Now the counter terrorism bill will in all probability be rejected by the House of Lords very firmly. After all, what should they be there for if not to defend Magna Carta.
But because the impetus behind this is essentially political – not security – the government will be tempted to use the Parliament Act to over-rule the Lords. It has no democratic mandate to do this since 42 days was not in its manifesto.
Its legal basis is uncertain to say the least. But purely for political reasons, this government’s going to do that. And because the generic security arguments relied on will never go away – technology, development and complexity and so on, we’ll next see 56 days, 70 days, 90 days.
But in truth, 42 days is just one – perhaps the most salient example – of the insidious, surreptitious and relentless erosion of fundamental British freedoms.
And we will have shortly, the most intrusive identity card system in the world.
A CCTV camera for every 14 citizens, a DNA database bigger than any dictatorship has, with 1000s of innocent children and a million innocent citizens on it.
We have witnessed an assault on jury trials – that bulwark against bad law and its arbitrary use by the state. Short cuts with our justice system that make our system neither firm not fair.
And the creation of a database state opening up our private lives to the prying eyes of official snoopers and exposing our personal data to careless civil servants and criminal hackers.
The state has security powers to clamp down on peaceful protest and so-called hate laws that stifle legitimate debate – while those who incite violence get off scot-free.
This cannot go on, it must be stopped. And for that reason, I feel that today it’s incumbent on me to take a stand.
I will be resigning my membership of the House and I intend to force a by-election in Haltemprice and Howden.
– David Davis MP
Quite unprecedented. An MP – and a privy counsellor – quitting in order to draw attention to loss of liberty (and he used my phrase, “the database state”. A meme whose time has come, I hope).
Update: now the official text rather than Sky’s slightly mangled transcript.
Having seen some of the glib comments aired on Sky News from viewers over the last few weeks I found myself appalled by the apathy and contempt most people seem to hold for the principles of freedom our ancestors fought so hard to establish for us to cherish. Looking at this infantile, racist idiocy, you’d think Sky would be cringing.
Is the electorate really set to allow society to be enslaved in this 21st Century manner, or will common sense prevail? Kudos to David Davis, but I fear that unless people become re-engaged with politics and something other than Environmentalism emerges to fill the vacuum, we are in for a torrid time.
How should we dovetail this with the debate a few weeks back the Libertarians should reject the LP Party and endeavor to work from within our two party systems (US’s and Britain’s)? An individual was already on the inside and saw his only recourse was to quit. To me sort of demolishes one side of the argument.
Bravo. I can hardly believe my eyes. Simply magnificent.
Well that sums up the reason behind the lack of any stance against the 42 days. Many people think that the extended detention will be used solely against Muslims. And perhaps for the time being they’re correct.
I hate to have to be the one to break the news to you, Tom, but Islam isn’t actually a “race”.
Thank you for putting up the extended quotation.
I’ve been going a little bit nuts over at The Spectator blogs this afternoon.Already the discussion is being narrowed, so it;’s good to read what he said.
Most commenters seem to be in support of Davis, but journalists are already mis-reporting it. They are missing the point that it is about more than 42 day detention.
And they are talking about how Davis might have hurt his political career.
Isn’t it obvious he thinks this is more important than which Cabinet job he might get now, if any?
Thank you for putting up the extended quotation.
I’ve been going a little bit nuts over at The Spectator blogs this afternoon.Already the discussion is being narrowed, so it;’s good to read what he said.
Most commenters seem to be in support of Davis, but journalists are already mis-reporting it. They are missing the point that it is about more than 42 day detention.
And they are talking about how Davis might have hurt his political career.
Isn’t it obvious he thinks this is more important than which Cabinet job he might get now, if any?
Wow. That last couple of lines came as a complete surprise. I’d heard of Davis’s resignation, but hadn’t seen his words. I expected to see the name of one of the Samizdatistas at the bottom.
My initial reaction was that this was some kind of stunt, but I’m beginning to think he might actually mean it. Good luck to him.
Smited? Should I have said “at the end” instead?
Yes – really magnificent. And, Kevyn, I too have been blogging at the Spectator as well as here and it is up to us to make sure that this debate is widened to include all the intrusive, authoritarian legislation which Labour has enacted.
Posted to a mailing list I’m on (to significant applause considering it was off topic and the inhabitants are often lefties):
http://www.pledgebank.com/daviddavis
Simon
Wow. This from a… politician? I may have to readjust my cynicism.
On the other hand, I can easily see Labour losing the next election thanks to Brown’s unpopularity and the Tories thinking that they won it due to Cameron’s policies. And the likes of Davis stuck in the wilderness.
*Sigh*
Well, it ties into all the other tiresome crap about the ills of immigration, Ian, I’m sure you would agree.
Very good Guy.
Principle over a top job – and the whines of the young careerists that David Davis is harming the party by putting it against the majority in the opinion polls.
As for party politics……
I can remember when the Conservative party controlled local government in cities like Leeds and Bradford (it was not so long ago) and we are getting weaker not stronger in these places.
Nor is it just northern cities – one council seat in Cambridge and no council seats at all in Mr Cameron’s Oxford (two places the Conservative party used to control) is not good.
What the careerists do not understand is that there is a difference between Labour weakness and Conservative strength.
It is not true that elections are not won by oppositions they are lost by governments – at least not fully true.
Just being “not them” is not enough at a general election – one must actually stand for something, for if the people think that a party has no principles (no beliefs) it is all over.
Being a dustbin for protest votes against an unpopular government is not enough for a great party.
Mr Davis clearly has principles – now let us see who else in the Conservative party has them.
It is not too late for Mr Cameron. He can still back this stand 100% – i.e. no more back stage whispers that Mr Davis is finished even if he wins the vote by a landslide.
Very good Guy.
Principle over a top job – and the whines of the young careerists that David Davis is harming the party by putting it against the majority in the opinion polls.
As for party politics……
I can remember when the Conservative party controlled local government in cities like Leeds and Bradford (it was not so long ago) and we are getting weaker not stronger in these places.
Nor is it just northern cities – one council seat in Cambridge and no council seats at all in Mr Cameron’s Oxford (two places the Conservative party used to control) is not good.
What the careerists do not understand is that there is a difference between Labour weakness and Conservative strength.
It is not true that elections are not won by oppositions they are lost by governments – at least not fully true.
Just being “not them” is not enough at a general election – one must actually stand for something, for if the people think that a party has no principles (no beliefs) it is all over.
Being a dustbin for protest votes against an unpopular government is not enough for a great party.
Mr Davis clearly has principles – now let us see who else in the Conservative party has them.
It is not too late for Mr Cameron. He can still back this stand 100% – i.e. no more back stage whispers that Mr Davis is finished even if he wins the vote by a landslide.
I read in a “letters to the editor” that Davis voted FOR increasing the detention to 28 days in the first place. Can anyone confirm ?
Confirming myself. Yes, he did vote FOR the 28 days. So, did he change his mind, or he thinks 28 days isn’t against the magna carta, but 42 is ?
I’d love to hear his statement on this apparent change of heart.