It has been said that politics is a struggle without end. A constant battle to lead, to seek the influence necessary to make positive change in everyone's lives. Politics is the nature of human interaction. It contains all the flaws, all the inadequacies of any relationship. It also contains the joys and the victories. The camaraderie of shared goals as a team, of intellectual and of electoral battle joined.
And as each cycle passes, as the whiff of electoral cordite subsides, both victor and vanquished must build as a government or rebuild as an opposition. That's why political principles matter. Our Conservative principles underpin our policies. From the place of principle comes the energy to pound the streets to seek to win votes. Policy is where political and philosophical theory meets the reality of life lived. Where the rubber hits the road.
The temptation with politics is to think for the short term, for the immediate. However, I would argue that a truly Conservative viewpoint wants to lay strong foundations for the future. To build not just for the current generation but for those not yet born. The great mercantilist city of Glasgow's famous motto is 'Let Glasgow Flourish'. We need to seek the welfare of the nation in perpetuity. We need to encourage policies and plans that will promote long term flourishing.
Conservatism has at its root encouraging people to reach their full potential. To encourage lives not dependent on the state but building up the nation. The mobilisation of communities, the growth of families, the setting up of charities and businesses. The former Chief Rabbi's book springs to mind, The Home we Build Together. This is where the left and right diverge. The right believes that the state exists to protect and serve society, not to define or create it.
Many Conservatives emphasise the role of personal responsibility both for individual success and the duty of helping society. I want to see citizens achieve their own potential, which requires excellent schools and universities, it requires low taxes, sound finance and support for businesses. It requires a sustainable commitment to housebuilding and development for homes and to encourage families.
I have been a Conservative since my teenage years. I grew up on the edge of the kingdom in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. I didn't consider my journey from rural Ulster to being a Conservative in England a long political journey. Many of the rural Conservative issues are the same. The power of the farm, the family and tradition are key. Many Christian Conservatives emphasise the role of personal responsibility both for individual success and the duty of helping society.
This is what drives me to challenge community leaders to think about mentoring and encouraging future MPs and challenging young people to see politics as a calling and as a duty of service.
After the UK's historic vote to leave the EU, there have been many calls for us to unite. Are we going to make it an international success or make it narrower and think more selfishly? It is up to us to make our future work for the good of all.
Maybe as a fellow child of 'the Manse' I am biased, but the solidity of Theresa May reassures me. There is authority, but there is also compassion, the track record on modern slavery, and the desire to serve the 'just about managing', the JAM's. It vital that our leaders are the people's servants. Revolution doesn't always bring power down to the people.
In Napoleon's court, following the French revolution, the idealistic fire of Rousseau was tempered by the hypocrisy of megalomania and hyperbole. The greatness of Britain is we send our leaders off in a removal van, not their head off in a revolution.
I worked for a previous Conservative Party leader but I know that politics starts at street level not at cabinet level. Not at the heart of the Westminster village but through the letterboxes of every village.
My own foray into elective politics, standing as a local council candidate, was inspired by for residents' concerns on the council estate I live on in south London. For those many, real politics is what they can feel on the pavement, not what is gossiped in the bars of parliament.
After weeks of constant campaigning activists and candidates can see the end in sight. For those who are successful the hard work has only just begun, from helping constituents to debating matters of state in Westminster.
Politics is about passion, purpose and participation. We need to be encouraged to be the change we want to see. If we want to see a better future we must be prepared to get politically engaged and build a positive future together.
I grew up amidst the bombs and the bullets of the Troubles in Northern Ireland. With the tragedy of recent terrorist attacks so close to Thursday's general election vote, never has it been so important to send a clear message about exercising our democratic right to vote, as we choose as a society to resolve our differences through the ballot box.
May we end this election week with a fresh determination to make a difference in our nation. That we would see more clearly the bigger picture. That we would be grounded in a narrative bigger than our own life. May we play our part in the future of politics in my time and may that echo for all time.
Gareth Wallace is executive director of the Conservative Christian Fellowship.
This is the third article in a series from different political parties. A piece from the Liberal Democrat Christian Forum is here and a piece from Christians on the Left is here.
