This might seem like an odd thing to say this week of all weeks, but I feel really positive about the future of politics and the future of the Conservative Party.
On arriving at Westminster on Monday, it was of course hard not to feel the sense of impending doom hanging over the place. As I said at the time, sitting in the tea room, it was like being at a wake but not yet knowing who the deceased was.
And yet, as the week went on, despite everything that has been said (and lots that hasn't) I kept finding more and more reasons to feel upbeat about the state of our politics and my party today.
Firstly, Parliament overall. Yes, this week we have been rocked by allegations, both serious and spurious, surrounding the actions of some of my colleagues in years gone by. But take a step back, sit on the green benches as I did this week and look around - there are so many reasons to be positive.
Today's Parliament has more women MPs than at any time in our history. We have more MPs from BME communities than ever before.
The cross section of MPs, the variety of their backgrounds has brought outstanding knowledge and expertise to debates, making our democracy stronger than ever. From former naval officers, to top lawyers, to Trade Union Shop Stewards, parliament is representing the people who elect it more and more.
Our democratically elected select committees, (unlike the newer legislature in Edinburgh), have already held serious and in depth sessions on everything from Britain's place in the world post Brexit to the future capability of our armed forces and the state of pensions, despite only having sat for a matter of weeks. My own Work and Pensions committee has already published a report on Universal Credit, recommending the DWP aims to reduce the waiting period built into it, that has been so hotly debated in Westminster in recent months.
The important All Party Parliamentary groups are growing in number and strength, and in diversity. Just this week, I was elected chair of the All Party Group on Democratic Participation, working alongside the fantastic group Bite the Ballot to see how we, as Parliamentarians, can increase participation in our politics, engagement with our politicians with particular emphasis on engaging millennials.
At our first meeting we had a presentation from Snapchat about how that platform is being used increasingly by politicians across the world to interact with a younger generation that doesn't even use Twitter or Facebook let alone buy a newspaper, but are engaged in current affairs on a level unparalleled in recent years.
And then I have to take a look at my own party. Too often this week I've heard commentators, indeed some of my own colleagues, say that it feels a lot like the 1990s: A government divided on Europe, fighting off scandal and running out of ideas. What a load of nonsense.
In the past week, Ben Bradley, newly elected MP for Mansfield, held the first meeting of the group of fresh, young Conservative MPs who will attempt to shake up the party and Parliament, and shape policies for a new generation of Conservative voters. And George Freeman’s Big Tent Ideas Festival going on tour around the country is a great new way to garner ideas and policies.
We have a strong, enthusiastic, effective and vociferous group of MPs, from Tom Tugendhat speaking out on foreign affairs, Johnny Mercer laying forth on armed forces accommodation, Kemi Badenoch speaking passionately about her journey into politics...I could go on.
The Scottish Conservative MP Group, of which I'm proud to be a member, is flexing its muscle within the party ensuring that the whole United Kingdom is considered in every aspect of government thinking. Our party leader Ruth Davidson was so rightly named Spectator Parliamentarian of the Year, continuing to win plaudits and respect while cutting across and through traditional conservative demographics to reach new or even lapsed party supporters.
Look, what has happened this week has not shown Parliament or politics at its best, far from it. Serious allegations of assault or misconduct deserve to be investigated and individuals, if guilty, punished accordingly, and I hope to see robust efforts in coming days to address areas that have been so seriously neglected.
But I passionately believe that the future is bright for the Conservative Party. It is bright for politics in general and I know that it is bright for the incredible institution we all have the honour of serving our constituents in.
Then again, I'm a Scottish Tory...being an optimist comes with the membership...