Jonathan Gibbs: It's time the country heeded the words of Jo Cox

It was devastating news that echoed around the world. That night hundreds of people came to a vigil service in Birstall Parish Church, shocked and tearful, and the next morning the world’s media were camped in the town square where a steady stream of people came to lay flowers, to reflect and to cry.

There was an immediate response from people across the different ethnic and faith communities in Jo’s constituency of Batley and Spen, with a huge turnout at the Town Hall that evening.

From the start, Jo’s words were borne out across West Yorkshire and beyond: “We are far more united and have far more in common with each other than things that divide us.” And given all that has happened since, those words have become even more true and vital for us all.

And so much has indeed happened since that day. The EU referendum went ahead a few days later, producing a narrow majority for ‘Leave’. David Cameron stepped down as Prime Minister and Theresa May was elected as leader of the Conservative Party. Later in the year Donald Trump won the US presidential election. And then last week the UK General Election produced a hung parliament.

What all these events had in common was that they came as a surprise to many, many people, especially in the media and the world of politics. The outcome in each case confounded people’s expectations, and we are now living through a time of great uncertainty as we await the start of the Brexit negotiations.

At the same time, there have been horrendous terror attacks in this country and in other parts of the world. In the Middle East, the fortunes of IS have waxed and waned, and the war in Syria has continued to wreak devastation for millions of people.

Just now it looks as though the grip of IS may be weakening in some places, but there is an increasing possibility that some of their fighters will return to their homes in the UK and in other parts of Europe. We do not know the full story behind the Manchester and London Bridge attacks, but the security services have indicated this is a threat they are taking very seriously.

Alongside all of these events, I have noticed two contradictory things. Firstly, after Jo’s death and ever since, people have come together to stand in solidarity and to refuse to give in to hate. Brendan Cox has been an amazing example to everyone in this, and his courage and dignity, together with the rest of Jo’s family, have been inspirational.

But secondly and less positively, we have continued to see, as we did in the referendum campaign, a style of political discourse that seems ready to demonise those who differ from us and that is more interested in winning votes than getting to the truth. And this is very dangerous, because it undermines trust and increases polarisation and division in our society.

What is interesting to me about the result of the General Election is that the British people seem to have got wise to this. The outcome after all apparently affirmed the decision to proceed with Brexit (given that anti-Brexit parties did not poll strongly) but at the same time there seems to be a growing consensus that some softer version of Brexit is what most people actually want. And bearing in mind the closeness of the referendum vote, that seems a fair conclusion.

Right now, to put it bluntly, we need our politicians to put their heads together and work out what the people want for our shared future and how we can get there. No one side of the argument can or should prevail – and the Great British people are telling our politicians to come up with a Great British compromise!

This weekend, up and down the country, all sorts of events will be taking place under the banner of The Great Get Together, initiated by Brendan Cox and supported by the Archbishops of Canterbury and York and other faith leaders. I will be taking part in one in Batley and Spen tomorrow. This is a grassroots way of affirming that what unites us is greater and more important than what divides us, and also a way of telling our politicians (and some of the media) that we want them to start working together for the good of all.

This is part of Jo Cox’s legacy as a passionate politician and humanitarian – because what could matter more than bringing people together to build relationships of friendship and trust that can break down barriers and form the basis for creating a better shared future for our children and grandchildren? And this is also about saying “enough is enough” to politicians on all sides and to the media of all stripes. One year on, it’s time to do things differently.

The Rt Revd Dr Jonathan Gibbs is the 
Bishop of Huddersfield in the 
Church of England Diocese of Leeds.