Stab to democracy: who was Sir David Amess, killed by an Islamic extremist
For all those engaged in serving the community, in any form and at any level, the news of the events that took place in Leigh-on-Sea on October 15 that led to the death of Sir David Amess was devastating.
It was not a sophisticated plan put in place by a group of extremists, perhaps with the buildings of Westminster as a target. Rather than the action of a single man, only in the infamous belief that such an act could somehow belong to our Western society. And for that, shocking.
The hateful gesture of a deranged man who Scotland Yard later identified as a man of Somali origin and of Islamic religion, is a blow to the heart of democracy. Not only for the fact that it happened in England – "mother of all parliaments" ergo of parliamentary democracy in the modern sense of the term – but above all because it struck at the height of the democratic life of a country: the representative who is confronted with the members of the community he represents (and let it be clear, not only with his constituents).
Without filters, without escorts, citizen and representative in an almost cathartic moment of confrontation, to dialogue, to explain, for the good of the community.
During my time in the Conservative Party I have never had the pleasure of meeting Sir David in person. Having read the writings and followed the interviews, we had many things in common. Admiration of Margaret Thatcher, with whom he has served in Parliament since 1983. The humble origins, both coming from the working class , even if from different countries. The belief of being able to contribute to the improvement of society, and the importance of motivating each person to pursue and achieve their aspirations.
And then the values. A great supporter of individual freedoms – very cautious and at times critical of lockdowns , the obligation of masks, vaccination passports – and of great battles for animal rights and attention to the environment.
Married with five children, Sir David's ethical and moral conduct during his 38-year stay in Westminster has been immune from the public and private shocks that characterize the lives of many politicians. Despite being esteemed, within his own party as much as by the opposition, he never held ministerial positions, only because he liked to be, as he himself called himself, a constituency MP , that is, a parliamentarian more interested in working for the good of the community than to your career.
His personality and his charisma were contagious, and his joviality, naturalness and competence found the esteem and sympathies in a transversal way.
In one of the latest interviews, conducted by LBC reporter Iain Dale, he stated that the capacity of a community servant develops over time and with experience, with the mess. He admired those like him who had started as a young man in public life, and had progressed from local politics to national politics. Because “serving the community is a serious matter” .
On October 15, this country lost a true servant of the community, indefatigable, humble and accessible. But even if democracy has lost one of its most representative exponents, paradoxically it has strengthened. Because the example offered by Sir David will not be in vain, the thousands of people who devote their energies to serving the community every day will continue to draw inspiration from his work. To improve, advance, advance this country. For democracy.
The post Stab to democracy: who was Sir David Amess, killed by an Islamic extremist appeared first on Atlantico Quotidiano .
This is a machine translation from Italian language of a post published on Atlantico Quotidiano at the URL http://www.atlanticoquotidiano.it/quotidiano/coltellata-alla-democrazia-chi-era-sir-david-amess-ucciso-da-un-estremista-islamico/ on Mon, 18 Oct 2021 03:53:00 +0000.