As many readers will have seen in mainstream and social media, we lost the much loved Scottish comedian Janey Godley to cancer on Saturday (2 November 2024). Janey has been open on social media about her struggles with cancer and everyone knew that she was in her final days. Across public life in Scotland and the wider UK, figures from the world of entertainment and politics were quick to post glowing, and very fitting, tributes.

Many ordinary people posted tributes to social media too. I was one of them. In posting to Twitter (it will always be Twitter even after Musk finally forces me to give up using it), I noticed that I was quick to point out that that our “politics didn’t always coincide”. While true, I have been thinking since why I felt it necessary to use this form of words.

We’ve seen too many political tragedies in recent years, such as the political murders of MPs Jo Cox and David Amess. Every year the usual number of well know politicians (both retired and active) pass away. So often, when commenting, there is a tendency for other politicians to feel the need to qualify any condolences by swiftly pointing out political differences. It’s almost as if we believe that showing compassion towards someone must amount to an endorsement of everything that person thinks and does.

Janey was a supporter of Scottish “independence” and, though not uncritically so, of the SNP. In recent years, Scottish political life has revolved around the Yes/No divide from the 2013 referendum and too often friend or foe is judged simply on those terms.

But, the constitutional question aside, how different were my politics from Janey? Sure, I’m certain (if we were to do an in depth study) we’d find areas where we’d differ on priorities or strategies but I suspect we had much more in common than we disagreed with.

Janey was a passionate supporter of the trans community and she suffered vile attacks on social media from so called “gender critical” people as a result. But she never gave in as, like me, she instinctively believed in justice and standing up to bullies who stigmatise minorities.

In sharing her experiences of cancer treatment in the NHS, Janey called out with immense gratitude the intimate and tender care she received from auxiliary staff who were likely paid relatively little. She saw the people that are at times overlooked.

And, famously, Janey travelled across Scotland to protest the visit of the then President Trump, using very direct language – language that I didn’t disagree with but you’d probably not find me using – even if I were to see you next Tuesday.

When it comes to what matters, our politics probably did coincide. It may well be that we’d never end up in the same party (and I have no idea if Janey ever joined a party) but the lesson to me this weekend is to stop seeing the world through the lens of political tribalism and be willing to look for ways of embracing people for where we do agree.

* Stephen Harte is a lawyer and a member in Edinburgh West.