This morning I have been in two Westminster Hall debates. These are debates where MPs can raise subjects that are of particular interest to them, whether national or local and then a minister responds. It doesn’t have any effect on the law of the country, but it’s an opportunity to debate issues. The first one I was in this morning was about cultural diplomacy and it’s about the projection of what’s called soft power abroad. Not hard power, military power, but soft power, British influence exercised through our culture institutions, in our museums, in our galleries, our literature, our theatre and so on.  Its very important as increasingly in the world today power can be projected in different ways and they need to work together. And soft power, this cultural diplomacy, is very important. I made a brief contribution to that debate and this was followed by an MP talking about his experiences in the United States and how the US is tackling climate change. Now this is an issue that I am very concerned about. I know that many of my constituents are concerned about it and I was anxious just to make the point that in the US whatever happens in the US at Washington with the federal administration, which is at the moment under George W Bush, which isn’t being very proactive in tackling climate change, putting it mildly, actually how at the state level in the US, a lot is being done. And it’s very important that this government, which is taking a lead on climate change in the world, actually is finding ways to work with the state administrations in the US to find new ways in which we can tackle this huge challenge which confronts the entire planet. So, that’s a fairly typical morning in Westminster Hall and I’ve been making contributions to both debates this morning.