At the time of writing, we remain in the EU but by the time you read it that may not be the case. It seemed to be the most pressing issue. Then my colleague Jo Cox MP was murdered and things changed.

Sometimes the tributes paid to people overstate what they did or who they were.  That’s not the case with Jo Cox.  She really had the qualities and potential attributed to her, but above all she was a young, loving mum of two small children.

Whether the extreme language of the campaign directly contributed to the awful violence   which killed her will be mulled over in the weeks ahead.  Whether the confrontational language of politics can change when democratic debate requires a degree of difference and division, we’ll have to wait and see.  And what of social media which has created a virtual community in which people think any opinion goes? The fact that by saying that, I expect a reaction, serves my point.  

The referendum on June 23rd was always important but now it has taken on a further dimension. It is for some about the country they fear we are becoming, compared to the country we could be.  Whatever the outcome, the murder of Jo Cox has cast a long shadow over our country and over MP’s whose accessibility is at the heart of our democracy.  It may be a case of “Never glad confident morning again”