With Brexit, and I think the extraordinary strain it's put on our constitution and our representative democracy, I do sometimes feel like I'm in the middle of the 17th Century, when you are standing up for the rights of Parliament.
I won't pretend that being booted out the cabinet wasn't painful.
Every child is entitled to an academic education. But resilience, stickability, self-esteem - they need these things, too, and even more than the privately educated.
For a young person who is perhaps thinking about coming out or is unsure of their sexuality - being called names is something that will mean that they won't want to go to school.
Conservative politics are about pragmatism, realism and stability.
I'm not sure a pain-free Brexit is possible.
Many Conservatives believe that our conference needs to show the Conservatives retain a reputation for competence, a strong commitment to market economics and how that benefits everyone, and how Brexit is not going to drag us to a point where a Corbyn-led government becomes a reality.
The risk of reputational damage, causing good female talent to decline to work for a firm based on its disclosure, is the strongest reason for firms to address their gender pay gap.
One of the things I have found is that everyone has a view on education.
I don't want my son to grow up in a Britain that puts a limit on his ambition; I want him to be free to join thousands of British students, studying at colleges and universities in Germany, France and the rest of Europe.
Divides between north and south, towns and cities, between urban and rural areas, cause people to experience a gulf in quality of life and future prospects.
I firmly believe that my dual roles as secretary of state for education and minister for women and equalities are closely linked. Never is this more apparent than when tackling the gender pay gap.
I don't think many women would disagree that it's a good thing that under E.U. law a British woman who becomes pregnant while working in Europe can't be discriminated against.
I would argue that in terms of our country's international profile, Brexit is just as significant a development as any military engagement.
It is well known that men will apply for a job they are half qualified for, but women do not apply unless they meet every requirement. We want to see girls have equal levels of confidence and take the necessary leaps and risks.
I've been very clear that childcare is a parents' issue. Men need to be confident that they can have a conversation with their bosses about the need to work flexibly, as I hope women are.
Any negotiation involves compromise and no one will get everything they want.
We need to encourage girls, while they are at school, to know that no career path is closed to them, and to take pride in having ambitions.
Whether it's in health and education, or the quality of local infrastructure, there's no doubt that a chasm exists between various parts of the U.K.
As chair of the Treasury Select Committee I hear time and time again just how important E.U. citizens are to the financial services sector. It is also apparent just how critical they are for our NHS too.
