“๐๐ฆ ๐ข๐ณ๐ฆ ๐ง๐ข๐ณ ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ณ๐ฆ ๐ถ๐ฏ๐ช๐ต๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ฉ๐ข๐ท๐ฆ ๐ง๐ข๐ณ ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ณ๐ฆ ๐ช๐ฏ ๐ค๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฏ ๐ธ๐ช๐ต๐ฉ ๐ฆ๐ข๐ค๐ฉ ๐ฐ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ณ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ข๐ฏ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ๐ด ๐ต๐ฉ๐ข๐ต ๐ฅ๐ช๐ท๐ช๐ฅ๐ฆ ๐ถ๐ด.”
Ten years ago today, Jo Cox was taken from us in an act of far right hatred that shocked the country.
But Jo’s legacy was never going to be defined by the person who murdered her. It would be defined by the values she lived by: kindness, decency, public service and a belief that our differences should never stop us seeing each other as neighbours.
In the House of Commons last week, it was a privilege to speak about how relevant Jo’s message feels today. We also remembered David Amess who was killed by an Islamic extremist during his advice surgery. At a time when division is amplified, outrage is rewarded and too many people are encouraged to fear one another, her words still challenge us to do better.
This year also marks 25 years since the Oldham riots. Those of us who lived through that period remember the damage caused by division and the toxic politics that sought to pit communities against one another. Jo understood that there is always a different path; one built on respect, understanding and finding common ground – where community cohesion is not a passive act.
Strong communities don’t happen by accident but they are built when people listen, reach out and choose unity over division, even when they disagree. In fact sometimes it is good to disagree too, politics would be boring if we all had the same views. The key is mutual tolerance, understanding and respect rather than every issue however small becoming a point of hostility.
Ten years on, the best way to honour Jo is not just to remember her words, but to live by them.
Jim McMahon OBE MP 