Jubilee and Olympics

BY the time you read this the Queen's big jubilee weekend celebrations will be over.

I will have eaten countless sandwiches at street parties, fetes and flower shows right across the constituency.

I will also have joined in the fun at three of my 43 primary shools and shared with local children the excitement and celebration of this important landmark in our history.

And celebrate we should. Queen Elizabeth II is only the second monarch to have occupied the throne for a 60 year period, the other being Queen Victoria who celebrated her own Diamond Jubilee in 1897. Her reign was for 64 years and our Queen is set to break this record in just four years' time.

Given that the Queen Mother lived until 101, I suspect the Queen will achieve this with ease.

Interestingly, of our monarchs it has often been the women who have served longest and with greatest distinction, including Elizabeth I, Victoria and our present Queen.

There are moves to change the rules of succession so that the firstborn child of William and Kate will automatically be first in line to the throne, irrespective of gender. I support this entirely and look forward to voting through this change when it comes before Parliament.

This year will also be the third in which we host the Olympics. We did so in 1908 and in 1948 — the first televised games.

These games will use that same medium to project themselves to half the planet — over four billion people

So, after the excitement of the Jubilee celebrations we can settle down to enjoying the Olympics.

I have no doubt that we will put on the greatest games that the world has seen and I am looking forward to watching as much as time allows.