So David Davis continues his tour of the news channels this morning lambasting the Government because no Cabinet Minister will come and debate with him on 42 days and his widening ‘civil liberties’ agenda. Funny that, because the local Liberal Democrat MEP, Diana Wallis, who also happens to be the President of Haltemprice & Howden local party wrote to Davis the day after his resignation asking for a debate with local Liberal Democrats and, 10 days on, we are still waiting for a reply.
This should come as no surprise because in the years we have fought DD in this constituency he has declined to attend any public debates with other parties. But if we are to believe in the depth of his feelings on civil liberties then local Liberal Democrats in this constituency should have the possibility to discuss with him his views. We’d be interested to know for example why there appears to be some ambivalence on the issue of ID cards, an antipathy to the Human Rights Act and downright opposition to the European Charter of Fundamental Rights. And of course he wants hanging.
As the MEP said: “Civil liberties need some form of constitutional and international underpinning which, as a Tory, David Davis has up until now resisted.”
I would put large amounts of money on the fact that Davis will not speak to Liberal Democrats in Haltemprice & Howden before polling day. But, as I say, we shouldn’t be surprised – we know him here. As somebody in the constituency said to me the other day: ‘he is a nasty, arrogant, supercilious man’. Quite!
June 24, 2008 at 9:14 am |
David Davis is complaining about the current administrations disregard for constitutional principles… we do have constitutional underpinning of civil liberties, its just easy to ignore them.
Not that a written constitution is that much different, you just need to look at the US and its disregard for the constitution (mostly through things like the ‘living constitution’ doctrine – that is it can be interpreted to serve the interests of those currently in power).
As for international underpinnings – part of the problem is the lack of accountability of government, a problem which gets even worse at international levels. Given those in power in the EU are of the same technocratic school as New Labour I don’t see much hope for the EU being much better.
We need less government to preserve civil liberties – which are by definition those things which government may not do to us. Less government at all levels increases civil liberties.
As for David Davis refusing debate with local LibDems – that’s probably because you’d (quite rightly) ask awkward questions… like why is 28 days okay?
June 24, 2008 at 10:14 am |
Well done, keep the pressure up. If only we could fight him at the hustings…