2016 will be a year that our grandchildren will be taught about in history.
The decision by the people of the United Kingdom to leave the European Union will rank alongside events such as the Corn Laws and women getting the vote.
The election of Donald Trump in the US, the change of our Prime Minister and the collapse of the Middle East order has made many of us feel that the stability we once all enjoyed has been replaced by unpredictability. Even Lancashire’s weather has become less predictable!
In these times of change we should be glad that Christmas gives us the opportunity to reflect on what is important to us. For me it is my family and friends and the place where I live and represent.
While we all worry about things, often out of our control, we are luckier than most. Employment in the constituency continues to rise, our schools still perform well above the national average and our streets are safer than they were a decade ago.
We do of course have other challenges to deal with such as unplanned building, flood planning and patches of rural poverty. I continue to work with Wyre Council and Lancashire County Council to try and ensure we tackle these issues.
With the new Government came a new job for me. I am now the Minister of State for Security. So my days can be quite dark as I have to deal with the threat from terrorists, traitors, organised criminals and paedophiles. Not the nicest cross section of society, I am sure you will agree.
Therefore, knowing what is out there in cyber space can I make a plea to all of you to be ‘safe’ online. Make sure you don’t respond to unexpected emails from banks or HMRC. Ensure that your children know who they communicate with over the internet and take some time out to look at the ‘Cyber aware’, the “Get Safe Online and ‘Think You Know” guides online. They are all designed to help you or your children protect themselves and their data.
The highlight throughout the year is always the visits to our schools. I am proud of the work they do for our children and appreciate all the work the teachers and staff do. I look forward to welcoming more schools to Parliament in 2017!
I hope you all have a happy New Year.
I am always around and if I can be of any assistance to you please ring my Office at the House of Commons on 0207 219 5804 or my Constituency Office on (01995) 672977, email me at [email protected] or write to me at the House of Commons, London, SW1A 0AA.
Ben Wallace MP