The resignation today of the Shadow home secretary, David Davis might in time be seen as a master-stroke. I reason that Mr Davis has become so disillusioned by what he has referred to as '...the slow strangulation of fundamental British freedoms by this government' and by making a firm stand he has the opportunity of making public the underhanded way this government is behaving.
I applaud David Davis; I have always admired the man and I believe that he is one of the most honest MPs in the House. I do not regard his action as a 'stunt by a vain man' as suggested by Tony MacNulty (Labour) on the BBC 'Question Time' programme this evening and I feel it is time somebody from public office put their reputation on the line to stand up and fight for what they believe is fundamentally right. Davis's resignation announcement does not appear to have been as sudden and unexpected as we may have first thought. By having the Liberal Democrats 'onside' by their agreement not to contest the by-election seems to me to be a further well-defined strategic move and I cannot accept that Mr Davis's action has not been timed to perfection. I also suspect that David Cameron could have cooperated with Davis in constructing the strategy.
I feel Mr Davis has taken the view that the 42 day detention rule is the straw that has broken the camel's back but the passing of this legislation by a very small majority in the Commons yesterday merely highlights the latest in a whole string of measures the government has introduced against the public. Under normal Parliamentary debate I do not believe Mr Davis would be able to gain sufficient arousal as a serving MP because such debate would not be sufficiently within the public domain and any vehement efforts for heated debate would most likely be censored and tamed by the Speaker. To take a campaign to the streets is almost certainly going to gain a growing amount of public support and massive media attention over our issues of freedom that the government will only be able to ignore to their folly. I am hopeful that Mr Davis will be able to carry this through and if he succeeds, then the government may have little option than to call an election.
By the taking the action that he has, it is my view that a renewed by-election campaign by David Davis will provide the means to bring the misdemeanours of this government to a greater public arena. If Labour decides to fight in Haltemprice and Howden and in so doing takes a major thrashing as it did in Crewe then surely this can only be a major victory for the Conservative party? If Davis wins by a vast majority then this could be the next nail in Gordon Brown's coffin as prime minister that could massively turn the public further against the Labour party and might even force a general election. Should this happen then David Davis could be heralded a hero.
It is my opinion that the introduction of the 42 detention period without charge will only lead to greater levels of unrest especially among the Muslim community who already believe that they are being unfairly targeted by the police. While every humane citizen wishes to be protected from terrorism an extension of the custody period could lead to the arrest of an increasing number of 'suspects' who are later released without charge. Such action is likely to tip the balance and could lead to an increasing number of militant radicals, especially those more vulnerable to persuasion, to join 'the cause'. There is little evidence to suggest that an increased detention period before a charge is made will lessen the threat.
These are only my views but I firmly believe that David Davis's resignation has been carefully crafted and if his by-election campaign succeeds, the government might have little alternative to being forced to either call an early general election or force Brown to quit. We will have to wait and see but the next few weeks should prove to be very interesting.
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