In response to the heart breaking terrorist events in Paris last weekend, it is right that we should feel angry, but it is also right that we should take a calm and considered approach. My heart goes out to all who lost their lives just going about the ordinary pleasure of them, and to all those affected.
I am pleased that we are increasing security at home, with the positive news of funding for recruitment of another 2,000 security service officers, and I have been impressing on Ministers the need for special branch Police capabilities to be maintained and improved. Looking at Paris it is inevitable to have the thought "there but for the grace of God go I".
There is much to be done in my opinion to improve border arrangements and intelligence sharing in the EU, and we should be constructive in helping our European friends in that respect, whatever we think our own destiny should be in relation to the EU.
When it comes to addressing the source problems of ISIL and its terror campaign themselves, in my view we must try to ensure that there is a political solution which will change circumstances for people living through it on the ground in the Middle East. Protection, opportunities and ideas for how to live must not be allowed only to come from ISIL. We should play our part in pursuing such a solution.
Any action we take must be part of a clear overall plan to achieve this, and we should think carefully how to make sure it cannot be painted as anti-Sunni or anti-Shia Muslim, as the extremists would like nothing more than to be able to say we are involving ourselves in sectarian disagreements.
But allowing the power vacuum into which ISIL has slipped to persist is not in anyone's interest.
While our involvement in Iraq was difficult, we must not let the scars of that experience prevent us from learning from it and helping to make the world a safer place, therefore protecting ourselves, as part of well thought out international solutions.
It has pained me to see over too many years now that the West's lack of confidence and attention to the detail of international coalition building has left it unable to respond to the constant stream of dreadful events in Syria.
Sadly Syria is no longer a functional nation, and it may well not be possible to put it back together. I am not in favour of a military alliance with Iran or Russia to pursue goals in Syria, as this would be the perfect story for the ISIL brain washers to try to spin as the West being anti-Sunni, even if it were otherwise a good idea, which is less than certain.
Arrangements can and do have to be made however, to change the situation on the ground in the areas not controlled by Assad, and to bolster the forces of sanity and reconciliation. This will not be achieved by bombing alone, and it cannot be achieved without the bona fide involvement of moderate Sunni Arab states and local ground forces, but we must act.