David Davis hss resigned

[NotABanana]

Speaking on Radio 4 now

well said bridie & bossy.

wasabi: maybe you're right, maybe I am just being a knee-jerk anti-Tory though given the Tories track record in this area (I seem to recall they introduced the policy of internment in Northern Ireland in the 1970s) I do have some pretty serious doubts as to where they would stand on this if they were in power.

Bridie: apologies, that did rather sound like I was tarring everyone with the same brush, which wasn't intended. On the other hand, given that the police and the security services have all been pushing for originally a 90 day period, and now a 42 day period, I'd be surprised if many people in the Services didn't share their view.

I would also say I'm not supportive of the proposal for 42 days either, just that it very much strikes me that this resignation is designed to gain political capital. If he was genuine about this, he'd stand down completely rather than immediately seek re-election is a by-election in which he already has got the Lib Dems onside.

Yes well we all know what a roaring success internment in NI was. Perhaps the Tories learned their lesson from that.

Its a shame that the Labour party don't seem to have done the same.

I was feeling really down about the vote for internment without trial here. My respect for David Davis has just gone up a few notches. I did not know he was ex-SAS but surely that would just give him more insight?

His www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article4120888.ece resignation speech:

I think he feels passionately about the issue. But the cynic in me says he is 59 and, although MPs sometimes stay longer than 65, he's at the age when a lot of men start to contemplate their retirement or at least scaling down their workload, if they can. So it's not a huge risk - if he loses, he's got speaking tours, pension and autobiography to look forward to...

Just read the full speech Upwind posted - I only caught the 2nd half on tv at lunchtime.

Impressive stuff. I think he genuinely thinks that this is the only way to stop the govt forcing this through. Yes, the Lords will throw it back but ultimately they can be overuled by the Commons.

I think the true nature of the horrendous damage that this govt have now inflicted on the constitution is becoming clear - or at least the consequences are.

I don't want my ds growing up in this sort of environment, being snooped and spied on all the time. Jounalists like Henry Porter in the Observer have been banging on about this for a couple of years but most people just didn't seem to give a crap provided the economy was going well.

Now at last perhaps people will actually start to take some notice before its too late.

What on earth has being in the Services got to do his position on 42 days???? I'm not a particular fan of his but he has been an outspoken critic of the government's erosion of privacy and our legal framework for a long time and I admire him for it. Would be interested to hear an explanation of how this move could possibly assist him in unseating David Cameron. He has worked fantastically well with DC for 2 years now without putting a foot wrong. If he wanted to rock the boat, he's had plenty of opportunity to do that.

He's got everyone talking about the issue now which as far as I'm concerned is a huge step forward.

Labour won't be fielding a candidate in the by-election.
Here

But Kelvin McKenzie is standing against him! I find it all really strange. I'm opposed to 42 days but I don't believe most of the Conservative opposition is genuine on this, and he's a right winger. I don't like them but even the DUP voted for their principles.

Another bizarre twist, left Labour MP Bob Marshall-Andrews who thought he'd lost his marginal seat (Medway) in 2005 and that that would be one of the few bits of "good news" for Tony Blair that night (they don't see eye to eye!) is planning to campaign for David Davis. It's an expellable offence so he obviously isn't bothered about his future in parliament anyway. (He's also a judge and writes crime fiction, and probably would lose as a Labour candidate at the next election).