New Direction: David Davis aims to split Labour

Thursday, June 12, 2008

David Davis aims to split Labour

This could be the end of our Government. Dave Osler says what I want to say myself elsewhere. I think there is a good case for the Calderbank option.

8 rants:

Anonymous said...: As I understand it (albeit I've picked these figures up from over at Harry's Place) the Liberals and Tories combined vote in the seat in 2005 was about 80%.

What possible reason would there be in Labour standing a candidate? Make the 42 dayscase, sure re-open the wound. But I think there's a very strong argument for letting the image of Davis standing on a stage with the BNP, UKIP and Monster Raving Loons only occur. I mean, he's going to win whatever - I assume that local activists and supporters would understand the party's decision not to stand?!

He voted for 28 days of course. I don't see how this could bring down the government anyway? Of course, the media are going to pait him as a noble knight of valour whatever happens - this is much more fun for them than the day-to-day machinations of the parliamentary grind.

DM; 6/12/2008 4:44 PM
Miller 2.0 said...: I'm worried that Labour will be steered into his agenda. People like myself would resign our party memberships.

This is about engineering a split, no mistake.; 6/12/2008 4:51 PM
Tim Roll-Pickering said...: If Labour doesn't stand a candidate then the party will lose control of the ability to put the government's case. The by-election isn't going to go away and it's likely that a paper candidate could be found.

In 1986 when the three Unionist Parties couldn't find candidates to contest them in four of the fifteen Anglo-Irish Agreement by-elections they got an activist to change his name to "Peter Barry" and stand on the description "For the Anglo-Irish Agreement". There is nothing to stop someone becoming "Gordon Brown" and running as "Abolish our fundamental freedoms".

Or you could leave it to one party that is likely to stand and which is in favour of 42 days. Do you really want the government case being made by the BNP?; 6/12/2008 6:30 PM
Anonymous said...: so we have a by election on hanging, abortion,global warming etc

it will be Davis V ukip
Libs and Lab will not stand

its really Davis v Cameron; 6/12/2008 8:05 PM
wozza said...: Kelvin Mckenzie is likely to stand on the "protect government from the citizen at all costs" platform if his appearence on This Week is to be believed.

if Mckenzie is making the Labour Party case in the by-election........ A) my head would explode, B) all bets for the considerable future are off.

DD may well be putting his toys out of the Pram - but unfortunately on the civil liberties agenda he is correct and the rump of the PLP is wrong. Gordon may point to the opion polls - but he can only do that so often before we bring back public hanging and birching.

If the Government persist on this issue i will have to talk to my prospective Labour candidate about her views on all this.
I can not vote Labour at a General Election again until we are to the left of Ghengis Khan on civil liberties.; 6/13/2008 12:51 AM
wozza said...: another thing to consider in this whole fiasco for Labour is if it does stand a candidate will they run to form on their by-election strategies?.

*To-whit painting Davis as some sort of elitist out of touch with the working man.......

*Will they run the scare mongering racist and xenophobic flyers pointing out that Mr Davis opposes "foreigners" having to carry ID cards.

unless Labour runs on its recent economic record (sorry, needed a good laugh this evening)...... they will have to run far to the right of Davis to get any traction and avoid a complete rout - because they have nothing left to offer at the moment from anywhere else.

It makes my blood boil more than anything the tories have said in the last 11 years - because thats what we expect of the tories. we hold ourselves to a higher standard.

(sorry for the addendum post but i had to get that off my chest); 6/13/2008 1:09 AM
a very public sociologist said...: Now Bob Marshall-Andrews has come out for Davis. WTF? Strange times indeed!; 6/15/2008 5:04 PM
David Lindsay said...: The Cameron Tories should put up against Davis and let's see who gets more votes.; 6/16/2008 12:57 AM