Our Sporting Prowess
Twenty-twenty-one has shaped up to become a truly international year for the UK. Not only have we hosted the G7 and are set to hold the UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow later this year, but last weekend we saw both the finals of Wimbledon and The UEFA European Football Championship take place.
While neither sporting event yielded the results we wanted, they both demonstrated the remarkable breadth and draw of the UK’s sporting prowess and soft power. The international spotlight focussed on the UK and for perhaps the first time since 2012, we were able to remind the world of our ability to put on a great show.
Events such as these not only promote the ‘Great British brand’ on a global level but also help to encourage a new generation of football and tennis enthusiasts at every level of ability. Sport is a unifier; it challenges us and introduces us to the realities of competition. It is a necessary ingredient to the upbringing of every child across the country.
The euphoria and joy of reaching the Euros final must be used to rejuvenate our enthusiasm for protecting our playing fields, swimming pools and sites of outdoor activity. Offering the opportunity for people to take up new sports will not only create a healthier lifestyle, but also continue to see the UK participate in top-level sporting events across the globe.
Masks Off?
Next week the remnants of our Covid restrictions are likely, at last, to be scaled down. For many, this is a nerve-racking moment, especially as we see case numbers on the rise. However, after many months of having to live under curfews, lockdowns and tiered systems, it is right that we return to an existence of non-restrictive living.
Personal responsibility has always been the ethos of the Conservative party and we must now demonstrate that we can practice what we preach. Residents of South Devon have shown their determination to look after themselves and their neighbours throughout the pandemic, regardless of the Government’s diktats.
The vaccinations are breaking the link between infections and serious hospitalisations and deaths. As a result, it is time to learn to live with the virus, as we do with the flu. After all, for all the words of scientists and politicians, there is no such thing as a risk-free, certain future.
Funding Limbo
A significant amount of time in politics is spent waiting. At last count, I am waiting on nine submissions for funding for issues and areas in South Devon, from the Restoring Your Railway Bid to the Levelling Up Fund to the Maritime Fisheries Fund and a whole host of others. While frustrating and sometimes painfully slow, it is welcome to have the opportunity to throw our hat in the ring and make the case for the South West.
After all, with so much talk of the North, the South West cannot be overlooked. Thankfully the teamwork between local MPs has ensured that the voice of Devon is loud and proud in Westminster. Such engagement has not always been present but today’s grouping offers us a chance not just to talk of delivery but to actually produce the goods and investment in much-needed areas.