Coming from different political traditions, Labour’s Natasa Pantelic and Conservative Claire Pearsall came together to write this article during the week marking ten years since the murder of Jo Cox MP, reflecting on Jo’s belief that we have far more in common than that which divides us and on the power of working across party lines.
Politics is about people. It’s about knowing the change you want to make to create a better world and working with people who share your vision to achieve it. This isn’t always done by working with people in your own political party alone but through cross-party working, and it happens more often than you think.
We are sometimes asked why we “do politics” and our answer is simple – it is the best way to make meaningful change to the country, and we have the privilege of working with amazing people who are just as passionate and committed as we are to public service and getting things done for the communities we live in. From the first moment we walked into Parliament, we knew we had to be there.
This week marks 10 years since the murder of Jo Cox MP on 16 June 2016, on her way to a constituency surgery to meet with local residents in Batley and Spen – a week before the EU referendum. We cannot continue writing without also mentioning that on 15 October 2021, Sir David Amess MP, was murdered at his constituency surgery in Leigh-on-Sea by an Islamist extremist.
Two politicians who often worked across the political divide, dedicated to serving their local communities with huge energy and optimism, killed while fulfilling their public duties. Their individual shields above the green benches in the House of Commons remind MPs, staff and the public of their life and legacy – they will always be remembered.
We are two people who come from different backgrounds, from the Labour and Conservative parties, and disagree on nearly everything, but we always find a way of working together to achieve common goals. This is our strength. We can’t remember exactly how we met but our relationship is important to us – we can disagree agreeably and then have a cup of tea to talk about other things afterwards! It is also a matter of trust – you have to trust people to get things done. You cannot achieve anything on your own in politics.
An important part of politics is having the ability to listen to opposing points of view without dismissing them. Understanding a different point of view is important not only for common courtesy but also for ensuring you can adequately explain, debate, and persuade others about your ideas. It makes you better at reasoning and sharpens critical thinking which prevents close mindedness.
In last week’s debate on the Legacy of Jo Cox, her sister, Kim Leadbeater MP, spoke powerfully about rebuilding respectful dialogue in our country and to strengthen our democracy, saying:
“We must rebuild respectful dialogue. We need to rediscover the ability to disagree without hatred. Democracy depends on argument, but it also depends on mutual respect. Someone who votes differently from us is not automatically ignorant, wrong, evil or beyond redemption. We must resist the temptation to caricature entire groups of people. We must challenge toxic rhetoric wherever it appears.
We have to invest in our communities. Polarisation grows when people become isolated from one another. Strong communities create empathy, because they bring different people together. Local organisations, youth groups, charities, libraries, sports clubs, faith groups and community centres—all of which we have in our constituencies—play a vital role in strengthening our social bonds. When people know each other personally, hatred becomes much harder to sustain.”
It is vital that we use Jo’s message “that we are far more united and have far more in common than that which divides us” to bring people together and to teach our young people the art of critical thinking and debate so that they have the tools to navigate a world (especially on social media) that spreads anger and hatred faster than compassion, respect and the truth.
We have serious choices to make as a country for future generations. We hope these choices will promote optimism, encourage collaboration and hope rather than hate and division.
It is on all of us, no matter who we are, to show the leadership in our local communities that this moment is calling for. As we reflect on the life and legacy of Jo Cox not just this week but in the weeks and years to come, let’s use her message to build stronger communities, a more compassionate country, and create a future to be proud of.
Natasa Pantelic has worked in politics for 20 years and is a founding member of the Labour Women’s Parliamentary Staff Network in the UK Parliament. She is a graduate of the Jo Cox Women in Leadership Programme. Natasa has worked for a number of senior Labour MPs, served in local government as a local Councillor for 15 years and is a former parliamentary candidate.
Claire Pearsall is a former Conservative Special Adviser to a Minister for Immigration who has worked in Parliament for 22 years for a number of senior Conservative politicians, served as a local Councillor for 8 years and is also a Political Commentator.