The following is from Stroud MP David Drew's weekly column.

There’s no doubt that we are living through extraordinary times and Brexit has seen passions run high.

I see evidence of that in my own email inbox, which has become a barometer of these fraught political disagreements.

Of course, MPs are here to listen, and it’s only by hearing the experiences and priorities of constituents that I can best represent them.

Normally I aim to respond to every email personally - but recently I have been receiving between 300 to 400 emails a day, and some days considerably more.

I value your personal experiences and insights and remember too, that by long-established convention, MPs usually only correspond with their own constituents, so please include your postal address in emails to me.

Of course, we live in an era where communication is multi-channelled via Facebook discussions, Twitter, Instagram and of course email.

I use all of these platforms positively both to share my work at Westminster and to hear from you. They can generate dialogue, opportunities to share local creativity and enterprise and connect the many not just the few. But they can sometimes dehumanise conversations between strangers. While I have been lucky enough to avoid it, many colleagues in parliament in all parties face regular online abuse. In my view the best way of understanding each other remains talking face to face. The demands of the parliamentary timetable make that a challenge, but one we have been trying to overcome through our Café Politics and Pub Politics sessions held in small venues around our beautiful constituency.

While strongly held views are the driver of political energy, we all need to also find a way forward which rebuilds division. Talking to each other will be a place to start.