I suspect one of the most defining characteristics historians will lay at the feet of Teflon Tone and not the Iron Lady, will be this utter selfishness. Why else would so many MPs still, after the tangible anger the public feel, still feel like complaining they are being hard done by? What astounds me is that they didn’t even show much imagination! Just got themselves a new video or fridge, or got someone else to do the garden. Obviously never read Voltaire, any of them, but then that doesn’t surprise me at all.

Or a politician who can come along and nudge us in the right direction

Yes – and Jubilee 200 et al certainly had a positive impact in the years before and during Gleneagles 2005.

I haven’t written to my MP because I think any agreements achieved at Copenhagen will be the result of horse-trading at the 11th hour. The UK government seems to be pretty active, too, so I don’t actually see how I can influence things.

But I also think that showing that people believe strongly about an issue is a way of communicating its importance: the way I shop, the way I travel and most things I do can send signals about what I think is important.

And I think just talking – or writing – about it is better than nothing!