Richard Spring MP
Member of Parliament for West Suffolk

There was a gathering of the vast majority of Conservative MPs on Friday and Saturday. There were a few peers and on the Saturday a large number of Prospective Parliamentary Candidates appeared. 

Morale inevitably, post Henley, was high, but there is no complacency. Each day that passes makes all of us realise just what a daunting take lies ahead, should we win. Labour inherited a very benign economy: that is most unlikely to be our fate. 

Yes there was some debate about whether Gordon Brown would survive, and if he did not, would somebody else make any difference. 

What perhaps interested us most when mulling over the political tea leaves, was the way the media missed the importance of the Liberal Democrats’ failure in Henley, despite their usual detritus campaigning techniques. Normally they do so well in by-elections, being so ruthlessly well organised. 

Not this time. Many Liberal Democrats now realise that if they want to get rid of an incompetent Government, voting for anything but the Tories is an indulgence. 

This may well be the more silent sub-text of politics in the months to come. 

There was an excellent lunch this week at the CPS at which Peter Oborne led a discussion about Zimbabwe. He, to his credit, has bravely visited the stricken country on numerous occasions and reported on it in a calm and professional manner. Photographs which were taken on his most recent visit were unable to be reproduced because they were so horrifically graphic. 

One guest talked of the hue and cry at the time of the forced removal of white farmers as being some sort of throwback to kith and kin sentiments. As the Shadow Minister at the time, I visited Zimbabwe a matter of days before the expulsions took place. We immediately saw what the devastating consequences of this policy would be: who would run the farms in a country where agriculture is so fundamentally important? It was because of this we raised the expulsions so urgently in the House of Commons. I am afraid that the Government did not then remotely understand the significance of what was happening. Our conversations with the South African government yielded nothing either. Of course our stance has been more than vindicated by the economic implosion which followed. Those highly productive farmers were greatly welcomed in other parts of Africa. A desirable potential policy of land reform had been hijacked for wholly political reasons. 

Of course, we have to move on. Events are unfolding fast. But the notion that the chaos in Zimbabwe was a direct legacy of a colonial British administration a generation ago is simply insupportable. The terrible maelstrom of horror is unquestionably the product of Mugabe’s rule and the pusillanimous attitudes of some surrounding countries’ leaders. 

As Gordon Brown approaches his first anniversary as Prime Minister I wonder what plans he has in place to mark the occasion?

I can’t imagine he has received many ‘congratulations’ cards from his own backbenchers. At PMQs yesterday they didn’t look to be in any kind of celebratory mood.

I also doubt whether he has received many boxes of chocolates or flowers from an adoring electorate - especially if yesterday’s opinion poll which gave the Conservatives a record 20-point lead is anything to go by.

Instead, Gordon Brown may have to make do with reminiscing about those distant days last year when he was riding high in the polls and could do no wrong and asking himself the question: ‘what went wrong?’  

If a week is a long time in politics, then for Gordon a year must seem like an eternity.

Yesterday my worst fears were confirmed when it was announced that all eight Post Offices in my constituency proposed for closure would shut. It is an absolute disgrace. 

Since the public consultation began earlier this year, I have received hundreds of letters, emails and petitions against the closures. My constituents have been absolutely horrified at the thought of losing such a valuable and much needed local service. 

We should have been able to look at how profitable these Post Offices really are and compared them to those that have been allowed to remain open. Yet we were not allowed to do this. 

There has been no logic in this decision at all - no matter how well used, how profitable the Post Offices are or how keen the sub post-masters are to maintain their business, they are being closed down. 

There is widespread agreement that the consultation has been an utter farce. None of the sixteen Post Offices in Suffolk identified for closure have been saved. This is despite the tremendous campaign against the closures that was led by my constituents. 

Meanwhile, it has also been revealed that the last remaining magistrate’s court in my constituency may well be axed. As with the Post Office closures, it will hit those who have no access to transport in particular, and further remove an important community support structure. 

It is high time this Government recognises the damage being done to rural communities from its decisions. At the next election, it will pay a heavy price for its metropolitan bias. 

Earlier this year I began my quest to find a local hero to join me at a National Awards Ceremony at the House of Commons. I wrote to all District and Parish Councillors and also sought nominations through my website and the local press. The response I received was overwhelming. 

The contribution of all those nominated was so outstanding that I found it very difficult to pick a winner. However one lady’s dedication and commitment did stand out. 

Today, West Suffolk’s local hero, Gwen Dalton, will join me in London for a National Awards Ceremony at the House of Commons. The annual event, hosted by Experience Corps, recognises the community contributions made by older volunteers.

Gwen Dalton, along with other local heroes from around the country, will join me for afternoon tea in the House of Commons, before being presented with a certificate of recognition for her community achievements. 

Gwen Dalton is a member of the local Residents Association and the Safer Neighbourhood Tasking Team. She has for many years worked tirelessly to improve the town and the surrounding area where she lives. Those who nominated her wrote of her heart of gold and lively enthusiasm for helping others. 

I recently met Mrs Dalton in Haverhill to congratulate her on her nomination. I was so impressed by all the stories she modestly told me about her outstanding work. 

West Suffolk is very lucky to have so many people who spend a considerable amount of their time and energy helping others. I am constantly amazed at the commitment of our volunteers.

I am delighted that Mrs Dalton is able to join me for tea in the House of Commons today. She spends a considerable amount of her time helping others and thoroughly deserves the recognition she is set to receive. 

Well not that small really, but certainly Suffolk is smaller than its neighbours Norfolk, Essex and Cambridgeshire.

It is such a joy to be there at this time of the year. Each week there is something new to notice in the garden, or the surrounding fields and woods. The pond in my garden is a natural one, and this year the water lilies have been prolific. A moorhen is nesting in amongst the foliage. Four ducklings are growing fast despite having been abandoned by their parents. Apples are just beginning to appear already and of course the roses are at their best. The garden is patroled by a territorial and noisy cock pheasant.

I am the proud owner of a 1973 Rover 3.5 coupe. It is costly to maintain and has its own eccentricities but it is a pleasure to look forward to at weekends. Amazingly it has only done 58,000 miles and I drive it very gently. 1973 was the last year of production. Both Harold Wilson and Margaret Thatcher were driven around in similar models. Wherever I go people admire it and want to know all about it. So many people’s fathers, uncles or their family GP seemed to have owned one. Despite the offers, and despite the rather eccentric speedometer and rev counter, it is not for sale.

Every village has its summer fete, many to coincide with the longest days of the year.

Of course no place is without its difficulties, but it is a great privilege to live in a rural setting of such beauty, and also to be able to experience the buzz and energy of London. However after a week in Westminster and despite a very busy constituency life, there can be fewer more agreeable places to be.

I am very lucky indeed.       

Yesterday I joined campaigners from across Suffolk to protest against the possible change of flight paths that will affect so many of my constituents.

Around 50 of us congregated on London’s South bank before marching across Waterloo Bridge where we handed over a petition at NATS HQ.

I strongly argued the case that an alternative solution should be found.  West Suffolk already suffers from aircraft noise from the military bases located in Mildenhall and Lakenheath.

There is also concern that the proposed changes will have a negative impact on the racing industry. Breeders of thoroughbred racehorses fear that the horses will react negatively to the increased noise.

The racing industry is a substantial contributor to the British economy. It generates expenditure of around £2.9bn per year, and raises some £282m in tax revenues for the Government.

The thoroughbred horseracing industry produces sales of over £150m annually in the UK and has export revenues of £160m.

Newmarket is at the heart of all of this. The area provides breeding and training facilities for up to 3,000 horses, with more than 7,000 jobs dependent on the industry.

It also significantly contributes to the local economy. Newmarket’s stud farms and racehorse trainers collectively spend more than £100m a year in the area on wages, goods and services.

This is now all under threat. A study commissioned by the Newmarket Horse Racing and Breeders Group suggested that almost two thirds of the stud farms would either move or curtail investment in the area because of the noise and air pollution created by the proposed changes.

This simply cannot be allowed to happen. Yesterday the people of Suffolk made that plainly clear, on grounds of tranquillity for the county’s residents both human and equine alike.

Realism about what an incoming Conservative government can do, given the parlous and deteriorating state of our national finances, is much greater than a year ago. It remains unreasonable to ask the Shadow Chancellor to spell out in detail what he would do in two years time. Commitments on inheritance tax, stamp duty, corporation tax and small business tax have already been made anyway. 

However it is the institutional architecture which is extremely important too. The growth of the influence of the Treasury under Gordon Brown was enormous. Tax credits have been spectacularly mishandled by the Treasury, and should be overseen by the DWP. It is therefore welcome that the all encompassing activities of the Treasury behemoth will be bought back to its original form by George Osborne. 

Additionally he has set out clearly how he would reform the tripartite system between the Treasury, FSA and the Bank of England. Again a more traditional monitoring role for the Bank is to be restored. 

The bloated and unfocussed size of the Treasury and the failed tripartite system caused sclerosis in our banking system, and negatively impacted confidence both domestically and internationally. 

Whilst the spotlight may continue to shine on tax policy, quietly George Osborne’s proposed functional reforms are a crucial backdrop for a more rational tax and regulatory structure in this country. The significance of this should not be underestimated. 

The bloated and unfocussed Treasury and the failed tripartite system caused sclerosis in our banking system, and negatively impacted confidence both domestically and internationally. 

Whilst the spotlight may continue to shine on tax policy, quietly George Osborne’s proposed functional reforms are a crucial backdrop for a more rational tax and regulatory structure in this country. The significance of this should not be underestimated. 

There has been a series of reports showing that rural areas across England are losing out on huge amounts of public money. This is mainly as a consequence of funding being transferred from rural areas to selected Labour dominated urban towns and cities. 

For example, it is instructive that Suffolk has received a smaller increase in NHS funding per person than the national average. In 2006-07 Suffolk was given £1,091.88 per capita in NHS funding – an increase of 38.9% from the £786.04 Suffolk received in 2002-03. Yet NHS funding in England has increased by 45.6% from £959.39 per capita in 2002-03 to £1,397.55 in 2006-07. Suffolk receives £305.67 per person less then the national average. Scotland receives £2,019 per capita in health funding. My frugal Presbyterian forebears would have thought this difference very interesting indeed. 

This pattern is not just exclusive to NHS funding. 

In the past decade, council tax bills across Suffolk have risen by 130% compared to only 51% in Scotland. Official statistics show that public spending per head was 40% higher in Scotland than in the East of England in 2007/08, with each person receiving £2,624 more in Scotland than in my region. 

Suffolk received £3,591 per pupil for 2007/08 in education funding, below the national average of £3,888. The cost of educating the average secondary school pupil in Scotland is £6,120 per year. 

Despite seeing much needed work to our transport system being delayed, Scotland receives more than double the amount of funding for transport compared to the East of England. Scotland gets £552 per head compared to £250 in my region. 

Of course there are not massive health deficits in those parts of the country that are in receipt of such public largesse. I wonder to what extent the people who live there ask the question so many of my constituents regularly ask me: “Where has all our money gone? It certainly is not coming here.” 

It is clearly true that under this Government we have had one of the most ruthlessly gerrymandering financial operations this country has ever known, basing decisions on political calculation rather than need. 

Ironically in the end it will make no difference at all, as even those in receipt of these higher levels of funding are fed up with this Government too. 

There was an extraordinary mini summary in one of the Sunday newspapers about the 22% Conservative poll lead over Labour – saying this was despite David Davis’s resignation and economic gloom deepening. All a bit odd.

Of course the latter is one of the main reasons why people are fed up, and no wonder. On my way back to London at the weekend I filled up my car with petrol. It cost £78. Every weekend sees a bill for at least £60, after driving to and from Suffolk, and driving around the constituency. The way people lead their lives, and where they live, is in many instances determined by the road transport system.

In a rural area like Suffolk, people need cars to get their children to school in many instances, or to get to work. There is simply no alternative. Petrol, household heating and food prices are all on the rise, and people are suffering, most notably those in rural areas.

Yet, of course, unlike in other industrialised countries, where the tax burden has been going down, ours continues to go up.

It is Alice in Wonderland economics and deeply resented by the people of this country at this difficult time. No wonder the Tories are ahead by such a large margin.