A time for love after the years of discord

“Love will find a way through paths where wolves fear to prey.”

SOME may find it corny that I have chosen to quote one of the romantic poets, Lord Byron, to open my column on St Valentine’s Day, but it is interestingly apt.

Byron was born just 30 miles away in Southwell, but was an avid believer in national independence.

Indeed, he died while fighting alongside the Greeks, who were putting their lives on the line to get out of the Ottoman Empire.

He may have taken to arms, but Byron believed that love, above all else, would win in the end.

It appears that love has been in short supply in the UK during the past few years, with people stirring terrible discord.

Unfortunately, the General Election brought these feelings of malice to the fore and there was toxicity surrounding the campaign.

It would seem to the public that no love was lost between the candidates, but I was clear that I would never be reduced to petty name-calling or spreading falsehoods about my opponents.

Indeed, I deliberately didn’t even name those who had decided to make the most personal attacks on me in my political career.

Nevertheless, love did abound for me in terms of those who worked unstintingly to spread my messages and from many of the electorate who welcomed me so warmly on doorsteps and at events during the campaign.

I thank those who ensured that I was re-elected with an increased majority.

I certainly love Mid Derbyshire, having lived here since 1970, so I am delighted to represent the constituency again.

But will MPs old and new be able to spread optimism or, dare I say, love through the country in this new post-Brexit world?

That has to be our ambition. Irrelevant to which side of the debate people stood, the direction of travel is now clear and we need to strive to work together to achieve the best-possible outcomes.

For three years, Parliament has been mired in squabbles and pointscoring. It is our job to regain the trust of the public.

This means that the Government needs to make certain that election pledges are fulfilled.

The good news is that action is already being seen and the dead hand of the Brexit debate is being loosened.

In the commercial world, more deals are being done by companies who have broken out of the shackles of uncertainty.

This is great news at the same time that unemployment continues to be at its lowest since 1975.

Indeed, the unemployment rate in Mid Derbyshire is just 1.4%, well below the 3.1% national average.

But we cannot rest on our laurels. The Government must concentrate on securing well-paid jobs and make sure hard-working families keep up with the cost of living.

And we are also seeing money flowing into the NHS with exciting new plans locally for the replacement of services provided by Babington Hospital in Belper.

More investment in health, education, transport and the police is promised. I am confident in the future now that we have officially left the European Union, although I know much work has to be done on trade and legal agreements among others.

My hopes soared last month when the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen said: “I want to use the words of the famous poet George Eliot. She said: ‘Only in the agony of parting do we look into the depths of love.’

“We will always love you and we will never be far.”

And it wasn’t even St Valentine’s Day then!