Jo Cox was a great woman, an effective Parliamentarian, a committed constituency MP, a loving wife and mother, and a friend to so many people. Her murder has shocked us all, and our sympathy is with her family, staff, colleagues and friends.

The analysis and search for an explanation for what happened continues, with much reflection about the corrosive nature of our polarised political environment; the impact of a social media sphere where racism, sexism, homophobia and hate speech run unchecked; and of course the charged atmosphere around the European referendum.

None of these explanations will change the tragic reality that Jo Cox was killed doing her job. And this will have a special significance to readers of W4MP. Today, and next week, and the week after, many of you will be helping run constituency surgeries, playing your part in one of the most important aspects of our parliamentary democracy and keeping MPs involved in the lives of those they represent.

We all have the right to work without feeling threatened, and nobody involved in the work of Parliament should have to feel that they are taking a risk as they go about their job. Jo Cox was attacked on her way to her surgery, and whatever we may wish, it’s clear that MPs and their staff do face real risks of harrassment and potential violence.

It’s not enough to offer advice on office security, though the measures recommended by the Police and Serjeant at Arms are sensible and well-considered. Nor is it acceptable to say to people who work for MPs that such risks ‘go with the territory’ – because they don’t, and we can never allow them to be normalised.

Physical violence is one end of a spectrum that begins with insults and threatening language or behaviour, and we need to demonstrate that even this is unacceptable, that it will not be tolerated or normalised or ignored, but will be challenged and exposed and stopped.

At w4mp we can help to share stories, and perhaps begin to push back against the intolerance and anger that has infected political discourse and the lives of those engaged in politics – on whatever side of the debate.

One way to begin is to talk more openly about what happens in your job, and perhaps share ideas about how to deal with difficult situations. We invite you to share your stories with us (email editor@w4mp.org) and we can post them on the site, anonymously if you prefer. It is a small thing, but a start.

And we will remember Jo Cox and celebrate her life and achievement.

We at w4mp are shocked to learn that Jo Cox, MP for Batley and Spen has died from her injuries after having been attacked outside her advice surgery this afternoon.  We offer our sincere condolences to her family and friends at this awful time.

This is a sad reminder that we all need to be alert and aware of our security, and we strongly recommend that you take a few minutes to read our post here: https://w4mp.org/very-important-information-about-your-safety-and-security/

and also the security advice on the Parliamentary intranet

In the words of Hill Street Blues: “Let’s be careful out there”

The Science and Technology Committee has published a report warning that the UK risks being left behind if the Government does not take more action to address the digital skills crisis.

 

 

The Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology has recently published a POSTnote on Addressing Islamic Extremism which looks at Islamic extremism, radicalisation and deradicalisation, and the policy responses to violent and non-violent extremism.

Tell POST what you think

If you wish to leave feedback on any of POST publications, please complete this short survey, which will provide them with valuable feedback for future publications.

We’ve listed some staff seminars on our listings page.  Three of the advertised sessions are now full up.

• “Working on how to support an All-Party Parliamentary Group” on Tuesday 7 June
• “Keeping on the right side of the rules” on Wednesday 15 June AND Tuesday 28 June

10:50am – The problems with Outlook and mobile device connections have now been resolved.

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9:15 am – You may be experiencing some problems with Outlook and mobile device connections to the email service this morning.

PDS are working on it, and will get it up and running properly as soon as possible.

In the meantime, you should be able to access email and calendar facilities via the web browser at https://outlook.office365.com

We have published two new guides to internships, one for people who would like to work as an intern in an MP’s office, the other for those lucky people who get to manage them once they’re in place

Both are available in The Library

Managing an Internship in Your Office

Working as an Intern

The Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO) is inviting applications from members of the public that read newspapers and magazines and who have an interest in how they are regulated. IPSO is very keen to have as diverse a group as possible involved in its work, so applications are positively sought from people of all ages and from minority communities, who may not have considered working with a regulator in the past.

The panel will meet three times a year to discuss IPSO’s work and approach and to help senior IPSO staff with the development of new guidelines.

Further information is available here: https://www.ipso.co.uk/aboutus/vacancies.html

Applications are made by short covering letter accompanied by a CV by email: recruitment@ipso.co.uk or by post to: Recruitment, IPSO, Gate House, 1 Farringdon Street, London EC4M 7LG.

PDS has posted about its search for new staff:

We are looking for talented, enthusiastic people who want to work at the heart of democracy, tackling challenging and high profile digital projects that can really make a difference. If you are interested in bringing your digital skills to work in Parliament, come along and find out more about what we do.

At our Open Day you will be able to meet the team, see how we work, look at the projects we are working on and find out what it is really like to work for Parliament.

This is a great time to join us. We are about to publish the first digital strategy for Parliament and we have an exciting and challenging work programme to deliver alongside Members of Parliament and the House of Lords, colleagues across Parliament and the wider public to put digital first.

They are holding an Open Day on Thursday 12 May 2016 between 4:00 pm and 7:00 pm. Full details over on the PDS blog.