He was just trying to help.
Sir David Amess died doing what he had been doing for 38 years – giving up his time in the service of a community he loved completely. Constituency surgeries are the coalface of an MP’s work, and one of the reasons British politicians get to meet a far wider range of people than most of those who accuse them of being ‘out of touch’.
The immediate focus has rightly been on safety. It’s chastening that five years after Jo Cox’s murder, the Home Secretary and the Speaker of the Commons are once more having to review arrangements for members. Though it is commendable that so many MPs have said they want to carry on face-to-face meetings, few could begrudge those who would prefer not to for the time being.
Given that a suspect, Ali Harbi Ali, is being held under the Terrorism Act, attention will now focus on the systems we have for monitoring potential extremist activity, as well as the immediate question of security for politicians. And while reflections on the general atmosphere of our politics are understandable, this attack may prove to have been the product of an ideology that needs no excuse to inflict violence for its own sake.
Whatever the motive for this outrageous attack, however, the volume and intensity of threats faced by parliamentarians are a grim undercurrent to our politics that doesn’t get nearly enough attention. MPs aren’t perfect – who is? – but the opprobrium heaped on them is completely out of kilter with the work they do on behalf of others, often with little recognition.
Friday’s events are also a reminder not to take for granted how accessible MPs are, especially compared to politicians in many other countries where there may not even be a link between parliamentary representatives and a particular constituency. There is clearly a balance to strike between safety and openness, but preserving that connection is vital.
With all that said, it would be a great shame if his senselessly brutal death overshadowed the many positive lessons of Sir David’s life. In the great outpouring of tributes, what hits home is not just the depth, breadth and sincerity of people’s affection, but the sheer number of causes Sir David campaigned for and the lives he endeavoured to improve – from helping disabled children, to speaking up for women with endometriosis, to promoting democracy in Iran to his ceaseless work on animal welfare.
‘Decent’, ‘lovely’, ‘funny’, ‘kind’ and ‘courteous’ are descriptions countless colleagues have used, but what really struck me was how thoroughly unpartisan Sir David’s approach to politics was. That wasn’t because of a lack of political conviction – he was a right-wing social conservative and proud of it – but because here was a politician who didn’t let something as trivial as a difference of opinion get in the way of friendship or advancing the causes he cared about. His was an ecumenical approach in every sense: a devout Catholic whose death has robbed both the Muslim and Jewish communities of an unswerving friend.
In the Jewish tradition, it’s customary to greet a person’s death by saying ‘may his memory be a blessing’. The many people who knew and loved Sir David can take some solace from the fact that his life really was a blessing, one which he bestowed unstintingly on others.
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