A senior opposition Member of Parliament in the United Kingdom, David Davis, the Tory Shadow Home Secretary has resigned as Shadow Home Secretary and as a MP in protest at the passage of a Bill to allow pre-charge detention up to 42 days of suspected "terrorists". The Bill, a major political initiative of neocon Prime Minister Gordon Brown, only passed when the Government made massive undisclosed promises to nine Northern Irish Members of Parliament. Many Labour Members of Parliament and almost all opposition MPs voted against the Bill as they felt that imprisoning people without charges, or a trial or conviction, for up to six weeks is not something that a free society does.
David Davis has resigned and will run for re-election in his district both as a protest over the Government's Bill and to allow his constituents (and the British people at large) to debate the Government's "erosion of freedom".
The United Kingdom, under neocon Prime Ministers Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, has led the way to jack boot police state laws ~ all of which are claimed "necessary to fight terrorism". The UK has one CCTV camera for every 14 citizens. It is not possible to travel down any major roadway in the UK, for hardly any distance at all without being under police CCTV surveillance. English, Scottish, Welsh, and Northern Irish cities and towns are covered with CCTV police cameras. Some even have speakers so that the police can talk to you if they don't like whatever it is you are doing or not doing or whatever.
The United Kingdom has a DNA database larger than any dictatorship in history with a million innocent citizens in the ever growing database. The Brits have one of the most intrusive ID card systems in the world. Increasingly, the right to trial by jury is being restricted by the Government.
Mr. Davis, in his resignation statement has said, "This Sunday is the anniversary of Magna Carta, a document that guarantees that most fundamental of British freedoms, habeas corpus, the right not to be imprisoned by the state without charge or reason. Yesterday, this House decided to lock up potentially innocent citizens for up to six weeks without charge." He went on to say, "The state has security powers to clampdown on peaceful protest and so-called hate laws to stifle legitimate debate whilst those who incite violence get off scot free. This cannot go on. This must be stopped and for that reason, I feel it is incumbent on me to take a stand. I will be resigning my membership of this House and I intend to force a by-election in Haltemprice and Howden."
"I'm not fighting on the government's general record, there is no point in repeating Crewe and Nantwich, I won't fight it on my personal record ~ I am just a piece in this great chess game. I will fight it, I will argue in this by-election against the slow strangulation of fundamental British freedoms by this Government. Now that may mean I have made my last speech to the House and of course, that would be a cause of deep regret to me but at least my electorate and the nation as a whole would have the opportunity to debate and consider one of the most fundamental issues of our day ~ the ever intrusive power of the state into our lives, the loss of privacy, the loss of freedom and the steady attrition undermining the rule of law. If they do send me back here it will be with a single message ~ that the monstrosity of a law that we passed yesterday will not stand."
It is a real shame that here in America we lack such senior political leaders as David Davis.
Sometimes a leader, if he or she is to be real, has to place the interests of the nation before himself. Sadly, most politicians are so psychopathic that they see themselves as more important than the Constitution and all 300 million Americans.
Maybe David Davis will start a new trend ~ standing up for something real and important not just more self serving lying bullshit.
Stirling