Don’t Menshn Jo Cox

After the brutal murder of Labour MP Jo Cox outside her constituency surgery last Thursday, the best thing to happen in the circumstances would be for all those who have spent the past few weeks ratcheting up the rhetoric to pull back, take a deep breath, have a quiet moment, and tone it down. Sadly, what happened was that one of the loudest ranters decided to just carry on campaigning - only more loudly.

Yes, jumping in with both feet has come (thankfully) former MP Louise Mensch, who flew in from New York - expensively, of course, because she is unfeasibly rich - in order to be among her adoring public (Rebekah and Kelvin Bonkers-Goebbels). Ms Mensch proceeded to York (by train, but expensively) for a BBC Question Time debate which, fortunately for all concerned, was pulled after news of Ms Cox’s killing emerged.

But the lack of a broadcast platform did not stop her. She knew more about the killing than everyone else put together, and boy, were we going to be left in no doubt: “We are seeing the might of the state deployed against a mentally ill man including police leaks to press … The police are NOT doing their job, they are leaking prejudicial crap to the Guardian” she ranted, ensuring anybody listening knew it was the Guardian’s fault (as usual).

Oh, by the way, did anyone miss that it was the Guardian’s fault? “I suspect not given that police are prejudicing this man's trial by leaking to the Guardian”. Would Madam care to indulge herself in yet another encore? She certainly would: “Yes, it's interesting that UK police are prejudicing his rights by leaking to the Guardian”. What is her knowledge of the relevant law? Er, like most of the rest - just the hot air.

But she did know exactly what the suspect did or did not say at the time of the attack: “Nobody denies this. He was mentally ill. he did not shout ‘Britain First’”. See, she wasn’t in New York - she was already there! Miracle on miracle! And shall we throw the Police to the floor again? Oh yes, throw them to the floor: “Because they are leaking prejudicial stuff to the Guardian”. Are they? Don’t ask. She is all-knowing. Allegedly.

And don’t say it was political, right? Because she knows it was all about mental illness: “Again. He was mentally ill. He had far right stuff. Latter means nothing about this attack”. We must discount anything she demands. Only she knows what happened. Including what may or may not have been shouted: “The concoted [sic] story of the shout is bullshit. Witness is BNP and lying”. She knows who speaks the truth! Another miracle!

How can she know this? “That point being the witnesses who say BNP guy is lying are Muslims”. Following this logic? No, neither is anyone else. But do go on. “He did not say 'Britain First' - a BNP rival made that up”. She is all-knowing about the British far-right! Is there any end to these miracles of detection? Who knows? And, indeed, who cares?

Louise Mensch knows sweet jack about this case. All she is doing is to spew out her prejudices without listening to anyone else. So no change there, then.