As I see it

Driving back home through the beautiful autumn landscape of East Sussex it is easy to forget the financial turbulence that has swamped the political news over the past months.

Now as the dust starts to settle on the crashes and takeovers, the real effects of 11 years of financial mismanagement are starting to be felt by small businesses, hard working families, savers and pensioners across the country.

As the recession looms large, spending slows and mortgages become harder and harder to get, people are asking why, after such a long period of growth and an ever increasing tax burden we find ourselves with so little to show for it and the financial cupboard bare. Tax and spend, the bungled 'golden rules' and an 'end' to boom and bust have left us amongst the worst placed of the Western economies to ride out the difficult times ahead.

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We have spent that last few weeks in the closing stages of the Climate Change Bill. There has been a refreshing consensus on many of the key issues, and we have worked productively with the government to strengthen and improve the bill which has emerged as an ambitious and groundbreaking piece of legislation.

A considerably less bipartisan debate has been around the Pharmacy white paper! I have been inundated with correspondence from constituents concerned over the Labour's absurd proposals which would cut access to local dispensaries. Isolated rural communities, the vulnerable elderly and concerned parents may find their nearest pharmacy closed or moved under new plans and doctors surgeries that operate their own dispensaries could find that valuable sources of revenue and an important local service is forced to close. I have written to the minister and forwarded all of your letters and will continue to campaign strongly against this threat to our local surgeries.

I was delighted to welcome Etchingham Primary school to the Houses of Parliament to be awarded the 'Make IT happen' Campaign's regional award for the South East. Etchingham school pupils have been campaigning for a new (and much needed!) school building and have used a range of technology including digital cameras, audio recordings and media players to communicate their ideas to a live audience of parents and students. As IT becomes ever more important to our day to day life it is reassuring to see our youngsters leading the field.

Halloween is a wonderful festival that brings families and communities together. However whilst the vast majority of our kids are responsible and well behaved there are always a handful who can spoil the night with thoughtless antisocial behaviour. I would like to thank the local police force who have done a great job keeping a visible presence on the streets and working with parents and children to ensure that everyone had a safe and enjoyable evening.