The invasion of Crimea by Putin’s Russia looks eerily like the annexation of South Ossetia from Georgia in 2008.

Because both territories were once parts of the USSR no doubt Mr Putin thinks his behaviour is acceptable.

But it isn’t and such thuggery is bound to end badly.

Russia had been making lots of effort to encourage us in the belief that we’re all friends now with stacks of lovely cultural, commercial and scientific things to do together.

The Sochi Olympics were a triumph and we were all looking forward to the Paralympics.

In the way he handled the Syrian chemical weapons issue, Mr Putin had even contrived to look statesmanlike.

But his bellicosity in Ukraine has reversed all that.

I recently visited Moscow as a small part of that process of re-engagement, but all optimism seems now to have been snuffed out.

I have not had many people come to see me about difficulty with the removal of the spare room subsidy.

Homeless people and overcrowded families obviously want best use made of social housing stock.

However, it is important that there’s enough flexibility to help people unable to move to smaller properties, so I’m pleased the government has passed substantial discretionary funding to local authorities.

I had a busy constituency weekend with a range of issues at my Trowbridge advice surgery.

On Friday evening it was a particular pleasure to discuss matters European at a village hall meeting in Mere.

I think most people have a realistic view of the EU and one that, like mine, accords with a desire to have the sort of commercial relationship with Europe that we thought we were getting in the 1970s.

Most of us don’t want expensive, undemocratic meddling in the minutiae of national life and we certainly do not aspire to ‘ever closer union’.

However you see it, two voting generations have come of age since people last had their say, which is why we need an in-out referendum.