Sir David Amess MP was killed while doing his job as a public representative.

First and foremost, our love and sympathies go to Sir David’s family, colleagues and friends. On hearing the news, I asked for the flags at the Civic Centre in Pontypool to be flown at half-mast as a mark of respect.

To honour Sir David’s name, let us also assert what unites us rather than what divides us, and commit as public representatives to carry on doing our jobs, unbowed by those who seek to use violence to subdue our democracy.

Unfortunately, there will always be extremists who seek to bully and intimidate where the force of their argument is shown to be lacking.

I know of few public representatives – at any level or of any party – who have not been subject to threats or intimidation, especially in recent years. I have had the police contact me to offer advice following abuse and threats, and I am certainly not alone.

That is just not acceptable. It will drive good people out of politics and damage democracy.

No-one is saying MPs are alone in facing threats, and more must be done to protect so many people in their work, including emergency service workers, public servants, transport workers and shop workers. But if we value democracy, we must also value and protect those who serve within it.

The age of deference is understandably in the past. No more can public figures expect to be bowed down to unquestioningly. But we’ve gone too far in the other direction. The common view seems to be that MPs, MSs and even councillors are ‘in it for themselves’.

That is simply not true. Most that I have worked with, whatever their party, are decent, hard-working people seeking to do their best for those they represent.

I may disagree with many MPs on lots of issues – Sir David had a very different view of the role of government in society than mine. But that doesn’t make either of us a bad person.

I often read glowing obituaries of politicians that point out the things they did behind the scenes after their deaths.

Take the role of Sir David in the Music Man Project, which gave disabled children a chance to play at the Royal Albert Hall. I know so many MPs, MSs and councillors who do similarly remarkable work to help people, yet they’re often dismissed as self-serving or squabbling.

I’ve spoken before about there being too much divisiveness in our society as well as in our politics, with social media bubbles merely insulting each other, rather than seeking to listen, understand and persuade. In this populist age, it’s far too easy to caricature our opponents instead of recognising the complexities and nuances of issues.

In the wake of this tragic death, as well as rejecting extremism, let’s take stock, raise the tone of our debate and concentrate on what unites us, rather than what divides us.