Sir David’s kindness must transcend this barbarity
SIR David Amess was a man who was known for his kindness, passion for causes from animal rights to Brexit, patriotism, love for his Southend West constituency and, maybe most of all, the beaming smile that he brought to everything he did.
His cold-blooded murder has robbed Southend of a champion, his family of a much-loved father and husband, and Parliament of the very sort of dedicated MP who makes our democracy work.
Like his colleagues across the political divide, this newspaper sends his family and friends our deepest condolences.
He was a great friend to the Daily Express and its readers. He shared in many of our causes and crusades and was never shy of expressing an opinion on issues of the day.
His natural warmth and contagious optimism will be missed in the Commons chamber and elsewhere.
This appalling crime has again brought back memories of the awful murder of Labour’s Jo Cox in 2016. We should also remember the attempt in 2010 to kill Labour’s Stephen Timms, who was also stabbed.
And it was just four years ago that a terrorist killed five people including police officer Keith Palmer in an attempt to attack the Mother of Parliaments.
Sir David’s stabbing should be seen in this context. It is not just a human story and loss but an assault on our democracy.
Just like Jo Cox and Stephen Timms, Sir David was attacked while doing one of his most important duties as an MP. All three were meeting the members of the public they served and who elected them.
The death of another MP in these circumstances will inevitably raise important questions about security.After all, this month former Conservative leader Iain Duncan Smith was assaulted in the street at the Tory conference in Manchester.
We cannot have a situation where MPs carrying out their most important of duties are risking their lives. On the other hand, the openness and accessibility of our democracy is one of its strengths and must not be lost. If it is, the murderers have won.
So, while changes may be necessary, they need careful consideration and must be balanced. However, one change that must happen is a removal of the toxic language in politics. Nowhere is this more true than on social media platforms like Twitter.
More than that, perhaps some political commentators and MPs themselves need to consider their language.
Disagreement over ideas and policies are one thing, dehumanising attacks another. Violence has no place in our democracy. Let us hope that this tragic incident may be a point where, as a society, we take stock of what is going on with political discourse and collectively learn to follow the kindness that characterised Sir David.