The short, but meaningful, life of Jo Cox

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Tributes have been laid out for Jo Cox (AFP)

How inspired of The Independent to publish the maiden speech of Jo Cox, the much-loved MP who was brutally shot down in her Yorkshire constituency yesterday. In its wit and stylish grasp of the occasion, we learned two things; firstly, what a delightfully engaging personality she must have been and secondly, here was a woman of actual, not merely potential importance.

The great outpouring of yesterday’s tributes told us with unquestioned sincerity, what a truly remarkable woman she was. But, her maiden speech does more; it presents a clear, if unwitting sense of “this is who I am.” Most maiden speeches in Parliament either overdo the humility with Hon members wriggling in their seats. Or they’re too clever by half to be politely tolerated rather than listened too. But this self-styled Yorkshire lass “born and bred” chose neither of the options: she hit the ground running.

Well-informed yet good humoured; self-assured, but with a touch of the gravitas required, she laid down a marker of an eager, energetic young politician who intended to do something of value in this world, and you’d better believe it! As we read the speech, and measure her deeds against her words, Jo Cox had clearly made a hugely important start towards achieving it.

Donald Zec
London

The shocking killing of the MP Jo Cox, reminded me of the well-known saying attributed to Clare Boothe Luce – “No good deed goes unpunished”.

Barbara MacArthur
Cardiff

The death of Jo Cox is a terrible tragedy: someone who was elected for the right reasons to help make the world a better place. She was not alone in that ambition amongst MPs. It has been one of the more nauseating elements of the last 24 hours to hear so many media outlets – that have spent the last few years encouraging an atmosphere of contempt for MPs – shedding crocodile tears over this tragedy.

Jo supported the Syrian refugees, was a positive voice on migration (a rarity indeed) and backed remain in Europe. She was about an open diverse society, the exact opposite of those who feed on the insecurity of many and the encouragement of a distrust of the other. The best epitaph to Jo Cox would be to continue to promote that vision of an open diverse society, whilst facing down those who seek to divide us against each other.

Paul Donovan
Wanstead, London

Tragedy strikes down a politician who all sides recognised as someone who sought only to help people, whether they were here in the UK or elsewhere in our troubled world. Yet other politicians with less noble ambitions have been dominating the public consciousness of late. They cannot be blamed for the workings of a perpetrator’s troubled mind, but neither they nor the divisive process of a referendum have helped.

The atmosphere created by those who would wring power from discord has drawn out the worst in many. Having lost one of the best examples of those who would serve us, those leading politicians who have become more celebrities than public servants, should reflect on what damage can be done through playing with exaggerated grievance.

Keith Howell
West Linton

Please accept my family's and my condolences to Jo Cox's family, the Labour Party and humanity. It is a great loss to whole of humanity.​

It is illegal to own weapons in our country and the police need to come down heavy on anyone who owns any weapons. In the past the police used to offer an amnesty to anyone who hands in their weapons. I have not heard on the media that they have done it lately.

H. Sharma
Ormskirk

I'd not heard of her till now. But, Labour though she represented, Jo Cox's murder has hit me hard. Leaving aside that she was a woman, a mother of two, and popular on both sides of the House - she was an MP, she was in her home town, and she was doing her job.

We elect an MP because they're our representative in Parliament. In so doing we elevate them to a rank above ourselves - by selection and election they are found "special".

To me there's something extra cruel to be murdered in the place where you were born, and to be struck down as you're working with those who have placed their trust in you to help them. You've not offended, you're just doing your job. And out of the blue...

It's these three things that make me so angry. A good kind woman, by all accounts, doing her job, doing it well, passionate about her causes and beliefs. For anyone to take on a constituency encompassing the economically hard-pressed towns of Batley, Heckmondwike and Cleckheaton, takes courage and commitment. And again, her constituents hadn't a bad word for her. She would probably have gone very far in Parliament.

My sadness is with her family, but it's also with her constituents, who are bereft of an MP who really seemed set on improving their lot. How exposed they must feel.

But who am I kidding? Put bluntly, I'm shocked to my core and angered by the murder of an intelligent, compassionate, popular, respected young woman and mother who was an MP. And for seemingly no motive at all. I don't understand why. And that frightens and angers me.

Allan Friswell
Cowling

If the killing of Jo Cox was a political assassination, can all politicians of all sides recognise that the shrill voices insulting and dismissing each other and anyone who disagrees with them is stoking fear and hatred?

Migrants who I call friends, who have lived here for many years, are scared by the ugly "debate" that we are having.

Although the last time I debated it didn't consist of spending all of the time shouting other down and trying to call each other liars without actually using the word?

It is beholden on us all to recognise that the example set here is that if we ignore each other's views and disrespect anyone who is not for us, we follow the path of dictatorships not democracies.

The example of Trump in the U.S. and our own politicians in the UK Brexit and Scottish independence referendums, is encouraging those who are more extreme in their views – in being encouraged and enraged they will feel emboldened to impose their views.

We do not know why Jo Cox was murdered but I truly hope that it was not a result of this scenario. But in any case we all need to disarm the Brexit nonsense and engage in a proper debate where both sides listen to each other and respond in kind.

John Sinclair
Pocklington