It was was a great pleasure to be a panellist on Friday at a Question Time event at the Woolstore in Codford in aid of the Army Benevolent Fund.

With our operations in Helmand province drawing down we must hope that the next decade will be less full-on for our Armed Forces than the last.

Certainly there is a reluctance on the part of MPs to commit boots to the ground as we have seen in recent votes.

It is axiomatic that military force should only be used as a last resort and when all else has failed.

I’m afraid arrogant statements from Brussels about refusing to consider looking again at the massive financial demand it has just made on the UK taxpayer edges moderate middle of the road folk like me towards the exit – I regret to say that this week so-called Brexit came just a little bit closer.

I remember when I had the temerity to suggest in Brussels that a senior EU post should be gapped to save money.

The looks of incomprehension on the faces of the EU faithful had to be seen to be believed. As a non-believer I was placed firmly on the naughty step.

Well, I’m sorry, my constituents have had to work incredibly hard to pull this country out of the doldrums and every penny we remit to Brussels goes straight on our deficit.

I’m spending a lot of time in Belfast right now in my new ministerial capacity as multi-party talks get underway aimed at resolving some of the hitherto intractable issues facing Northern Ireland.

I’m convinced that the future lies with the young who are far less likely to be burdened with a sectarian mindset shaped by The Troubles.

I believe that sooner rather than later the remaining barriers, physical and psychological, will come down.

I’m struck by how younger people seem comfortable with a strengthening Northern Ireland identity that looks with gathering impatience to politicians in the devolved Stormont assembly and at Westminster to cultivate prosperity and facilitate normality.