The North East Beds MP’s monthly column
Whether it’s back to work, school, or in my case finding out that the miseries of the world have not miraculously disappeared, the real world has always been waiting in the background to meet us.
For domestic politics the new term really gets going with the party conference season. Quite rightly, all parties have used our successful Games to illustrate how we can all achieve great results, even when not so long ago it was fashionable to anticipate a summer of chaos and misery rather than what we witnessed.
All of us involved in active politics hope that in the same way, the cynicism of the public for what we do might be changed by a realisation that with the same involvement of the nation our political process can also deliver a better Britain.
Not unnaturally, I think David Cameron did this best. He spoke this week of Britain’s capacity to deliver, and how we could astonish ourselves and the world through our determination and collective abilities. As with delivering anything of value, he made no excuse for setting out how tough we’re the obstacles to be overcome. He explained why, in a highly competitive world, the economic problems of too much spending and borrowing that he was left with when he walked into Number 10, had to be dealt with if we were not to find our country too far down the medal tables of prosperity.
But as with sporting success, he fixed Britain’s eye on the path forward and the goal to be reached.
He spoke of reforms in welfare, education, health and business which would benefit everyone in Britain and help set free the talents and abilities of the nation to achieve the best for ourselves and our children.
We have become used to dismissing everything said by politicians as hopeless, just as we doubted our ability to stage a great 2012. Whilst no government ever had it totally right I think there has never been a better time to recognise this leadership and find ways in which we can play our part in astonishing the world once again.