Westminster Lowdown with Colin Breed M.P. - Real action was outside the House

Most of the real action this week has taken place outside Parliament, rather than within it.

The pig farmers' protest on Parliament Square continues to demand attention from visitors and politicians and, judging by the constant hooting of car horns, many London residents as well.

All of this contributes to raising the profile of the farmers' campaign for aid.

Then, on Wednesday 1 joined a group of Westcountry MPs in delivering a petition of over 100,000 signatures to the Prime Minister at 10 Downing Street. The signatures were collected by individual Members of Parliament in conjunction with the Western Morning News, as part of a campaign to persuade the government to ensure the current post office counters.

The general public continues to be extremely concerned that small rural and suburban sub-post offices will be lost unless new forms of income can be generated to place the revenue currently derived from benefits payments. Perhaps the strength of feeling demonstrated by the petition will encourage a change of mind by the Prime Minister.

Parliament also received another farmers' march, this time highlighting the plight of the dairy industry. It started in the North and has been gathering support from throughout the country.

The changes in the milk industry in recent years, couple with the strength of sterling, have been disastrous for the dairy farmers. Without structural change and a redistribution of the revenues between producers, processors and retailers it is difficult to see how dairy farmers will be able to continue to produce milk.

Finally, I met a delegation from Cornwall representing the Fire Services.

This emergency service is so often the 'Cinderella' service, but of course they do more than fight fires. Their skill and professionalism is widely recognised, but constant funding cut backs from central government to local government have hit fire services very hard.

In the week before the budget it is timely to remind us all that we cannot take public services for granted. they have to be paid for and that means taxes.