17/06/16

[Maik]

Jo Cox MP death: David Cameron and Jeremy Corbyn unite in tributes

David Cameron and Jeremy Corbyn have united to condemn the killing of MP Jo Cox as an "attack on democracy".

Speaking alongside the prime minister in Mrs Cox's West Yorkshire constituency, Labour leader Mr Corbyn said Parliament would be recalled on Monday, and labelled the attack "an act of hatred".

Mrs Cox, 41, was shot and stabbed in the street as she headed to a scheduled constituency surgery on Thursday.

A 52-year-old man has been arrested.

The visit came as the Conservatives, Lib Dems and UKIP all announced they would not contest the by-election resulting from her death.

Vote Leave and Remain have both suspended campaigning in the EU referendum in light of the attack.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-36560895

[TonyD]

... as the Conservatives, Lib Dems and UKIP all announced they would not contest the by-election resulting from her death.

Vote Leave and Remain have both suspended campaigning in the EU referendum in light of the attack.

What am I missing here? Why has the act of a nutter resulted in these two announcements?

What, the seat will never, ever be contested again?

And, what's the link to the Euro Referendum, which we've repeatedly been told is "the biggest decision we'll make in our lives"
Allegedly_we have the capacity to wreck world economies, and start new world wars.
Except now, it's no longer that important anyway. Apparently.

[TonyKath]

... as the Conservatives, Lib Dems and UKIP all announced they would not contest the by-election resulting from her death.

Vote Leave and Remain have both suspended campaigning in the EU referendum in light of the attack.

What am I missing here? Why has the act of a nutter resulted in these two announcements?

What, the seat will never, ever be contested again?

And, what's the link to the Euro Referendum, which we've repeatedly been told is "the biggest decision we'll make in our lives"
Allegedly_we have the capacity to wreck world economies, and start new world wars.
Except now, it's no longer that important anyway. Apparently.

The point is all about supporting democracy.  Instead of killing Jo Cox outside her constituency surgery Thomas Mair could have gone in and argued for his views on "Put Britain First".  He could have campaigned against her and could have issued leaflets and done all the usual things allowed by law under a free liberal democracy.  He chose to brutally murder her in the middle of a public street in the middle of the day with scores of people round.  In this country MPs are open to their constituents in a way not available in many countries.  The risk is that by doing this Mair may reduce the democratic process by restricting the chance of ordinary people to meet their elected representatives and ask for assistance against central and local government bureaucracy or to lobby for particular actions or policies. 

Whatever we may think about the way it has been argued, the referendum is democratic process.  I presume, possibly wrongly, that Mair's "Britain First" is an intervention in the referendum, which both sides have condemned.  Quite possibly Mair's action was moderated to a lesser or greater degree by his mental health, which needs to be tested in a criminal trial.  By suspending the campaigning for a couple of days politicians on both sides are clearly showing that murder cannot be allowed to be a political tool.  If Mair really wanted to put Britain first he would not have acted in a way typical of a country like, say, Colombia.  The referendum decision still has to be taken and some of us are glad there is now less than a week to go!  The gloves will be well and truly off again from tomorrow and both sides will be making their final pleas to us the voters/blasting us with their lies, depending on your point of view.

I applaud all the parties for not contesting the election to find Jo's successor.  Murder is also not a method for deselecting party candidates nor for gaining political advantage.  Of course the seat will be contested at the next normally occasioned election.

Tony

[TonyD]

Good points Tony, but just reinforce my concern, by giving tacit political creedence to an abhorrent murder by an obviously deranged individual.