Politicians may come and go…
Driving around my constituency at the weekend, I reflected, as the sun broke from time to time through the clouds, how extraordinarily beautiful the countryside looked.
We may not have mountains or lakes, as in some parts of the country, but it is most of all our flintstone churches that stand out in the Suffolk landscape. In the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, when the wool trade made East Anglia so prosperous, each village acquired a church. Many are of breathtaking beauty.
In London, there are two exceptional exhibitions which I recently saw – the seventeenth century Spanish painter Velazquez and the sculptures of Rodin.
We are heirs to a remarkable heritage from across so many parts of Europe. It created literature, buildings and objects of enduring quality. We are all their guardians through good times and bad. Politicians may come and go, but it is both humbling for those of us in public life, as well as a responsibility, to ensure that we cherish and pass on the visible legacy of our civilisation.