Haltemprice & Howden By-election Very interesting that David Davis has quit the House of Commons to cause a by-election and fight it on the issue of 42 days detention. I believe there is no precedent for this. He'll win the by-election of course but it will be interesting who comes second.
The Liberal Democrats have officially stated they will not oppose David Davis in this by-election (Nick Clegg saying that the issue of 42 days detention transcends party politics) that means over 17,000 people who voted Lib Dem last time now will go to different parties. Any Liberal Party candidate would definitely be able to capitalise on that, it could be a chance at a good result for the party.
Millennium3- 06-12-2008
Re: Haltemprice & Howden By-election Very interesting that David Davis has quit the House of Commons to cause a by-election and fight it on the issue of 42 days detention. I believe there is no precedent for this. He'll win the by-election of course but it will be interesting who comes second.
The Liberal Democrats have officially stated they will not oppose David Davis in this by-election (Nick Clegg saying that the issue of 42 days detention transcends party politics) that means over 17,000 people who voted Lib Dem last time now will go to different parties. Any Liberal Party candidate would definitely be able to capitalise on that, it could be a chance at a good result for the party.
Trouble is - by implication, any party standing against him is supporting the move to 42 days.
VkmSpouge- 06-12-2008
Yes that is true. From an electoral point of view this is a good opportunity for the Liberals but from a principled perspective it would be rather confusing to put up a candidate against a man who is running solely on something that the Liberals agree with.
newliberal- 06-13-2008
Haltemprice & Howden By-election It would be both a big mistake and a betrayal of principle for us to put up a candidate against David Davis. For once, I find a Tory MP acting in a brave and admirable way. The list of assaults on our liberties by the Labour government in the last decade is astonishingly long- CCTV, DNA databases, abandoning trial by jury in certain cases, compromise of habeas corpus to name four!
The Liberal Party is about liberalism, which asserts that the State's duty is to protect the liberties of the individual. We must agree with Davis on these issues of freedom, to disagree or oppose him would be to betray that principle. It would be a mistake because it would be just the kind of calculating cynical opportunism which charcaterises the type of politician who gives politics a bad name. We don't agree on other issues, but we must support David Davis on the principled stand that he is making.
TomWilde- 06-13-2008
Re: Haltemprice & Howden By-election It would be both a big mistake and a betrayal of principle for us to put up a candidate against David Davis. For once, I find a Tory MP acting in a brave and admirable way. The list of assaults on our liberties by the Labour government in the last decade is astonishingly long- CCTV, DNA databases, abandoning trial by jury in certain cases, compromise of habeas corpus to name four!
The Liberal Party is about liberalism, which asserts that the State's duty is to protect the liberties of the individual. We must agree with Davis on these issues of freedom, to disagree or oppose him would be to betray that principle. It would be a mistake because it would be just the kind of calculating cynical opportunism which charcaterises the type of politician who gives politics a bad name. We don't agree on other issues, but we must support David Davis on the principled stand that he is making.
I agree. How can we stand against Davis when he himself is explicitly standing for the protection of individual liberties from the excessive power of the state?
Incidentally, he doesn't seem to be getting very enthusiastic backing from the Conservative Party.
TomWilde- 06-14-2008
Here's a very interesting opinion article on David Davis' resignation, from Matthew Parris in the Times.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/matthew_parris/article4132953.ece
Basically, Parris says that the Westminster village have unanimously decided that Davis' resignation is barmy, vain, unhelpful, grand-standing, ridiculous etc, but that he isn't sure that the public will necessarily see it that way. They may admire it as an act of individual courage, and the issues at stake may ring a bell with them.
TomWilde- 06-14-2008
Another update. Here is another Times article, this one saying that David Davis may get support in his campaign from several Labour MPs. That could turn the by-election into a problem from Gordon Brown after all.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article4138807.eceRebel Labour MPs join David Davis campaign
The maverick Tory’s civil liberties fight suddenly looks a threat to Gordon Brown
Jonathan Oliver and David Leppard
Tory maverick David Davis yesterday received an unexpected boost in his one-man campaign to preserve civil liberties as rebel Labour MPs announced that they were ready to support him.
(It's quite a long article so I've just quoted the opening paragraph)
