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The British Crisis

Do the public really want to change ‘the system’?: Stuart Wilks-Heeg presents polling evidence
 

Don't trust MPs' constitutional poker: Guy Aitchison supports the call for a citizens' convention
 

Brown's 'National Council for Democratic Renewal': Anthony Barnett on the Prime Minister's desperate proposal
 

More in this series

Who Polices The Police?

Open letter to the BBC: Guy Aitchison and Stuart White raise serious concerns with the BBC's coverage of G20 policing
 

The Met must stop spinning G20 policing: Defend Peaceful Protest on the Met's response to its critics
 

Met watchdog criticises G20 policing: Anna Bragga reports on the MPA meeting
 

Our campaign to defend peaceful protest launches: Guy Aitchison and Andy May have some questions for the Met following the policing of the G20
 

The architectural photographer as terrorist: Edward Denison recounts his detention for photographing a police station
 

Letter to the Beeb: Guy Aitchison responds to a complacent and misleading feature on "kettling" for the BBC website
 

Not "kettling" but "bubbling": Clare Coatman on polarised views of police and protesters
 

Kettling - another special relationship: Charles Shaw's eye-witness account of the practice's US debut
 

Practical proposals to reform the police: Guy Aitchison invites OK readers to add to a list
 

Met orders review into policing of protests: Guy Aitchison comments on Sir Paul Stephenson's suggestions
 

Trapped and beaten by police in Climate Camp: Testimony from Chris Abbott

More in this series

The Damian Green Affair


A Very British Arrest: Laura Sandys on the precedent of her father's 1939 experience.


One reason why the police are dangerous, undemocratic and stupid: Anthony Barnett condemns an attack on democracy.


Questioned by the Met: An MP's experience: Tony Clarke on the crucial differences with his own case.


A Constitutional Failure: The Damian Green case highlights the need for a written constitution, argues Tom Griffin.

Immigration islands


The Return of Enoch: Enoch Powell's repatriation agenda must not be rehabilitated, argues Sunder Katwala.


The ugly economics of immigration: Paul Kingsnorth on why the left is out of step with working class interests.


Immigration and the Politics of Resentment: Shamser Sinha suggests the real problem is a politics that turns neighbour against neighbour.

A neoliberal kingdom


Britain’s neo-liberal state: The financial crisis exposes the need for democratic modernisation, argue Gerry Hassan and Anthony Barnett.


MODERN LIBERTY



Digital Privacy Wars: Guy Aitchison flags up a debate on the threat business poses to digital privacy


The Stalker State: Phil Booth of No2ID on the proposed Comms database


Say 'No' to 42 days: Sign Amnesty's petition against extending pre-charge detention


What do we do now?: Anthony Barnett assesses the stakes for for liberals and radicals in David Davis's campaign against the erosion of rights and liberties


The Abundance of Caution: an authoritative essay by Anthony Barnett sets out the case against 42 Days

Labour After Brown

The next left -Life after the Labour Party: Gerry Hassan sees a historic opportunity for the emergence of a post-New Labour left.

Scottish Labour, where's the coffee?: Gerry Hassan assesses the prospects for Scottish Labour and its new leader.

Lesson for the Left from Chile to Britain: Hassan Akram offers a global perspective on Labour's malaise.

From Milibland to Johnson land?: Jeremy Gilbert argues for Labour without neo-liberalism.

Magical thinking on Britishness: Anthony Barnett critiques Liam Byrne on fraternity.

Rule of law at risk: Geoffrey Bindman calls for a turn away from the marketisation of government.

A new Bill of Rights for Britain?: Guy Aitchison analyses Parliament's proposed new Bill of Rights.

Miliband - by our rights we will know you: Claire O'Brien puts forward a new progressive vision for Labour.

Recapturing liberal Britain: David Marquand challenges Labour's constitutional orthodoxy.

Miliband and the Liberal Democrats: James Graham on the case for realignment.

What is Labour's British story?: Writing from Scotland, Gerry Hassan widens the OurKingdom debate on Labour's future.

This is not Brown's crisis but Britain's: David Marquand says social democracy is bust and Britain may be too.

The Challenges for Miliband's Progressive Fusion: Fabian Society head Sunder Katwala responds to David Miliband.

England Awakes?

England, Britain and multiculturalism: an OurKingdom exchange

A mild awakening?, England's turn? by David Goodhart

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David Davis is a star

Anthony Barnett, 12 - 06 - 2008
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Anthony Barnett (London, OK): For the first time in my life (well, the second) I am thinking of canvassing for a Tory. I'm writing a detailed and necessarily angry piece about why we lost the 42 Days vote when only 5 more Labour MPs would have swung it. There is a year long effort ahead if the Lords turn it down, to defeat the use of the Parliament Act to force through the benighted legislation. To make sure it is defeated over the next 12 months defenders of liberty have to confront the issue of 'popular opinion'. I put it in inverted commas because I'm convinced that the public think it is about holding actual terrorists for 42 days before charging them. Now David Davis is taking the issue to his constituents. The po-faced realists at the Spectator are rubbing their hands with glee at the prospect of Davis being demoted if he is re-elected as the cold-hearted Cameron refuses to pledge that he will whip the legislation off the statute books - should it ever get there. No doubt there is a real battle over this at the top of the Tory Party. Davis went out of his way to point out that Habeas Corpus is drawn from the Magna Carta while, as I noted earlier, Michael Gove the shadow for Education and Children, is now a self-designated Runnymead refusenik. The Spectator look forward to Labour refusing to put up a candidate and thus turning Davis's gesture into a dud. But not so fast. First of all, Davis's statement may become a YouTube classic - I have already been called by a 23 year old saying she had just seen it. The Speaker, by refusing to allow it to be made in the Commons has probably done him a huge service. Second, and much more important, Brown played the people card. The Sun and the voters are with him, was the Prime Minister's taunt. Oh yes? Then what happens if we take the issue to the people? Is Labour going to be too frit to take up the challenge?

 

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Toque said:

Fri, 2008-06-13 14:57

How so, Mike? 

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Ivor Cornish said:

Fri, 2008-06-13 07:09

In the past political parties chose their leader and their
candidates and Murdoch told them what to do. Now we have the
possibility of David Davis not just fighting the Suns rhetoric but the
Murdoch candidate........ Kelvin MacKenzie.

Will Murdoch have told the Labour Party not to field a candidate so that Mackenzie will have a better chance of success?

I await their excuses with interest.

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Toque said:

Thu, 2008-06-12 20:46

It's a shame that Gorbals Mick let his personal politics pollute his office and prevent this historic speech being made before the House.

Speed the day when the English parliament is rid of the likes of him.

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Mike Small said:

Fri, 2008-06-13 12:37

Toque - what an offensive comment, on so many levels.

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Anthony Barnett said:

Thu, 2008-06-12 18:29

I agree Tom, that's why is right to try and break out of their confines. It is very interesting and important moment.

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Tom Griffin said:

Thu, 2008-06-12 15:09

I hope this comes off but between Labour, his internal Tory opponents and the Sun there will be a lot of people trying to isolate Davis.

George Pascoe-Watson was on Sky earlier today calling him a 'fundamentalist'.

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Ivor Cornish said:

Thu, 2008-06-12 14:39

 

Anthony I agree. If I lived closer to his constituence I would even consider helping him campaign.

Let us hope that this 'star' eclipses the rhetoric from the Sun.

Now we have to see if the Labour Party will dare to field a candidate.

 

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