Rumour has it that Brown is considering the option of following the Lib Dems and not putting up a candidate against David Davis and a decision will be made around 6pm (although not necessarily publiscised).
Seems like a strange move to make when you believe so strongly in the 42 days issue as Brown said he did. However, if it's true it would certainly take the wind out of David Davis's sails as it would make the by-election almost completely pointless.
20 comments:
apart from making Brown look cowardly.... yes, absolutely pointless.
I can only assume that Davis will have foreseen this possibility and will have prepared a suitable response.
Though of course if Labour don't field a candidate it provides the tories with even more "bottler brown" ammunition
A victory by default is a victory. I should imagine Labour will understand that it cannot afford not to contest the seat.
No, it won't damage Davis one whit. Labour only got about a quarter of Davis's vote last time. They are irrelevant. Much more significant is the Libs backing Davis by not standing against him. First principled thing Clegg has done, as far as I recall.
Don't be silly, now.
The point is the resignation **from the Commons**, d'you see?
Because the dragooning of the vote at any price was corrupt. and in consequence the government forced through a Bill against all tradition and at the price of the people's liberty, with the help of those 'honourable (not) members' who got this Bill through against their principles, selling our heritage for their mess of potage.
Liberty is backing him. Grieve has said he will repeal 42 days. Watch others come around, as it dawns on them that he means it and has shamed them all. He is prepared to lose everything. Let's hope he does not.
How would gordon not taking a stance, make DD's position look pointless?
It is Gordon who went out on a Limb, destroying all that Britain and the Magna Carta stood for.
It is Gordon who is afraid of elections.
It is gordon who Bullies his staff.
It is Gordon who accuses the press of being soft on terror.
If Gordon does not defend his position, then Gordon is the loser, not DD.
"How would gordon not taking a stance, make DD's position look pointless?"
I didn't say it would make the position look pointless, I said ti would make the by-election pointless. The point here is to have a debate, if Labour don't stand they spike the media coverage because it will just become one lone Lear shouting in the wind.
David Davis is VAIN. David Davis is full of self-importance. Deluded.
If anyone thinks that this pointless, weird and unintelligent move by David Davis is to do with 'honour' - then they are away with the fairies.
Cameron must be furious at this distraction. I hope Cameron keeps Davis on the back benches when he returns.
I think David Davis has behaved in a selfish, immature and irresponsible manner.
If David Davis really cared about this country he would fight Gordon Brown from a position of power. Too bad his vanity clouded his judgement.
Bye Bye David Davis ! Time to move on.
Canvas, you are a cunt of the highest order. This is the first principled thing I can remember a politician doing in the last ten fucking years.
IF ONLY a few more labour politicians recognised principles. Hanging is far too good for the likes of Tony McFuckNumpty, unless the rope is far too short anyway...
Z.
principled, schrmipcipled
How has this pointless action helped anyone? It hasn't and it won't. His argument makes no sense.
Is David Davis wanted to change things then he would remain in the Shadow Cabinet and fight Gordon Brown from a powerful platform.
He's blown his career. It's a mind-boggling act of stupidity by David Davis.
So, Davis has resigned. He’s called a hissy-fit by-election – the first in history apparently. Yes – this is an unprecedentedly vain and hollow piece of political bravado. It is historic. No one wants to fight him (who can blame them? he’s former SAS), no one understands why he has to fight a by-election to demonstrate his fondness for civil liberties; but he’s going to damn well do it anyway. No one – not Gordon Brown, not the Murdoch press, not hundreds of years of accepted Parliamentary practice, not common sense, not even David Cameron – is going to stop him.
Just think, though: what if they all start doing it? What if he’s just the first Tory MP to have this particular eureka moment? We’re all vulnerable to crazes, fads and bubbles. Imagine a Parliament in which the Conservative Party has done the decent thing and resolved to act as the kamikaze party… The remaining Parliamentarians appreciate the increased elbow space at the bars; there is a fire sale of Tory offices; Labour MPs stretch out in the Chamber, taking to sitting on both sides of the Speaker’s Chair; a wonderful spirit of bonhomie and harmony descends on the House of Commons. Without the Conservatives, MPs finally get round to doing all of the things that they had always been meaning to do, but had never been able to find the time for. A fair tax system is introduced. Child poverty is abolished. Comprehensive environmental legislation is passed. Nuclear disarmament begins. All of a sudden no one can remember why they used to think governing Britain was such a tricky business…
It could happen. If we want it bad enough it just might happen.
Read about Davis at greater length in my blog, just who the hell are we?, at:
http://adammcnestrie.wordpress.com/
Canvas: He has risked his career. It's a mind-boggling act of principled courage by David Davis.
Interestingly, David Cameron also took a huge gamble in challenging Gordo to call an election last year, and he won big time. DD too deserves to come out well.
NB If Labour don't put up a candidate, it will demonstrate that they can't defend the policy they rammed through the Commons on a tsunami of taxpayers' money.
Brown is toast. Labour is finished. GGGrrrrrrrr
Canvas
Sitch a bag over your own head and suffocate yourself. It will save the ZaNuLab thugs the trouble when you arrive in the Gulag
Twat
I think I understand why David has done this... He's tried to fight Labour's sickening attempt to introduce Stalinism by the front door only for them to buy votes by the backdoor. It isn't so much a protest against the 42 days measure (which is now probably lost) but against the unprincipled system that so easily allows our age old freedoms to be traded for cheap political points.
Let Brown duck this election like so many others, let him bury his head in the sand. The country will see him for the coward he is.
David Davis has just gifted the Tories a wonderful opportunity to show the country that they are capable of sticking to their promises... even if it means taking a personal risk to do so. Can anyone say that Brown would do the same? If he believes so strongly in the EU Constitution or 42 days, let him hold a referendum or a GE.... go on, I dare him?
David Davis = stupid stunt.
Bill him for £120k for wasting taxpayers' money
Whatever David Davis' flaws may be, I'm absolutely sure he would have thought through Labour's various possible responses to the by-election scenario - including a Labour Party decision not to field a candidate.
All he has to do to 'win' that story is to convince the public that Labour is scared, once again, of going to the electorate - and he's some way towards doing that already. Best of all, Labour may initially decide not to field anyone (isn't it right that their candidate in Davis' constituency last time round was anti-42 days detention?) but then may have to change their minds. How shambolic is that going to look?
No one saw this coming 24 hours ago. Politics are marginally more interesting today than they've been for ages.
And as for 'wasting' £125k in taxpayers' money ... when will people wake up and realise that our welfare state pisses that away every few minutes on a completely dysfunctional welfare state? Grow up.
David Davis doesn't care about removing Gordon Brown and this incompetent government from power.
He puts himself above his own party, above his own constituents. Who cares about a pointless by-election that means NOTHING.
You have to be in the system to change the system - David Davis is a vain and short sighted plonker.
Davis' gesture is magnificent, but Brown will do all he can to undermine its impact, and that will probably mean that there is no Labour candidate. Brown doesn't need to bolster his majority, and losing H&H isn't going to have any bearing on the next general election, so why waste the time and resources in fighting the by-election? Davis may have misjudged the impact this would have.
We all remember how Brown's election campaign was covered by the media, particularly the BBC, even though there was no opposition. I hardly expect the same coverage for Davis' by-election.
Hopefully Davis can get himself re-elected standing entirely on the principle of personal liberty. That would be a wonderful gesture.
Some people say that David Davis' resignation to fight a by election is a 'stunt'.
I agree - but the aim of the stunt is to shame Labour (and other professional politicians) for their tawdry and corrupt politics.
If Labour stand, the debate gets national attention. If Labour don't field a candidate, then DD and the Conservatives can argue that Labour are frightened and unable to argue their case. I also understand that the Labour Party constitution may require them to field a candidate... so if they don't they will be accused of not honouring their own constitution. A very powerful statement indeed.
it's a safe tory seat. it's costing taxpayers money and it's needless. It's also pointless. It means sweet f*ck all.
You call that powerful? no. it's stupid.
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