The sister of murdered UK MP Jo Cox has said the attack on Australian MP Dr Helen Haines could be a moment for Australia to “find common ground” and change the way politics is practised in this country.
Cox was killed in 2016, shot and stabbed by a far-right extremist outside a library as she prepared to meet with constituents.
Her sister, Kim Leadbeater, is now the MP for the electorate her late sister held.
“Maybe for Australia this is your moment to think about what your politics looks like and how we can bring people together [and] find common ground,” she told the ABC’s 7:30.
“That was something my sister was brilliant at and I would imagine it’s something Helen is good at.
“I am devastated for Helen and for her family, her friends, her colleagues, her staff, that I am probably one of the few people, I suppose, that can understand a little bit of what they’re going through.”
Leadbeater said it was frustrating that the tenor and tone of UK politics had not changed in the decade since her sister’s death.
“I find it really frustrating that we’re having the same conversation and every time something so horrific happens.”
Leadbeater said while political debate should be robust, she said the deterioration of public debate towards coarseness and personal attacks, was part of a broader societal trend.
“Things don’t happen in a vacuum and horrendous attacks and incidents like this don’t happen in isolation,” she said.
“They are part of a wider culture around politics and society [and] we all have a role to play in that.”
Source: www.theguardian.com
