Iain Dale has now written up his thoughts on David Davis and the 42 Days detention issue in the U.K. Well worth a read, but here’s the crux of the matter:
I see that well know by election Labour campaigner, Stephen McCabe MP, thinks that David is “treating Parliament and the voters with contempt”. They really don’t get it, do they? They don’t get the fact that our there, voters are crying out for politicians who take moral stands and stand up for what they believe in, even if it is temporarily unpopular. They are fed up with politicians who are on the take, or can be corralled into a voting lobby by a government whip offering them sweeties for their pet cause. Ann Widdecombe made a courageous stand when she made her something of the night speech. She did so in the full knowledge that it could be the ruination of her political career. She did what she thought was right. And that’s what David Davis is doing.
Absolutely. I am tremendously impressed by the amount of principle on display on both sides of the Conservative debate over there, especially when contrasted with the utter lack of it on the government’s side (as far as I can see). The U.K. needs a Conservative Party willing to debate issues according to the differing strands of conservative philosophy. This is probably the thing that has been most lacking during the Conservative revival. A party confident enough to allow and encourage vigorous internal debate is not a divided one, but a strong one.