The Wardman Wire

Is there anybody out there?

What political event is happening in two days time? The Haltemprice and Howden by-election of course! How many people do you think could answer that question correctly? Not many outside those who take a keen interest in the political world – even for some within it, it may well have slipped their mind. All this says to me is that David Davis has failed.

He has failed to spark any serious debate in to the civil liberties issue. He has failed to unsettle Gordon Brown. He has failed to boost his reputation with the Conservative party. Most of all he has failed to justify taking such risky action in resigning his seat after losing a vote.

Debating with goons

Instead of standing toe to toe with a Labour candidate to battle out the big issues, Davis has attracted an unprecedented number of weirdoes and freaks who are much more interested in sharing some of the limelight than the number of CCTV cameras there are on the streets of the UK.

You have to feel sorry for him in some respects – how is he ever going to have a serious debate if he is up against the lizard conspiracy theorist David Icke? How can he even mention civil liberties when he faces up against the Church of the Militant Elvis Party? He has more fundamental things to argue about with Ronnie Carroll from the Make Politicians History party. And what can you say to the Mad Cow-Girl who is running for The Official Monster Raving Loony Party? Most worryingly of all is Independent candidate Eamonn “Fitzy” Fitzpatrick (as written on the ballot paper). Fitzy? I bet he is crazy guy who lights up a party with his Frank Spencer impersonations and karaoke singing. “Fitzy” must surely be a complete plonker with a name like that.

Fall guy, not Fitzy

However, Davis did not want the likes people who self-promote themselves with laddish nicknames like Fitzy to debate with. He wanted a fall guy from the Labour party. However, Labour was not going to play ball – and regardless of whether you think they should or not, tactically they have done the right thing. And on the same note, regardless of whether you think Davis did the right thing, he has tactically played it all wrong.

Why he is wrong

For a start, he was probably the best placed man in Britain to repeal the 42 day detention laws as he would have almost certainly been Home secretary within two years. Secondly, he left himself open to accusations that he was taking this action for his own political purposes. Thirdly, he risked the damaging the Tory party with his unilateral action and threatened to undermine David Cameron. He also took the step of throwing his toys out the pram because he lost a vote – you just cannot do that.

The Commons is an elected chamber and when you lose a vote you cannot then throw your toys out. I have little doubt the Labour whips were as heavy handed and persuasive as they have ever been – and there must have been something going on with the DUP vote. The media was in outrage at the Labour tactics, but Davis took the pressure off with his resignation. He could have got this right, but his gamble was misjudged.

I believe in what Davis is standing for, but he has played this all wrong I am afraid to say.