David Cameron has often shamefully resorted to populism in response to various tragedies. After the shocking Edlington case he claimed that this isolated incident proved that Britain was “broken”. Later that month, after a series of high-profile break-ins, he made the extraordinary claim that burglars “leave their human rights outside the door”.
So it was refreshing to see a more considered response to yesterday’s Cumbria shootings from the Prime Minister. I’m not surprised he didn’t use this as an opportunity to discuss the “broken society” (I never thought that trope would prove attractive in government), but it was also a relief to see him eschew a knee-jerk legislative response.
Here’s the key quote:
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Of course we have to do everything we can to stop these dreadful events, but you can’t legislate to stop a switch flicking in someone’s head and for this dreadful sort of action to take place.
Let’s hope this more thoughtful approach continues.
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