High Peak Liberal Democrats

Whichever category we are in, we can all agree that this is not our usual 'normal'.

We are almost half way through the Government's original lockdown period (set to finish at the end of May 2020).

Now, take a moment to look around your area, be it urban or rural.

Breath, deeply. Listen.

Air quality appears to be improving. Skies appear to be clearer. Birds are returning to urban areas now they don't have to compete with traffic noise.

SO. When we, eventually, are released from this lockdown period, what will be the 'New Normal'?

Will it be an urgent return to the ways of the 'past'?

Or will we take a different path?

I hope that we will take stock of exactly what is Important to us, now, in this situation we find ourselves in.

I hope we will take forward a new view of the world, or its people, of ourselves.

We cannot, surely, just go back to the previous 'normal' of over-commercialised consumerism, or exploiting the planet we rely on, of ignoring the truths about climate change and our reliance on fossil fuels for our energy, transport and materials.

I hope that when we come out of lockdown, almost like hermits emerging from our caves, we decide to move forward with those things and processes that sustain us and our planet, and discard those which we have known for ages to be harming it and us.

We will return to a level of prosperity, but let's do it with a new sense of caring, for our fellow humans, our environment, our planet.