Tagged with Jo Cox

Jo Cox murder: the omnipresent danger of fascism

danger of fascismHe says his name is death to traitors, freedom for Britain. But Tommy Mair might as well have called himself a ticking time bomb, and the obvious question is why he exploded now.

The alleged murderer of Labour MP Jo Cox has a track record of mental health problems. But despite the flood of instant speculation on social media, it would be facile to pronounce on the extent to which this was a causal factor until we have a proper diagnosis from competent psychiatrists.

If this does prove a salient aspect of the killing, socialists should not forget the humanism that underpins our value system. Despite the gravity of what Mair did, the best course would in that case be treatment in a secure facility rather than imprisonment. Continue reading →

Staring into the abyss

jo coxSometimes the rush of the commenentariat to express opinions about contemporary events can seem cynical and ill considered. But I was impressed by two articles which must have been written as almost instant reactions to the tragic murder of Jo Cox, one by Alex Massie in the Spectator and one by Polly Toynbee in the Guardian. I felt that both writers spoke for me in expressing what I was thinking myself.

The mainstream Brexit referendum campaign has been fought on the ground of immigration and hostility to foreigners. Demagogues from the right and centre right have unleashed the crudest and basest of emotions in a cynical and irresponsible pitch to get their vote out. Continue reading →