Jo Cox murdered.

Makes me want to cry. Same reaction to the news as many other people I guess. Shocked and appalled, disgusted, frightened.

There is much could and perhaps will be said about the background to, and implications. We can expect a range of reactions and points of view. The murder appears to be the insane actions of a crazed madman, an outstandingly horrible and upsetting event, very likely with implications of one kind or another.

So close to, and apparently in some crazed and distorted way associated with the referendum, this horrific murder of such a lovely young woman must have an emotional impact on the British public, and could possibly skew the already close and unpredictable vote one way or the other.

We don't want any vote, and particularly such an important referendum distorted by sadness, fear and murder, but the vote is less than a week away now. An unhappy and difficult time all round.

Earlier yesterday I posted a comment in answer to the comment made as follows - What's happening to the campaign?  My reply was - It's no longer a campaign. It's a street brawl. Two hours later came the news of Jo Cox's murder on a Yorkshire village street. And that is a sense encapsulates what has been occurring these last two to three weeks. A degeneration of sanity and honest opinions into the cesspit of downright lies and rumour. It mirrors the last post we have just made here - the more lies the more angry people get the more lunatics you will foster. And who does one blame - the politicians themselves. It's hard enough keeping the left and right wing in check without giving them the gift of extremes upon which they can feed. Today a human being, a family and the country pays the price for irrational stupidity. Tomorrow the world will pay the price for the rise of the right wing fascist as the power-mad bureaucrats roll out their idiotic socially engineered dreams of a new Super State on the European Continent. There's no good to report, now or in the future, unless the people get wise to what is being done in their name.  Perhaps - just perhaps - now the campaign will become just that - a political campaign.

So sad. R.I.P. Jo Cox - humanitarian.

A meaningful, calm, rational political debate before the referendum wasn't going to, didn't, and, my guess, won't happen. Discussion of the investigation, the motives of the murderer will more likely dominate the news agenda.

Should the referendum be delayed? It would be difficult and perhaps unhelpful to do that. There may be calls for a postponement, but chances seem unlikely.

The horrific murder of Jo Cox may well change the number of people who vote, some, nauseated by murder on top of misinformation and vitriol, may give the whole thing a miss. Other may react making more of an effort to vote.

Some might change their vote as a result of the murder, having thought about the situation in a different way than they would have, if it hadn't happened.

Many say they don't understand the issues to make an informed decision, faced with conflicting 'facts', don't know who to believe. Without a proper understanding of realities involved, an emotive vote is likely.

An emotive vote may not be 'wrong', but is wrong if it's an emotive reaction to murder rather than an emotive feeling of what is the best direction for the country.

A political assassination can't be allowed to disrupt the referendum, but the reality is that this murder may well sway the vote to some extent, one way or the other.

If this vote is as important as it has been presented, changing the entire future direction of the UK, people in future may look back and say the referendum result, especially if it's a very close count as seems probable, was distorted by a political assassination, not properly valid.

Such incidents of bloody violence are fairly routine, as a perusal of the news will show. It could be argued that this particular murder is simply life as we know it in the UK today, and should not be expected to effect the referendum. However, it is a high profile, very upsetting and apparently political murder that has shocked the nation, and will inevitably always be associated with the referendum.

Impractical to postpone, unsatisfactory to carry on as if nothing has happened and to expect a result that all will accept, and impossible to cancel.

People look for something good to emerge from tragedy, but there is no good result of a madman butchering someone in the street, it's all bad.

A precariously balanced emotional state of mind given the right kind of push by the far right wing of politics and you have a time bomb with a precariously balanced fuse. I'm not surprised by this incident knowing the sickness of human society which for the most part is pushed to one side as a 'minority' problem. 'There will be blood' - . This type of crime isn't prevalent here but if one keeps abreast of international news it would have barely made the headlines in many others.
It shouldn't sway anyone from their own particular beliefs on the subject of the EU unless of course, as you say, they were already in a 'quandary'. (Which doesn't surprise me in the least because too many people walk around this earth thinking that someone else will sort things out for them and that they themselves don't need to bother). Well I got news for all those people. Don't be surprised if you all get shafted or exterminated as you go along your lackadaisical way.
Freedoms have a price. Jo Cox always knew that - - - Perhaps it has woken a few people up? Who knows?

Reaction of grief, loss and outrage is widespread and considerable. The UK public have never had to cope with anything so upsetting so close to an important election or referendum in recent history, has it?

The vote is expected to be close, close enough that the outcome may be changed by public reaction to the murder. A landslide one way or t'other would be the only satisfactory result.

Too many, too apathetic, too indolent, too disinterested. That's what modern day politics has grown in this country since the war. They don't see how it is possible to get change when the 'changers' don't exist. So they desist or stop or don't start where politics are concerned. And consider those that do as parasites and liars or at the very least barmy. They will get what they deserve - whatever it might be. Roll on Friday.