Taoiseach John Bruton: 'The murder of a journalist in the course of her work is sinister in the extreme', statement following murder of Veronica Guerin - 1996

26 June 1996, Dublin, Ireland

We are shocked when we hear of the death of any young person. We are even more shocked when we hear that her death was a result of murder, in cold blood, in broad daylight, on a roadside in Dublin. What makes it even more shocking is to hear that the young person murdered was an investigative reporter who was known for her determination to go about her business in a courageous, innovative and committed way. On behalf of the Government and on my own behalf I extend my deepest sympathy to her husband Graham, to her son, Cathal, and to the parents, family, friends and journalistic colleagues of Veronica Guerin. I telephoned my sympathy to the Sunday Independent and to the general secretary of the National Union of Journalists.

We in this House knew Veronica Guerin best as a journalist, but some Members will recall her contribution to the Forum for a New Ireland in 1982 and 1983. That was an early indication from a talented young person of her interest in Irish public life. Deputies opposite will be especially aware of her work for the Fianna Fáil delegation. Deputies in other parties who attended the forum will recall her tact, friendship and diplomacy as the forum sought to reach agreement, which it did, on a very important report. That agreement was greatly facilitated by the work of the late Veronica Guerin.

Her work in recent times established her as a particular gifted and professional investigative journalist. She wrote about the unacceptable face of life, about murders, drug dealing and crime. She did so with care and compassion. In doing so she made an important contribution to public life. Without the work she did, much of the recent public debate on crime would not have been as well informed as it was.

Her contribution to journalism was recognised not just at home but also abroad. In December 1995, Veronica won the prestigious International Press Freedom Award, and when it was being conferred on her at a ceremony in New York, she was cited for her fearless courage and determination. Veronica Guerin was a gifted journalist. Arising out of the work she was doing, her life was previously threatened, and she was attacked on at least three occasions. In February last year she was shot in her home, no doubt to discourage her from a particular line of journalistic investigation. From her hospital bed she said, on that occasion, “I won't be intimidated”, and she was not. She was not deterred. She continued her work undaunted and undiminished in her enthusiasm, despite this bloody intimidation.

The murder of a journalist in the course of her work is sinister in the extreme. Someone, somewhere, decided to take her life, and almost certainly did so to prevent information coming into the public arena. Journalism is a vital and well established element in our democracy. This country benefits from a strong, free media. The independence of the media is one of the hallmarks of a strong and vibrant democracy. Journalists must be independent not only of political influence, commercial influence, personal or sectoral influence; journalists must also now be independent of threats and terror from what-ever source. That a journalist should be callously murdered in the line of duty is an attack on democracy, because it is an attack on one of the pillars of our democracy. The full resources of the State will be brought to bear in bringing to justice those responsible for today's murder. Veronica Guerin deserves no less. Her family and friends, many of them in this House, deserve no less. Her journalistic colleagues deserve no less. The best tribute we can pay to her life and to her work is to redouble our efforts in the defence of democracy.

On a personal note, there is little that can be said on this occasion that can be of any immediate consolation to Veronica's husband, Graham, or to her small son, Cathal, who must now grow up to adulthood without his mother, but it may in time be some small consolation to them for it to be recalled to them the unparalleled shock seen on the faces of Deputies on all sides in this House when, some time this morning, the news of Veronica's killing spread through the House. Members felt this loss in a very personal way. Those expressions of utter speechlessness and utter inability to comprehend what had happened speak perhaps more eloquently than anything we can say now of the contribution that Veronica Guerin made during her all too short life, to the public life of this country. That knowledge may, in time, be of some small consolation to the people who suffer her loss so grievously now and for whom no words of consolation at this stage can serve.

Jo Cox: 'Our communities have been deeply enhanced by immigration', maiden speech - 2015

Jo Cox was murdered on 16 June 2016, while campaigning on the street . Her accused killer, Thomas Mair, gave his name as "Death to traitors, freedom for Britain" at his first court appearance.

3 June 2015, House of Commons, London, United Kingdom

Thank you, Mr Speaker; it is a great privilege to be called to make my maiden speech in this most important of debates, and I congratulate many others who have made outstanding maiden speeches today.

I am sure that many right hon. and hon. Members will claim that their constituencies consist of two halves or numerous parochial parts; I am another in that respect, and Batley and Spen is very much that kind of constituency. It is a joy to represent such a diverse community.

Batley and Spen is a gathering of typically independent, no-nonsense and proud Yorkshire towns and villages. Our communities have been deeply enhanced by immigration, be it of Irish Catholics across the constituency or of Muslims from Gujarat in India or from Pakistan, principally from Kashmir. While we celebrate our diversity, what surprises me time and time again as I travel round the constituency is that we are far more united and have far more in common with each other than things that divide us.

My constituency is also home to Fox’s Biscuits and Lion Confectionery, so I am sure you will not think it an indulgence, Mr Speaker, if I describe Batley and Spen as a constituency with an industrial heart wrapped in a very rich and pleasant Yorkshire landscape—geographical, historical and cultural.

The spirit of non-conformity is as prevalent now in my part of west Yorkshire as it was in the time of my two immediate predecessors, Mike Wood and Elizabeth Peacock. They were both known for offering their own brand of independent, non-conformist service, albeit in very different ways. I intend to maintain that established tradition in my own unique style.

Of course, Batley is a town that has sent Labour MPs to this place for the best part of a hundred years. One of them, Dr Broughton, is of course famously credited with bringing down a Government, so I respectfully put the right hon. Members on the Front Bench opposite on notice. The Spen valley has a far more chequered political history, alternately sending Labour and Conservative MPs here to Westminster for much of the 20th century. Nothing made me prouder on 8 May than to be sent to this place with an increased Labour majority, proving again that in my neck of the woods non-conformity is what we do best.

As I have already alluded to, we make things in Batley and Spen; we do so now, just as we did historically. Batley and Spen has a high proportion of people working in manufacturing, and we can boast the full range of industries, including high-skilled, precision engineering. We manufacture all sorts, from beds to biscuits, and from carpets to lathes. We also have some of the best fish and chips in the country, and some of the best curries in the world.

However, what many of our businesses are lacking is confidence: confidence to expand; confidence to borrow; confidence to grow; and the confidence to fuel a real economic recovery that benefits everybody, offering decent jobs, paying decent wages and bridging the skills gap. Key to changing that situation is a fundamental shift in attitude towards regional economic regeneration. It is time to give city and county regions the powers and resources they need to promote growth, and I will happily work with all of those who are genuinely committed to building an economic powerhouse in the north. This agenda has to have at its centre a commitment to connect towns and villages in constituencies like mine to thriving city hubs, and to deliver a financial offer in the forthcoming July Budget that gives this worthy goal a real chance of success. Yorkshire folk are not fools: talk about devolving power to cities and regions, while simultaneously stripping them of the resources to deliver and subjecting northern councils such as Kirklees to the harshest of cuts, is not compatible with a worthy commitment to building a northern powerhouse to drive growth and prosperity.

Businesses in my constituency want help to address the skills mismatch at local level which leaves employers with staff shortages and young people without jobs. They want access to reliable sources of finance, including a network of local banks. They want to connect to a regional infrastructure that works for them, not rail price hikes of more than 126% and endless delays to key ransport projects such as the electrification of the line from Manchester to Leeds. Many businesses in Yorkshire want the security and stability of Britain’s continued membership of the European Union, a cause I look forward to championing passionately in this place and elsewhere.

The key question is: will the Government’s actions match their northern powerhouse rhetoric? HS2 is not the only acid test. There are two bigger challenges. First, will the Government really devolve all the powers and decisions that could and should be taken locally and regionally? My test will be this: if there is a compelling reason for this to be a national decision then so be it; if not, it should be devolved. Secondly, will the Government really take the whole range of their decisions—on transport, research and development, planning, education and skills—in the interests of rebalancing the economy and growing the north?

I am Batley and Spen born and bred, and I could not be prouder of that. I am proud that I was made in Yorkshire and I am proud of the things we make in Yorkshire. Britain should be proud of that, too. I look forward to representing the great people of Batley and Spen here over the next five years.