Afghanistan and Pakistan

I backed the government's previous strategy on Afghanistan and the new one seems OK too. But the real problem has been, and will continue to be, successful delivery of that strategy.

Many people I speak to don't believe we should have troops there and equate Afghanistan with Iraq. I opposed the invasion in Iraq but support our effort in Afghanistan. We need to prevent Al Qaeda from using Afghanistan for training cam. If we don't we'll find that we will have more terrorist attacks in the UK.

Part of the solution in the country is in the hands of the other countries in the region like Iran, Russia, China and even India. Yet the PM's statement today didn't even mention those countries.

I will continue to quiz the government on Afghanistan and Pakistan as the pace of improvement is not good enough.

Fife - a centre of energy excellence

Iberdrola, the owners of Scottish Power, are world leaders in energy generation especially wind power. They have pledged to establish a centre of excellence for carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology at Longannet if the power station is successful in securing government backing for a CCS plant.

That would be a huge boost for Fife and would be complementary to the energy park being developed in Methil and would give the Kingdom a central role in developing new energy technologies.

My full speech is available on www.theyworkforyou.com

Gurkhas

The Gurkha vote in Parliament today was a victory for common decency. To win by over twenty votes was a pleasant surprise.

To me it was a simple issue the Gurkhas put their lives on the line for our security. I therefore believe they have the right to live here.

In a Parliamentary debate led two years ago by Bob Russell MP we edged the Government in the right direction but they refused to budge on the right to live here.

I raised the issue in Parliament several time and again last week when there were indications that the Government were preparing for a shabby response to the successful court case.

Nick Clegg identified this as a moral issue and he was right to give these brave people his backing.

The universe is too big to think about

I prefer not to think about the universe as the whole thing is too much to contemplate. A new pair of fell shoes is a much better choice for brain energy. The numbers that the Chancellor was spitting out today were much too big to contemplate - 175 billion pounds of debt and more - so he opted to talk about the minutia instead. The trouble is that I can get away with not thinking about the universe whereas the Chancellor doesn't have that luxury with the economy.

Now, don't get me wrong, some of the minutia was important but that stuff should not have been centre stage. There was no great vision of a new world in the budget. Instead it was a hotch potch of different measures, worthy enough in their own right, but insufficient to get the passions raised.

If we expect the public to put up with the pain they'll want to know the gain first.

I was pleased by the coal carbon capture news that will enable up to four demonstration schemes to proceed. It means that Longannet Power Station has a great chance to show what it can do. It could turn Longannet it Scotland's green power house.

I was, however, very disappointed that the Chancellor didn't stump up the necessary funding to replace the Forth Road Bridge. The SNP failed to raise a single penny for it but I fear that Westminster may fail too.

Alton Towers

Over the recess I spent a few days with the family in Alton Towers (www.altontowers.com). Plummeting down the vertical ride that is Oblivion is the best way that I've found to forget about Westminster.

I'm glad I've got two boys in different age groups because it means I have an excuse to go on the full range of rides from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory through to Nemesis.

The expression on Stephen's (4) face as we tore around on the Run Away Train was the a mixture of joy and extreme fear. It was only when he started to laugh did we realise he wasn't going to cry. Alexander (12) coolly took everything in his stride but Nemesis tested that to the limits.

The waterpark at the hotel was the best I've experienced with huge volumes of water gushing in all directions.
Despite the poor information systems in the park and the painfully slow service in Flambo's Feast restaurant in the Splash Landings Hotel it was a great break.

International Fire Rescue Association

As Honorary President of the Rosyth based International Fire Rescue Association I take every opportunity to see them off on their latest mission. On Friday a team of four set off for Bosnia with another van full of fire fighting and school supplies. They will also be training the local rescue services.

This is a great service the Association provides. I was told that donated equipment that went out to Bosnia last year was used to save children from a fire in an orphanage. Quite literally all of this donated equipment is helping to save lives.

On the PM's patch

It’s wonderful to see a business expanding during the recession. I was pleased to be asked to officially open Water Coolers Scotland’s newly expanded premises at Kelty – in the PM’s patch – today.

It's a great business that supplies water coolers to businesses and the public sector across Scotland. With twenty seven employees it's a business that I am sure will continue to grow.