Approaching the murder of David Amess: Has Tory funding cuts to mental health services escalated a tense situation?
Last month, tragically, long-standing conservative MP David Amess was brutally murdered during a constituency surgery in Leigh-on-Sea, Essex. It is important to first note that this article has absolutely no intention of trying to reconcile with what could have led to these specific and individual circumstances, nor to make judgment of those involved in this tragedy, but instead aims to look at what the current circumstances can indicate about this type of attack and what this indicates about the UK’s current socio-political climate.
At the time of writing, 25 year-old Ali Harbi Ali has appeared in court on murder and terrorism charges - including those of premeditation to harm two other MP’s, and the attack has simultaneously triggered debates regarding security measures and radicalisation. There is little point in speculating what the ultimate reasons for the attack were; as of right now, the consensus is that the perpetrator had a combination of religious and ideological motivations that will be established in more detail through the judicial proceedings. The most significant discourse is establishing what psychological, political and ideological build-up led to this climax of barbarism and violence. Issues such as securitisation, radicalisation, and financial cuts to welfare, housing, education and mental health inevitably, when they cross one another, culminate in dire situations that can inflame individuals in crisis and create disasters. And it is this that must be addressed.
Sir David Amess’ murder happened whilst he was actively doing his job as a parliamentarian; a dark similarity with that of Labour MP Jo Cox’s murder in 2016, by a right-wing extremist. The similarities that run through the incidences are not to be obscured by the differences in their perpetrator’s ideologies nor their political perspectives, the sheer fact that parliamentarians have become fatal victims to brutal violence whilst simply going about their elected role, is of utmost importance. The causes for the animosity against officials in these roles are fundamentally complex and multidimensional, also fuelled by a growing disdain and distrust in political figures and processes, but there are evidenced correlations between policy, cuts, division and violence.
Ali Harbi Ali had once before been referred to the UK’s voluntary counter-terrorism Prevent scheme as a teenager, showing that it had already been made aware that he was susceptible to radicalisation, but this did little other than show us he had been a cause for concern for a substantial amount of time with little action in response. Prevent and policing have received large fiscal cuts over the past years that have undermined their role by impacting police presence, increasing pressures on teachers and care staff and reducing the functions of local intelligence. It is at this point of analysis that, although distinctions and correlations can be difficult to make, questions must be asked about what has happened within UK society to foster an environment where these kind of heinous crimes can happen, leaving democracy threatened and our representatives are unsafe?
It is hardly a far-reach to assert that cuts to mental health and the NHS are of grave concern. Since 2008, day to day spending on running our public services as a portion of GDP has been slashed to its lowest level since the late 1930s, and nine out of ten NHS mental health trust bosses in England said they believe benefit changes in recent years have increased the number of people with anxiety, depression and other damaging conditions. Additionally, more than four in 10 people say that Brexit has negatively impacted their mental health whilst the impacts of lockdown are already proving to be severe. Each of these, in accordance with one another and an array of additional pressures, has meant that the mental health system, one created to address mental health issues from pre-emptive measures to diagnosis and management, is drastically underfunded and under-resourced, trickling down implications throughout society. To demonstrate, a young, lonely and impressionable mind, with adequate help and support can reintegrate into society, whereas when allowed to cultivate anger and hatred unadultered, can become a recluse and radicalise. Alternatively, not dealing with early trauma can lead to addiction or drug abuse which can have very real and physical consequences that play out in emergency rooms, providing further burdens on emergency services. Unequivocally, we are in strange and hard times, but the impacts of austerity on British society are still disproportionate and desperate, perpetually worsening an already troubled situation.
It is not simply economic cuts that allow for an environment to be fostered where these acts of political barbarism and violence occur, but also the almost-tangible tension within the socio-political climate itself. The UK is divided, whether it be over Brexit, lockdowns, covid, vaccines or what constitutes ‘British’, and an increasingly polarised public does little for peacebuilding or stability. The past decade has seen the UK foster some of the harshest immigration policies in Europe, as well as a ballooning of income disparity and exasperation of class divisions; A culture of ‘othering’ has ensued, where it is now persistently a discourse of nationalism, regaining identity and excluding those who do not conform.
Drawing to a close, the tragic murder of David Amess should never have happened, and yet, the divergence within society, collapsing of public and emergency services and lack of ability to address the root issues, has allowed for British society to reach a point where acts like this are not just present but realistically, inevitable if we go on without change.
References
Al Jazeera, 2021. Sir David Amess’s killing: Why MPs’ safety is important. [Online]
Available at: https://www.aljazeera.com/amp/opinions/2021/10/22/sir-david-amesss-killing-why-mps-safety-is-important
[Accessed 2021].
Financial Times, 2021. Man appears in court to face murder and terrorism charges over death of MP David Amess. [Online]
Available at: https://www.ft.com/content/a5e63450-fb35-4a8d-952b-018d3c40dc04
[Accessed 2021].
NHS, 2018. Breaking Point: The Crisis in Mental Health Funding, London: Trades Union Congress.
The Guardian, 2019. Police cuts pose greatest risk to countering terrorism, says ex-chief. [Online]
Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2019/dec/03/police-cuts-pose-greatest-risk-to-countering-terrorism-says-ex-chief
[Accessed 2021].
The Guardian, 2021. Austerity created this mental-health crisis. Brexit has sent it into overdriv. [Online]
Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/mar/14/austerity-mental-health-brexit
[Accessed 2021].
Written by Alannah Newnham
21 years old, currently an International Relations BsC student, always writing. Passionate for people, the world and pretty much everything in between.
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