Home Truths
Ribble Valley MP Nigel Evans reflects on the past and looks to the future as he prepares to return to his constituency to celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee
The theme for this month’s article is very much based on the past present and future. We stand on the shoulders of those who lived before, to be where we are reliant on future generations to take us where we want to be.
I had the opportunity to reflect further on my 30th anniversary of being an MP – I have witnessed lots of changes. It is the people working in Parliament who make it and I am grateful for being afforded the opportunity to hone my skills over such a long period of time and my present job of being Deputy Speaker is incredibly rewarding especially working so closely with Sir Lindsay Hoyle, who is a consummate professional in his role as Speaker.
It was a shame not to have the Queen at the State Opening of Parliament but HRH Prince Charles, accompanied by his heir, Prince William and the Duchess of Cornwall added pomp and dignity to the ceremony. We wish the Queen well as she approaches her Platinum Jubilee. I will be in the Ribble Valley for the four-day Bank Holiday and I’m looking forward to celebrating with my constituents.
I met some stars of the future and I have great confidence in what they will be bringing to the table in progressing our nation. Apprentices from BAE Systems are specialising in all disciplines and it is their skills which will take our country forward. They are the talents who will be advancing new technologies and taking them to stages we never thought possible. As we have seen from the appalling actions of Putin’s Russia, the defence industry is as relevant in 2022 as it has ever been.
Also this month, I visited Balderstone St Leonards School to chat to pupils and teachers. What a happy school, and it was such a delight to see so many smiling people. The youngsters were smart, charming and so polite but at the same time they showed confidence when asking questions about my job. The pupils had me baking garlic bread, showed me outside arts projects and took me to their wild garden with its own brook and told me about the wildlife they had seen there, including a deer. They also all went into the school yard to receive the Commonwealth Games baton from another school. The Balderstone pupils were to take it onto its next stage accompanied by two pupils on horses and other pupils with banners. I drove away from the school thinking how brilliant it was and how lucky we are that this is our next generation.
I had the privilege of meeting one of the last four surviving Apollo-mission moonwalkers, Charlie Duke and also Jared Issacman, a 39-year-old-entrepreneur who has his own space mission. Jared is worth a couple of billion dollars and is investing in all our futures. His next mission is in November and I cheekily suggested that if one of the astronauts drops out he might think of me, ‘Parliamentary timetable allowing!’
There are many uncertainties about the future, but meeting all of these people I have nothing other than complete confidence that we are in safe hands.
