Today in Politics: Why David Davis resigned
A festering dispute about how far the Tories should push their campaign against 42-day detention for terrrorist suspects lies behind the shock resignation of David Davis. The shadow Home Secretary has stunned Westminster today by announcing that he is resigning as an MP to fight a by-election to pursue his personal crusade against "42 days".
Tory sources tell me Davis is ready to die in the ditch because he feels so strongly about the issue, while Cameron is nervous about being seen as being on the wrong side of public opinion on anti-terror laws. So are a growing number of Shadow Cabinet members.
Davis and Team Cameron are playing down any row. They would, wouldn't they? Cameron can't admit to private doubts about the stance he took against the Counter-Terrorism Bill only yesterday. But the two men who were rivals for the Tory leadership three years ago were heading for a row over tactics now that "42 days" has been approved by the Commons.
Should the Tories fight it tooth and nail in the Lords? Should they vote against it when it returns to the Commons if the Lords throw it out? Should they oppose the use of the Parliament Act by Labour to overturn a "no" vote by the Lords? Moreover, should an incoming Tory Government repeal "42 days" if it is eventually approved by parliament? It seems that, despite the denials, Davis wanted to push the Tories' opposition further than Cameron.
Cameron is putting a brave face on the Davis by-election but needs it like a hole in the head. It ensures that the focus over the next few weeks will be on the Tories, rather than a Prime Minister in deep trouble.
The Davis bombshell is the first bit of good news Gordon Brown has had for months. It will confirm him in his long-standing strategy of drawing "dividing lines" and trying to ensure the Tories are on the wrong side of the argument. This is why many at Westminster believe Brown was so keen to toughen the anti-terror laws in the first place. It may have worked.
At last an MP is standing for his principals of common sense and real issue of this anti terror law. Mr Davis should be commended for his action and more MP's should follow suit. Those that voted this 42 farce in should hang their heads in shame and those who caved in to bribes should have no place in politics at all.
The biggest threat from attack is the Government themselves, so thanks for making the UK as hated in the world as the USA. Who among you has the guts to stand up and tell the truth about your back room dealings over this post 9/11 - 7/7 anti terror laws?
Posted by: John Finningham | Thursday, 12 June 2008 at 05:22 PM
For god's sake - Davis's replacement has already promised, as Davis did, that the 42 day thing will be repealed if need be under a Tory government. How much longer can you people pretend that this is the Conservative's problem?
LABOUR HAS LOST THE PLOT. And they deserve to lose the next election.
Posted by: Jessica | Thursday, 12 June 2008 at 06:11 PM
As usual, Independent-approved pundits like to pose on the left. Immigration, fantastic, bring it on, cram more people on the island and to the hell with the environmental consequences. Gay rights, fabulous, let's liberate Iranian homosexuals by bombing their country. Habeas corpus. Let's do away with this romantic Little England nonsense and lock people up without any evidence of harm whatsoever. So it's fine to be a fun-loving, first-person-shooter-addicted, ecstasy-numbed, online-gambling, multiple-partner shagging and Sun/Guardian/Indepednet reading positive sort of person. But it's not okay to be a critical thinker. That it takes David Davis, of all people, to make stand speaks volumes about the real agenda of this government which has nothing to do with freedom and democracy as commonly understood.
Posted by: Neil Gardner | Thursday, 12 June 2008 at 07:05 PM
It's clearly impossible for any political columnist to imagine that any politician could act beyond party politics and on an issue of principle. Would such a columnist recognise an issue of principle if it were spelled out to him in words of one syllable? I doubt it.
It is in part due to the moral vacuity of journalists that civil liberties in Britain have reached such a shockingly low state. Good on David Davis, I'd say, and I hope that once this New Labour government is obliterated at the next election it no longer has the opportunity to ruin the liberty of the individual, or British foreign policy, in my lifetime.
Posted by: David Westbury | Thursday, 12 June 2008 at 08:12 PM
It is obviously going to take a lost election with Conservatives like Davis utterly outflanking them and to the left on principled positions like this before they recognize that the centre-right posturing of Blairism has not only been dangerous political folly but electoral folly too. I find it extraordinary that I find myself agreeing with every word spoken by a shadow cabinet member of the conservative party.
Posted by: David Knopfler | Thursday, 12 June 2008 at 08:39 PM
I wouldn't be surprised if this brings the government down. Davis is not my cup of tea but large hats off to him for taking a principled stand (even if it's part of an ongoing struggle with Cameron) on this issue which is a disgrace to the Labour party. After a lifetime of voting Labour, I didn't in the last election because of Iraq, and I won't in the next one because of this. You never know, it might even revive public faith in politicians' integrity. Now what would have happened if Cameron had resigned...
Posted by: hobgoblin | Thursday, 12 June 2008 at 09:19 PM
God bless David Davis. This is an Englishman to be proud of. At long last. I shed a tear when I listened to his resignation speech and that's the first time a politican has ever done that.
Shame on those Labour MPs who sold us out for the career of an unelected Scotsman, who has no business to be meddling in English laws anyway.
Magna Carta is almost 1,000 years old. Gordon Brown destroyed it in less than 1 year, with the willing assistance of his cronies. I will NEVER vote Labour for as long as I live. May they rot in the shadows forevermore.
Go, David. Most of England will be singing your praises for this. Ignore the sniping media. They've never spoken for us anyway.
Posted by: Helen Wright | Thursday, 12 June 2008 at 09:35 PM
Whist even most Labour supporters find the 42 day rule lawa bit threatening most of us will see this as a bit of a farce.
So Davis will go into a by election with no Liberal Democrat or Labour Opposition.
It is quite possible that the winner will be a new party called 'I'm not as stupid as David Davis'.
Posted by: Alan Denman | Thursday, 12 June 2008 at 10:32 PM
The problem is that a lot of 'the people' are contained within the 'game' that the state/executive/tabloids have been playing on this one. I.e: "no Mr Blair isn't a war criminal piece of scum, and so we need to defend ourselves from those terrorists/mooslims" - but he and the labour executive created the situation with an illegal war of agression - thats the actual reality regardless of british legal system games - thats the actual situation in international law. Blair/labours whole trip has been a gift to the BNP - in fact very much a BNP agenda really, an excuse for a crackdown on liberties and immigrants etc etc. It is a reflection of the inherent naivity of the labour party I think also. I mean look at Jack Straw. An idiot - as in a total nerd that can be blagged - sad egoisers with no idea whatsoever.
A BNP Al Qu'ida alliance in fact with the dumbass cretins of the labour party as mediators.
Well done Davies - didn't think you had it in you. Now how about a chillum for peace and sharing communal vibrations m8...oh still some way to go then.
...play the game, play the game suckers its getting hotter, God Be Praised :)
Om Shiva
Posted by: 666 | Thursday, 12 June 2008 at 10:44 PM
I think I've just fallen into the trap myself a bit - the guys doing and planning bomb attacks in the UK are doing it because of the reality that hundreds of thousands of Arabs in Iraq have been killed by an illegal war of aggression. (I don't thin k its 'Al Qa'ida as such at all) They feel persecuted, correctly, because they are being so! The fact that so many of 'the people' are collaborating with these f'ing vermin in government on man y dodgy issues, not just 42 days and 'terror', but the whole police state thing (CCTV/drugs laws/just kowtowing in general to their sicko order) is annoying...but its a matter of consciousness basically. They don't have awareness. And of course this is the crux as I know from personal expereience as a eco warrior dude and community anarchist activist. To change community wide conscious is so difficult it is esoteric...literally...and when it does change to this 'anarchist consciousness', the 'power' of the mainstream blag is broken and basically the reality change is so great that people have magical/spiritual awareness as a result of the transcendance of the dumbed down state of ignorance and compliance and collaboration that they were in previously.
Jah Bless.
Posted by: 666 | Thursday, 12 June 2008 at 11:07 PM
The mainstream will attempt to isolate, disempower and fear up individuals, usually but not always as an inherent unconcious process rather than an conscious plot or anything on the part of state agents, and make any attempts to foculise this community wide consciousness shift VERY difficult. One cannot foculise this collective reality change as an individual in this society..it has to be done from the stance of a group..thus the need to isolate and turn people into Jack Straw like half witted nerds.
Oh, direct action, as in NVDA (non violent direct action) I found to give me huge POWER in the true sense to overcome this malaign energy of the state/mainstream type senario and break through to folk on the level of magic/consciousness rather than verbilisation and workshops and ego. It is, belive you me, much much easier to wake people up in terms of cosmic consciousness in India, to 'channel' the dieties by this magical process, in India than here in the UK..here the tendancy is for the status quo, again ESSENTIALLY (but not completly) not as an overt state plot, to try and turn the pyscik saint trip into so called skitzaphrenia. (fear scism implosion rather than positive manifestation and auspcious channel to people around one). Thats the crux of the situation here in the 'west' - waking people up, and this is the mechanism by which it can happen..and is blocked by the 'scum'.
Jah Bless
Posted by: 666 | Thursday, 12 June 2008 at 11:22 PM
sorry one last comment!
NVDA gave huge power because of the occult - it was occult directed and protected, i.e the Mother Earth. This is the root of it, yes there are cement mixing issues for lock ons and the like - but as I realised, it was about the occult at the bottom of it all. And its this awareness, this living connection, that is being disrupted by the scumpower.
Posted by: 666 | Thursday, 12 June 2008 at 11:26 PM
David Davis resigned in order to score points while posing as the wounded hero, defending high principles at great personal sacrifice.
Anyone wanna bet how long it'll be before DD reappears on a doorstep near you glad-handing his way back into the elected denizens of Planet Parliament.
Faker ... but, it does pose the moral highground challenge to Cameron, doesn't it.
Lest anyone take this powerplay too seriously, let us all remember that Politics is a fickle whore, wanton as long as one's charges are paid in full. DD will find profit in the sacrifices he now portrays.
Posted by: Challenge-the-Govt | Thursday, 12 June 2008 at 11:40 PM
@ 666: You make a basic sense, but with respect me ol' mucker, don't spoil it with the drugged out stream of consciousness that you feel compelled to type out. Sometimes you will find, less really *is* more.
But, despite this, your points are well taken. Once you're a little more settled in your new-found identity of "green anarchist" you might find that the dogma is less important than the critical tools of thought. I tell you this as one who has walked the path you are on, many moons past.
Jah bless, bro'.
Posted by: Critter on the loose | Friday, 13 June 2008 at 12:32 AM
i'm just ashamed that as a life-long Labour supporter, that none of them even thought of standing down on principal.
the way that 28 days was rushed though made me ashamed to be British!
Posted by: cas | Friday, 13 June 2008 at 08:55 AM
I admire David Davies' action and support his arguments wholeheartedly ( and have never been a Conservative voter). It is important that his arguments receive support as, otherwise, we are doing the terrorists' work for them. I wish him luck.
Posted by: Val Moffat | Friday, 13 June 2008 at 09:17 AM
This is a bit rich coming from a member of the Tory Party, under their administration from 1979 they undermined and removed a great many civil liberties enjoyed by ordinary, law abiding British people.
Even the brutal Indonesian regime of Suharto was effusively supported by Margaret Thatcher who claimed Suharto was, "One of our very best and most valuable friends."
Peter
Posted by: Peter | Friday, 13 June 2008 at 11:20 AM
28 days of detention was a shame, 42 days is outright madness.
I am no friend - let alone a voter- of the conservatives, here or anywhere. I applaude D Davis´ decision as courageous and unexspected in todays political circles. and that has to be the worst to be said about the rest of those cowardice head-bobbing, boot-licking, on their holy seat-glued MoPs. They should work for us, as the gladly take our votes and our money.
Where has the Magna Charta come to?
Posted by: David | Friday, 13 June 2008 at 11:50 AM
Resigning, will not further David Davis' crusade for Civil Liberties. He was much more effective at holding the Government to account as Shadow Home Secretary and garnered much respect in Westminster for his work.....hence the astonished reaction from most MPs.
I believe, despite his scruples (hes not quite Frank Field) he has made a whimsical decision, putting vanity before the Interest of his party. It is now if, not when the Conservatives form a government as Davis' actions risk splitting what has been up till now a united Tory Front. Could Civil Liberties become the new bete noir of the party as the EU was so prominently in the last 2 decades.
He will regret this decision, having had the potential to become a respected and effective Home Secretary, something Jacqui Smith can only dream of. His decision however may yet cost the Tories political initiative, though i feel Brown will lose in 2010 come what may.
Posted by: 54 | Friday, 13 June 2008 at 12:02 PM
Well done David- the first duty of an MP must be to safeguard the Freedoms of his constituents, their personal safety comes later.
The Government of whatever colour (and DC, and I have told him so via the party website) needs to trust the Brits to face up to terrorist risks, not cave in to them, giving away our freedoms in the process. I hope David finds he's not the only one left with a backbone.
The party (local and national) should see him returned with a huge majority-pity we can't all vote
Posted by: Rod Luscombe | Friday, 13 June 2008 at 02:01 PM
At last someone who is ready to stand up for one of the most important issues. This is becoming slowly a database state; stop it before something tragic happens
Weel done DD
Posted by: Rachel Mackenzie | Friday, 13 June 2008 at 04:52 PM
I just don't understand his reasoning. Ok, for example, Lord Heseltine resigned due to something he didn't agree with within his OWN party-this is understandable, it's taking a stand etc etc. David Davis doesn't agree with LABOUR so he has resigned from his influental role as shadow home sec, thereby giving up his role to actually challenge this policy effectively. Maybe he's just trying to shed light on this issue (bring publicity to it), or maybe he's just doing it for the attention it brings to him personally. It just doesn't make sense that, seeing as the rift is not even within his own party, he has resigned. Furthermore, he is hindering Cameron (doing something that Cameron does not even approve of) who, incidentally, also thinks the 42 detention period is a farce. dear oh dear.
Posted by: Gemma | Friday, 13 June 2008 at 07:47 PM
David Davis has done a decent and honourable thing. Most people have a jaundiced view of politicians as they often seem to be on the make at our expense.
Mr Davis's action is a breath of fresh air almost on the anniversary of the signing of the Magna Carta in 1215.
A group of campaigners have produced a Liberty Video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I5wt5j-iLyw) explaining how the liberties we take for granted are under attack.
Mr Davis's brave stand has made this video even more topical.
Posted by: Belfast Dissenter | Saturday, 14 June 2008 at 07:18 AM
Critter on the loose:
That was in the past kinda for me too: the front line eco warrior type protest trip. It really is a totally different trip. Unique - like I said, huge power, and that power was/is the Mother Earth. Drugs like cannabis just make the magic stonger, the thought in ones mind of greater power to the extent that it effects the reality around one. Thats the true secret of cannabis, perhaps of reality. This is the way that cannabis is used in India - in real religion, in this truely cosmic way. The tendancy, again, is too trash this consciousness and, at the worst extreme, to manifest so called scitzaphrenia, a uniquely western disease for sure, which is merely a fear based implosion of consciousness, rather than a positive manifestation of occult power and awareness. Think about it: the resonance of the word 'occult' and 'witch' in our society - there are reasons for that negative vibe, and its not pleasant and to do with the so called christianity that is prevelent in western society. I'm not playing politics, trying to create a mainstream viable piece of writing - its the mainstream that has to change or you and your family will enter a future of real time nightmare. Occult awareness of the reality of the living Mother earth is the key to that survival, because it is that that is lacking from western society.
That is a a bit off thread, but Davis claims his way is the only way to wake people up to the problem of the police state. Thats ego - there are other ways to wake people up thus and change society. You can work much deeper than that, and here I try and show another way that I've seen work, and what problems there are working at this deeper witch/shamman/holy person type level.
Posted by: 666 | Monday, 16 June 2008 at 07:12 PM
God on you Davis. The war on terror is a hoax and there to take away more of your freedoms. If you don't believe it look around and open your eyes sheeple. Bring on the revolution, the good people of this world have HAD ENOUGH.
Posted by: Time For Change | Monday, 23 June 2008 at 01:06 PM
Okay, so two men of foreign appearance are suspected of throwing a bomb into a nursery school,thirty five are dead or severely injured. The men say nothing. No clues to where the men are from or their motives. How long will it take you "eco warriers and liberty guardians" to solve this case? Within forty two days?? Has the liberties of the dead and dying been compromised? Who will take a stand for them?
Posted by: Get Real | Friday, 27 June 2008 at 06:37 AM