My first response to David Davis's self-styled "noble endeavour" in resigning his seat to fight a by-election on the issue of 42-day detention is that it is mad. It seems an abuse of democratic process, using a mechanism for filling a vacancy as a single-issue protest. No one doubts that he will win, but what will he have proved? The issue has already been decided under the rules of the British democratic system, whatever anyone's view of the motives of DUP MPs and many Labour rebels who decided in the end to support the Government.
It's also the wrong issue. As many commentators have said, the question of 42 days is rather more finely balanced than either an absolute presumption of liberty or an absolute determination to do everything possible to avert a terrorist threat.
Davis as shadow Home Secretary supports locking people up without charge for 42 days under the Civil Contingencies Act if there is a state of emergency, which is a difference only of degree, definition and procedure from the provisions of the Counter-Terrorism Bill.
So what is the "noble" principle at stake?
I honestly believe this is part of a carefully constructed political spin by the Tory spin doctors to shift the Tories into the camp of true supporters of civil liberties.
They can afford to run these by-elections, are on the up in the polls, and have the media generally on their side.
How else can documents found on a train be rushed round to the BBC?
Why else would a Tory shadow cabinet minister come out with such a grandstanding stunt?
Remember, this is the same party who planned long-term a strategy to defeat the miners by all means possible. Do not under-estimate their capacity to think strategically of ways to place themselves back in the centre of our political continuum.
Posted by: cameronp | Thursday, 12 June 2008 at 04:02 PM
The tories supported section 28, and 28 days. They like the number 28.
Posted by: dirty european socialist | Thursday, 12 June 2008 at 10:36 PM
Davis' move appears to draw attention to the failure of most political hacks on the issue of civil liberties as they are becoming cheerleaders to our loss of liberty.
Could that be why so many are trying to discredit him since he exposes their own failure?
Posted by: A Williams | Friday, 13 June 2008 at 09:08 AM