Poor old Brenda from Bristol. She was famously fed up at the prospect of the last general election. She must be truly glum now!

Three general elections, a referendum and the Euro elections, all in four years, is quite a test of the democratic process.

But if Brenda is glum, the mood in Parliament is optimistic and positive. Not because we are complacent about electoral outcomes – an MP taking an election for granted does so at their peril – but because the impasse that has been dogging Parliament for the best part of two years is now being resolved.

Although the second reading of the Withdrawal Agreement Bill was passed, and in so doing passed the meaningful vote (starting the process of ratifying the new Withdrawal Agreement), we were still bogged down in detail.

With no majority for anything, in particular and the prospect of unlimited amendments to the WAB, we were making only glacial progress.

From next week, all parties will be putting forward their proposals on Brexit and there is no doubt at all that a major part of this election will be won or lost on Brexitology.

But this cannot be about just Brexit and how we withdraw. It must be about our vision for the future. How will we embrace the opportunities that Brexit presents? How will we mitigate the risks?

My work as the chair of the Conservative Party’s policy board on Global Britain has informed me that the opportunities are significant.

But if we get things wrong, we run greater risks. So who will be the best Prime Minister to embrace the opportunities?

Similarly, on offer will be a raft of domestic policies – on education, the NHS, policing, defence, welfare, workers’ rights and pay, opportunity for all, how we support businesses. And much, much more.

I agreed with Brenda last time around. It was a pointless, opportunistic election that served no one well. But this time we need renewal and a fresh mandate for a new Prime Minister. We need confidence that the new government can get its business through the House.

But crucially, we need a sense of purpose and optimism. All my colleagues from across the political divide have been getting more and more frustrated at the grinding endlessness of Brexit.

Now is the time for optimism, renewal and a sense of common, positive endeavour.