a row erupted after troops in Cambridgeshire were advised against wearing their uniforms in public to avoid being insulted. This was to the surprise of other troops in the region who said they had always been well received in the area – including in Bury St Edmunds, which is partially in my constituency. 

Back in December, very crowded streets welcomed home the Royal Anglian Regiment. They received a rapturous reception. They were there to receive the freedom of the Borough of St Edmundsbury. There was certainly no hostility shown towards these courageous men and women on that day. 

It is appalling to think that, even in their own country, there could ever be no-go areas for our Armed Forces. Whether we support the war in Iraq or not, we should all feel proud to have brave men and women prepared to make huge sacrifices on our behalf. They should be able to wear their uniforms with pride. 

Our soldiers have had and continue to have, the grimmest of times in Iraq and Afghanistan. It is widely accepted that they are not being properly supported. It is vital that the military covenant is upheld. We must ensure that their families, as well as veterans, are properly looked after - something that Labour has failed to do sufficiently. 

The Conservative Party has now launched a Commission to look at the state of the Military Covenant. It is being chaired by Frederick Forsyth and includes ex-servicemen and military experts such as the Falklands war veteran, Simon Weston and the distinguished military historian, Sir John Keegan. 

Our Armed Forces have fully honoured their part of the bargain. It is now time for us as a country to fulfil our side, and includes showing respect for those in uniform. 

Some years ago an elderly relative told me that her pre-war parents were quite self consciously modern, enjoying cocktails and rather minimalist décor. Needless to say, it was a fad that passed. 

I was reminded of this looking at an advertising insert in one of the weekend newspapers, showing very expensive contemporary furniture. Today many people want to live in rooms that are light and airy, often on bare floorboards and without clutter. They do not like eighteenth and nineteenth century brown English furniture. It is totally out of fashion. 

Coupled with the current financial squeeze, the result is that it is now pretty cheap. A mahogany bureau will sell for less than it did twenty years ago. Antique shops have disappeared and dealers are not having an easy time. Of course very high quality furniture continues to do well, but run of the mill antique English furniture is now relatively and absolutely inexpensive, despite being well built and something which will last. I was looking at such pieces in Suffolk over the weekend. 

I suspect that rather like those who do well in the stock market, it is time to be contrarian. I personally regret not having the space or the resources to do this myself. I do feel is that the sometimes rather soulless fashionable look of today will pass, and good old mahogany will be desirable again one day, as it always has been. 

Oh what a lovely war! The battle over the Lisbon Treaty went in an exactly opposite direction from what was expected. One or two Tories voted with the Government, largely because of opposition in principle to referendums; there was a reasonably sizeable Labour revolt but… the Liberal Democrats, oh dear! This is the most universally pro-federalist party which drowned in a sea of confusion and contradiction.

Conservative MPs were sent a bizarre email by Nick Clegg, which was the source of immense mirth. You see little groups of Liberal Democrat MPs in a huddle in the corridors of the Commons, not exactly looking ecstatic. Nick Clegg and the word blancmange seem to go together.

Liberal Democrat supporters have an admirable concern for civil rights and for devolved government, and often have a developed social conscience. Lions like this appear to be led by donkeys.

As I reflect on this week, one can only speculate as to what misjudgements the donkeys will make next. It has all been so unexpected.

As they say in Suffolk ‘The last vicar was the best vicar!’ Come back Ming/ Charlie/ Paddy… all is forgiven!

Hillary Clinton has bounced back in a wholly unexpected way but according to Dick Morris the political commentator and author, with whom I had breakfast this morning, Barack Obama will win. He believes the combination of the Democratic popular vote and number of delegates will inevitably secure this. 

He believes that Obama has been a brilliant candidate in refusing, for example, to take money from special interests, and attracting a wide range of individual financial contributors via the internet. He has through his age and attitudes touched a core with the younger generation and those who have felt disconnected from American political influence. So the traditional low turnout at the Presidential elections will be higher. Also, he believes that the Republican mission on lower taxes, lower crime and lower welfare rolls has been fulfilled. What remains in areas like health, education, transport and social care, are issues where the Democrats, for good or for ill, have something fresh to say. 

If he is right, therefore, we will be looking forward to having to deal with President Obama in the White House, after a landslide victory. 

Of course this will have implications for our relationship with the United States which by common consent is not widely popular in many parts of the world. It is crucial for us to be close to the policy development process in international affairs with any new President, to the extent that this is possible. We have moved from appearing to be slavish towards the United States, to now having a too cool relationship. 

It is an unfortunate legacy of Labour in government.     

It is believed by some that one of Labour’s achievements of their time in power has been the reduction in NHS waiting times. However, figures obtained yesterday reveal a different story, which really needs proper airing. 

In fact, average hospital waiting times have risen under Labour. Average waiting times for inpatients were 41 days in 1997 but by last year reached 49 days, according to NHS figures. 

The top-down, centralised, target-driven culture imposed on our NHS by central Government has distorted patient care. In meeting one target, it simply means that another patient misses out. 

In 1997, Tony Blair warned that there were ‘24 hours to save our National Health Service.’ A decade later, and despite government spending on the NHS having more than trebled, expectations have not been met. 

It is quite obvious that this was one of the most misleading political promises ever made, which has now been exposed. And GPs, nurses and others know this to be true, which is why morale is so desperately low. 

Both Russia and Ukraine have had elections in the past few months. Whilst Mr Medvedev won the Presidency decisively, Mrs Tymoshenko squeaked in, and her position as Prime Minister is fragile, and dependent on a tiny parliamentary majority. It is a difficult time there politically.

Ukraine wants to join the EU, but at the time of the Orange Revolution was not given a clear signal. Recently it signed up to the WTO, and a comprehensive free trade area is in prospect. Support for EU entry, which is not formally on offer, is universal in the political elite, if not in the general population. Meanwhile, Ukraine’s leadership wants to join NATO, which infuriates the Russians, who have historically regarded Ukraine as their backyard.

Gazprom, Russia’s gas monopoly has cut supplies to Ukraine by at least 25% allegedly because of outstanding debts, which Ukraine rejects. Most of Europe’s gas comes through Ukraine from Russia and countries like Turkmenistan and will be unaffected, we are assured.

Ukraine is a vast country of immense agricultural wealth, a veritable bread basket at a time of soaring prices. Its political and economic success could beneficially impact its less successful neighbours, like Belarus and Moldova.

Curiously enough Ukraine looks to Britain in many respects: there are perhaps 100,000 Ukrainians living here.

The British Ukrainian Society, of which I am chairman, is trying to build links at every level. Ukraine is a European country whose democratic underpinnings and economic success are in our interest too. The Foreign Office recognises this, as so the Opposition: David Cameron had a particularly good meeting with President Yushchenko at Davos.

However there is high political drama being played out currently in the halls of power in Kyiv. We hope this can all be amicably resolved, because the stakes are so high.  

Oh dear, what a difficult place the world is if you are advising the Foreign Secretary.

President Ahmajinedad is feted in Baghdad, although Iran is allegedly supplying men and materiel to attack and undermine the coalition forces in Iraq. The self same gentleman has been an honoured guest in Saudi Arabia. What all of this says is that the regional power influence of Iran is, post Saddam Hussein, now freely understood and acknowledged in Arab capitals. For some the reasoning is that eventually the Americans will depart, but Iran’s influence will remain. Which is likely to be more enduring? Iran’s influence extends to Syria, and of course to Hamas and Hezbollah, the former busily enticing Israel to attack Gaza comprehensively.

Similarly, Dmitri Medvedev’s successful and popular election means that Russian assertiveness will continue. The relationship between Britain and Russia is now at the lowest possible point. Russia dismisses the criticism from Britain with contempt.

So we have a problem. Two very significant countries are being lionised by many for important and obvious reasons.

So far there is little to give us confidence that this Government will successfully negotiate its way through this thicket of energy security and high prices, nuclear enrichment, human rights and growing self confidence. The last two days in Moscow and Baghdad so clearly underline this.