I was shocked and appalled by the tragic murder of Jo Cox yesterday. I send my condolences to her family. We have all lost a great lady who worked hard for her constituents and our wider democracy.
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I was shocked and appalled by the tragic murder of Jo Cox yesterday. I send my condolences to her family. We have all lost a great lady who worked hard for her constituents and our wider democracy.
Comments are closed.
June 17, 2016
We all share your feelings John. Luckily we don’t very often get this type of violence considering the level of discontent out there.
I’m afraid it may not be the last unless there is a sea change in the behaviour of our rulers.
Starting with Bliar and his dodgy documents and Daves non event renegotiation, the public are angry.
Yesterday Switzerland withdrew its application to join the EU. The foriegn minister saying only lunatics would want to join the EU.
Says it all really.
June 17, 2016
“Luckily we donât very often get this type of violence” – Well about two murders a week by people with mental health problems and many more violent attacks and suicides.
June 17, 2016
You seem to be assuming that the killer had a political motive although this is far from clear and even the allegation that “britain First” was shouted out is less certain than some media have been claiming.
June 17, 2016
Not a paper I read,but the headline in the Daily Star “Brexit Killer”jumped out at me as I passed my local newsstand this morning.I fully expected subtle use would be made of this tragic event but that is just appalling.
June 17, 2016
It seems that some of the European press have taken up similar lines “Brexit: campaign of blood” and many more such titles. See Breitbart London articles. The reported remarks by EU Commissioner for Migration, Dmitris Avramapoulos, may have fuelled this outburst from the press. He apparently claimed that Jo Cox MP was âmurdered for her dedication to European democracy and humanityâ…”
June 17, 2016
I agree. Whilst this tragic, shocking and desperately sad event is rare, one has to be concerned about the potential level of frustration in some parts of society, alongside Lifelogic’s questioning of the adequacy of mental health care provision. Following the shootings in the Rep Gifford case, I think there were discussions about cognitive control under frustration. I believe (guess) society will need to recognise the origin of desperate frustrations, alienation and helplessness, as well as suitable mental health provision.
June 17, 2016
So was everybody John, and it just highlights that in whatever job one choses there are risks albeit that we choose to ignore them. If you/we did not then nothing would ever get done.
A truely brave, honest and remarkable lady according to her collegues. What a terrible waste.
June 17, 2016
Polly Toynbee today:
“There are many decent people involved in the campaign to secure Britainâs withdrawal from the EU, many who respect the referendum as the exercise in democracy that it is. But there are others whose recklessness has been open and shocking. I believe they bear responsibility, not for the attack itself, but for the current mood: for the inflammatory language, for the finger-jabbing, the dogwhistling and the overt racism.”
June 17, 2016
Clearly using the mantra of never letting a crisis go to waste. This is shocking behaviour but not unexpected. There are witnesses who said that the individual said nothing when the attack took place instead of what it is claimed that he said. There is still a lot more to come out about this. A deeply distressing time for the husband and family, but is has NOTHING to do with the political arguments currently taking place in the country…… As I have said before, there are some very desperate people who will stop at nothing to ensure that we remain in the EU.
zorro
June 17, 2016
She obviously didn’t notice the way that Geldof and his chums behaved when the fisherman’s flotilla came up the Thames. Just as she previously didn’t notice Farage being hit over the head with a placard or chased off the street in Edinburgh. Nor did she notice Izzard trying to shout him down and prevent any reasoned debate on TV, or if she did then she thought it was OK. For her, and for others, all of that is just what he deserved for expressing disagreement with her world view. I have pointed out in the past that our Prime Minister could have condemned the thuggery of the extremists among those who oppose UKIP and publicly dissociated himself from the organisation most responsible, who can claim him as one of their founding signatories, but he has never done so. Instead he has himself resorted to childish, and inflammatory, abuse, indeed he was doing it only a few days ago. However I have no idea, just as she has no idea, whether any of this had any influence at all on the perpetrator of this horrible crime.
June 17, 2016
Exactly.
June 17, 2016
Well said, Denis.
June 17, 2016
I share your sentiments John.
I was also horrified that the usual suspects have tried to make political capital out of such a horrific event. Can these wretched people not just put their politics aside on occasions such as this? I despair.
June 17, 2016
The people who perhaps bear some responsibility are the people who provide such poor mental health and related public services.
The referendum is not only “an” exercise in democracy it is probably the last chance to restore any real democracy to the UK that we will get.
June 17, 2016
Polly Toynbee the great “BBC thinker” is, as usual, totally wrong on almost everything she ever utters.
The suspension of campaigning in the referendum debate does not seem to include those on the remain side who are trying to use this tragic event to their own anti-democratic, pro “remain” ends.
It is the current EU good & the rest of the world bad immigration system that is clearly overly racist Polly!
June 17, 2016
“overtly” no overly
June 17, 2016
PS ,
Other witnesses at the scene deny that anyone shouted “Britain First” .
It’s revealing that the media are taking the word of an isolated witness in preference to the others .
June 17, 2016
This is an ‘inflammatory article’. No doubt more will emerge today about what happened, and possible motive. However, I see that the witnesses who reported hearing ‘Britian first’, have now denied that. Tonynbee should be taken to ask for this; the ‘finger pointing’, personal attacks, project Fear, and even any ‘overt racism’ eg Little Englander, has come from the In Campaign.
June 17, 2016
Polly Toynbee: A lesson in how to make a connection between holders of a certain political view and a tragic killing while disclaiming what you are are doing.
June 17, 2016
Indeed Toynbee is just obnoxious.
June 17, 2016
I disagree with Polly Toynbee, who is always so quick to express her often obnoxious views, especially inappropriate in this case.
In my view, the correct response is to send sincere condolences to the family for the terrible loss they have suffered, and then maintain a dignified silence.
June 17, 2016
She doesn’t miss an opportunity does she?
June 17, 2016
No , but Polly Toynbee and Owen Jones have sold more newspapers than the rest of the columnists combined and kept that scandal rag above water .
Of course all the public money which is funneled to the Guardian via the BBC (BBC recruitment advert revenue ) helps too .
Same with most leftists organisations , they are funded by the hapless taxpayer .
June 18, 2016
Hi ‘A different Simon’
Do you have any Freedom of Information request data to support your statement, “[…] all the public money which is funneled to the Guardian via the BBC (BBC recruitment advert revenue ) […]” ?
Or is this one for either myself and/or Mr Redwood?
June 19, 2016
The BBC uses the Guardian pretty well exclusively newspaper advertisements when they recruitment .
The BBC get’s the majority of it’s money from the taxpayer .
What I said is self evident to anyone with an ounce of honesty .
I wouldn’t create unnecessary work for a public servant by submitting a frivolous freedom of information request ?
June 18, 2016
Do people actually buy the Guardian, other than when it is the only paper left are being given away for free at Universities, Waitrose and at Airports?
June 17, 2016
Sadly the Avaaz petition group is bringing the late Jo Cox’s EU Remain position into the fray as well.
June 17, 2016
How low can Polly Toynbee sink?
RIP Jo Cox
June 17, 2016
Roy
Maybe if politicians didn’t call lots of voters ‘ swivel eyed loonies’ they wouldn’t ferment the anger you talked about within the country
Also hope that the religion of peace don’t spot a new soft target base as well.
June 18, 2016
Indeed.
June 18, 2016
Swivel-eyed loonies, little Englanders, quitters, Nigel Farage to rhyme with garge ……… David Cameron.
June 17, 2016
I’ve just read Polly Toynbee’s article containing the above on the Guardian website and would like to borrow its closing sentence to describe the way Toynbee has sought to pervert the tragic killing of Jo Cox into an excuse to criticise the Brexit side – “One can register shock at what has happened, but not complete surprise.”
June 17, 2016
A terribly sad event. I’m sure others commenting here will remember that a man has been arrested and the rules governing contempt of court now apply.
This is a good time to remember that political violence is very rare in Britain. I’m sorry to see that internet commenters elsewhere (not on Mr Redwood’s blog, needless to say) have seized on this tragedy to make inflammatory remarks pretending to link Brexit with violence. I hope that sort of hysteria will be repudiated on all sides when campaigning restarts.
June 17, 2016
Remain are using it, quite subtly, but to the full. I doubt they will repudiate it they have shown little morality in the battle so far.
June 17, 2016
âquite subtlyâ â
A female writer (I forget her name) in todaysâ Metro is full of sympathy about the horrific event but starts one paragraph by saying that Jo was killed BECAUSE she was an MP, (evidence please!), and finishes by saying that we should not politicise the event. She seems so unaware that she IS politicising the event – or is she REALLY so unaware?!
June 17, 2016
Yes it is notable that the type of commentators who insist we must not judge all Islamic followers by the actions of a deluded minority are quite happy to seize on the opportunity to sit in judgement of an entire demographic based on a single action.
Hypocrisy abounds among this ilk.
June 17, 2016
As a mark of respect and in recognition to what Jo was all about could it not be possible to have a by election where only one party stands?
I cannot really see what is to be gained in contesting a seat where the incumbent has died in such horrendous circumstances.
June 17, 2016
What would be lost would be respect for democracy, the right of the constituency to have some choice in their representation.
June 17, 2016
Jo Cox believed in democracy – the seat should be contested and her constituents should decide who they want to represent them.
June 17, 2016
Her constituents wanted a Labour representative. As tribute to Ms Cox they should HAVE a Labour representative.
The Conservatives are right not to oppose.
June 17, 2016
Not all of her constituents voted for her and many will have voted for her, not her political party.
June 17, 2016
Nonsense they should stand & oppose the daft ideas of Corbyn’s Labour and the politic of envy at every turn. Alas Cameron and Osborne are essentially Libdems/Labour light anyway.
Labour will clearly win there anyway. It is idiotic of Cameron not to put a candidate forwards and an insult to the Tory voters there.
June 17, 2016
Not necessarily. If the MP was elected on certain commitments and has been actively campaigning against the wishes of the voters who elected her then a proper contest should be fought.
June 18, 2016
Jo Cox believed in democracy – well except that she wanted to give up the UK’s democracy to the anti-democratic EU.
June 17, 2016
No thanks.
Democracy is far more important, as we will hopefully see in the referendum result.
But Labour will surely win very comfortably anyway.
June 17, 2016
Cameron has gone along with your suggestion. Thus depriving the voters of any choice. Rather typical of the man, Listening to voters was never high on his priorities, “cast iron”, “no if no buts” lying and deceiving them just before elections and referendums is far more his style.
The remain side and the BBC are working and spinning this tragedy as much as they can, it is showing in the betting odds. It would be terrible for Great Britain if the result of this awful tragedy is the final death of UK democracy.
June 17, 2016
It’s a mark of respect. I applaud Cameron for this. There would be no by-election but for this tragic event. If it was allowed to change things, it is opening the door to any thug to murder an MP to get a by-election, to agree with their point of view. Perhaps a little more thought before posting would be in order.
June 17, 2016
Cameron is perfectly entitled to make a mark of respect personally but he is not entitled to deprive the voters their of a vote. They might have their own different ideas of how to pay their respects.
Anyway Labour might select someone dreadful to replace her, Given Corbyn they probably will.
June 17, 2016
They will still have the choice to vote or not vote, the latter having become an increasingly popular choice in recent years. I think this is the right decision and hope that all other parties, and individuals, agree to follow suit.
June 18, 2016
What is the point on voting when there is only one candidate? Surely the candidate can just vote for himself and wins with one vote!
June 18, 2016
I would normally be uncomfortable with an unopposed election but not in this most unusual and tragic situation.
As well as being the respectful thing to do, if the Conservatives put up a candidate and fought the seat properly, they would be seen as arguing over the poor woman’s grave. A PR disaster if ever there was one. The outcome would be a foregone conclusion anyway.
Best to allow the seat to stay with Labour. Perhaps Mr Cox will be the candidate ?
Reply I think it is a good gesture of the main parties to stand aside, as the intentions of the electors in May 2015 have been tragically overturned. This is a new development, as parties fought by elections created by the murders of Conservative MPs in the past.
June 17, 2016
Indeed it was an appalling tradgedy and she seemed to be a well meaning and dedicated MP.
There are however about 100 people each year (or two each week) murdered by people with mental health problems and many more seriously injured. She is very far from alone. Mental health problems that are rarely dealt with competently by the NHS or the other state sector services. They are usually just pushed from pilar to post by the “public services” who are meant to help them and protect the public. Often until the next violent attack, murder or suicide. We see this time and time again. Perhaps it will focus MP’s attention on these very many, lower profile, but daily tragedies.
June 17, 2016
Perhaps given these figures we need to look again at The Mental Health (Patients in the Community) Act 1995. Brought in while John Major was PM. We should perhaps bear in mind that the state sector will so often do the minimum they can get away with and often leave the resultant damage & tragedies thus caused for others to cope with.
June 17, 2016
Having sat opposite a man who was clearly agitated and off his head on the tube for half an hour recently, I know how MPs and others feel when confronted with a severely mentally ill person who the psychiatric profession thinks a better catered for by not sectioning and relying on self- medication.
This has been going on for years and it is not just down to money for beds. It is policy and the new way of looking at mental illness since closing the equally dreadful asylums. There have been recent murders in London where the persons involved had been recommended for Broadmoor and known to security services but left free to kill.
I personally know of 2 persons in West Yorkshire who have received no diagnosis for help with obvious mild autismfor 35 years and another who has a record of delusion and last time I looked had a job as an advisor for their mental health dept.
These incidents are likely to continue. MPswould be well advised to keep a taser or other disabling appliance in their surgeries and to carry a good pointed walking stick.
June 17, 2016
Insanity does not favour any political or religious divide. During the referendum the participants on both sides would be well advised to keep themselves out of harms way by keeping company and some sort of defence.
June 17, 2016
I had two elderly neighbours in Highgate who were stabbed to death one morning in Highgate by a schizophrenic who had also murdered two other people.
Needless to say there was another “damning report”.
June 17, 2016
I also feel totally shocked and numb after this appalling act. The statement by her husband afterwards was so dignified and touching that it made me well up.
Whatever the motive of the assailant, violent attacks on our representatives are an attack on all who believe in democracy. Feelings generally are running high as we approach the 23rd. Maybe we all need to take a step back and think about how we relate to each other in political debate, and what sort of society we want for the future.
June 17, 2016
I want a free, prosperous & democratic society please. Not one of EU serfdom please.
June 17, 2016
Jo Cox established a reputation for herself in a short period of time ; she was an example of dedication and straightforwardness . Hate carried to a point of violence has no place in the world today ; I think it is a tragedy for her family .
June 17, 2016
I am sickened by this.
RIP
June 17, 2016
Today is not the day to write or reply to ‘politics’ comments, it is enough to just say how shocked and appalled I am by the events of yesterday, my heart goes out to her family.
June 17, 2016
Being from a family that has suffered a similar tragedy of a defenceless young woman brutally murdered by a madman, I find it very easy to sympathise with the family of Jo Cox in their tragic loss. Although, predictably, some politicans and newspapers have sunk so low as attempt to make political capital out of this heinous crime by attributing it to the Leave campaign, there can be little doubt that the killer’s mental state and the concept of ‘care in the comunity’ lie at the heart of this event. The quality of mental health care in this country is entirely inadequate and many psychiatrists are simply unable to make a correct diagnosis and to offer the necessary protection to the public from people who are in effect ticking time bombs.
June 17, 2016
As a footnote, I searched for data about the killer of Swedish politician Anna Lindh; the article I found together with a wiki link might also provide clues:
“Anna Lindh killer breaks silence over murder”
Psychotropic drugs can induce behaviours in vunerable individuals to act to self-harm or harm others and yet again the psychiatric profession simply shrugs their shoulders when this happens, this quite apart from those drugs that actually suspend such violent behaviour during ‘care in the community’ except when self-administration is curtailed.
June 17, 2016
Despite there being no firm evidence that this crime is linked to the EU referendum , the Brexit movement is now being depicted over Europe as a terrorist movement and “far right” .
This could literally be the killer blow for the remainers .
I don’t believe in coincidences .
June 17, 2016
Indeed, this MP worked for Oxfam previously and was a critic of the Israeli government and supporter of the Palestinian cause.
zorro
June 17, 2016
I am not sure. I suspect it will just entrench already firm positions on either side of the Referendum. Both sides will now be even more adamant that they are right.
June 17, 2016
Similar to what Trump has said about the USA..mental health issues that must be fixed. And that was again on the topic of guns!
A truly terrible thing to happen….
June 17, 2016
Indeed, as has been previously stated thankfully political violence is rare in the UK but this apparently had a mental health implication on the part of the perpetrator.
Shocking that this could happen to someone just for doing her job in the way she was elected to do, my thoughts are with Jo’s family.
June 17, 2016
When feelings run high , it is the mentally unstable who do harm to others. What a sad day for Jo Cox’s family . I hope the hurt lessens in time and the children are ” bathed in love” as Jo would have wanted
June 17, 2016
Our thoughts must be with her husband and two lovely children. How they can come to terms with this, I cannot imagine. Bless them all.
Unfortunately violence is a poison in society which seems to be surfacing again, as in France at the football and the endless killings in America due to gun law.
No doubt there will be a knee jerk reaction and calls for ‘action’, but realistically, no-one can guard against a lone operator whether that person has some grudge or even mental illness.
Polly Toynbee, trying to link the Brexit Campaign with this foul deed is contemptible, but not unexpected from that quarter. Truly her paper is a filthy rag
June 17, 2016
Polly Toynbee will succeed. This unfortunate event may well set the tenor for the remainder of the referendum. The important undecideds will be decideds now.
June 17, 2016
A terrible incident. My heart goes out to her, her husband and children and all friends and family at this time.
RIP Jo Cox MP
June 17, 2016
Sad indeed and our thoughts go out to her family and friends.
I am heartened that there has been a ceasefire on the referendum debate but saddened that it seems it is only Leave that are observing it.
Just been hearing James O’Brien on LBC saying that all the nastiness and scaremongering over immigration from the Leave side could have been the straw that broke the camel’s back and could well have pushed her killer over the edge.
Apart from being utter garbage it does appear that some are using this tragic incident to push their agenda . Utterly despicable !
June 17, 2016
I’m thinking of abstaining from voting in the referendum.
I think it would be disrespectful for anyone to participate in it since I don’t believe that it will be a fair election. I don’t think it is possible for the Brexit campaign to have any chance of success since everything will be overshadowed by this murder. What’s more, I think it _should_ be overshadowed by this murder.
Reply It is most important that democracy flourishes, whatever atrocities are hurled at it. When the IRA tried to blow up the Cabinet at Brighton we decided the Conference had to continue to show that people cannot kill democracy. I support the two campaigns showing respect today, but want there to be a free and full vote next Thursday.
June 17, 2016
Millions of people died in two World Wars to give you the right to have a say on the future of (presumably) your home country and yet you are so easily swayed it reflects so poorly on you and your crocodile tears – however tragic the event is.
June 17, 2016
Hear hear – Cui bono?
zorro
June 17, 2016
gyges01 – I fear yours will be a common sentiment. It is the wrong one, however.
June 17, 2016
thanks for the reply.
G
June 18, 2016
And still it goes on.
Now I understand parliament is to be recalled on Monday. What will we hear I wonder? More ‘outpouring of grief’ more exaggerated expressions of sadness, of compassion, the rightness of her cause and so on, and will the PM with others attempt to blame the act on the words and actions of the Brexit supporters as being in some cases inflammatory. We know, but don’t like to say, that so much of it will be false.
It would be the height of hypocrisy but I wouldn’t put it beyond him nor would it surprise me if he repeated the inference that the killer was perhaps part of some shady right-wing group. I dare say there will be lots of puffing up on the part of some individuals.
Prime Minister’s questions on a Wednesday has for months started with some expression of sympathy on the death of one or more individuals or solidarity with some unfortunate event on the other side of the world. It has been clear on more than one occasion that the PM has been previously largely ignorant of more than one, yet the ritual charade continues. Sentimentalism and false emotion is getting out of hand, and it will eventually become meaningless if it continues.
It won’t be long before he is lamenting the death of someone’s cat.
Yesterday we had the sight of political leaders carrying identical bunches of flowers held in an identical way walking in a line along the street in Birstall. Clearly a rehearsed and media staged event, not a ha’porth of natural behaviour and we had of course the trite speeches, all of them playing politics. They reminded me of members of the politbureau in the old Soviet Union shedding political tears at some event or another.
I would have more respect for people if they turned up as individuals to pay their respects without the attention of the mass media – maybe being pictured only by a local reporter. In such a case I might think they genuinely cared.
June 18, 2016
It’s not hypocrisy. Jo Cox was on the other side of the EU argument to most contributors on this blog. Including me. But we all have friends, relatives and work colleagues who are also on the other side and may even be in different political parties.
We argue our cause and and, in the end, we accept the democratic verdict.
Our disagreements can always be put aside at times of crisis. I didn’t know Jo Cox but it is natural to feel a sense of intense sadness at her loss. For those who did know her it is even more natural. There has been a few misguided comments from some journalists who have sought to politicise the tragedy, but from what I have heard, politicians from all parties have all been careful to avoid this.
June 18, 2016
I was not entirely comfortable to read that the Union Flag was lowered to half mast above Buckingham Palace. I was under the impression that was only done for Royalty. I wonder who was behind that idea.
June 18, 2016
It would be a good idea if someone studied the psychological effects of years and years of continuous mass immigration on sensitive and vulnerable people, especially those living on their own. A slow motion invasion is going to have a primeval influence isn’t it, just as a quick one would? People will still have instincts to protect their territory but know they aren’t allowed to, so where do the feelings go?
Overcrowding in rats has long been studied, and its effect on behaviour, so why not study humans?
But mental illness is the Cinderella in our health system; and serious and responsible discussion of the effects of mass immigration on the native people as opposed to the GDP is verboten, so it probably won’t happen.