DAVID Davis MP’s decision to resign his seat and stand again on a freedom ticket has confused political commentators in the national press and the BBC.
That's because they don’t really “get� displays of principles in politics.
Politics is just a game to most of ‘em.
But many intelligent ordinary men and women up and down the country have no difficulty at all in appreciating the Tory politician’s decision to make a stand in defence of freedom.
One man told me that the hairs stood up on the back of his neck when Davis made his speech about forcing a by-election.
Davis spoke of “the insidious, surreptitious and relentless erosion of fundamental British freedoms�. He’s quite right, of course.
I must say, however, that Davis’ opposition to allowing potentially innocent terror suspects to be locked away for up to 42 days without charge is actually the weakest plank of his freedom campaign – considering the very high risk of deadly Islamist terror attacks in our country.
Whatever the rights and wrongs of the 42 days argument, there are however plenty of other infringements of freedom to get worked up about.
Davis himself listed some of them…
- the planned introduction of the most intrusive identity card system anywhere in the world.
- a CCTV camera for every 14 citizens (it’s what George Orwell warned about in his prophetic novel 1984)
- a DNA database (for the UK) bigger than any dictatorship has
- an assault on jury trials – that bulwark against bad law and its arbitrary use by the State
- the creation of a database State, opening up our private lives to the prying eyes of official snoopers and exposing our personal data to careless civil servants and criminal hackers
- so-called “hate laws� that stifle legitimate debate, while those who incite violence get off Scot free.
I rather like David Davis. Some six years ago, when I worked as a columnist on the evening paper in Hull, I featured him in my Out To Lunch With Steve Regan column, as a celebrity guest I took out on expenses.
The man’s background is well known. Born to a single mum and brought up in a humble Yorkshire prefab, he dragged himself up by his bootstraps and made a successful career for himself in both business and politics.
He is something of an action man and has served in the Territorial version of the SAS.
That's impressive, but more importantly, he is a warm and engaging human being – not cold and snooty like a lot of the top Tories are.
And like all decent men and women, he values freedom greatly.
I wish there were more politicians like him.
Generally nowadays there is such little understanding of what freedom means – and so little value placed on it by our political leaders.
But ..but… the good news is that people are starting to wake up to the assault on freedom that's underway by a nasty, snooping, proscriptive British State that's in thrall to a vile Liberal Fascism.
David Davis mentioned some of the ways freedom is slipping away. Here are some others…
- the smoking ban in pubs and workplaces – it’s cruel and hateful and forces old people into social isolation
- the persecution of motorists by target-chasing idiot cops while serious crime is ignored
- councils, health authorities and housing associations having the cheek to lecture people on how to live, eat and behave.
Of course, the whole of history tells us that you can’t have freedom without laws and we need the State (nations) to codify those laws.
Now, all that might seem obvious, but I would ask everyone to think about it, really think about it. Think about freedom today. It’s worth giving some thought to.
We don’t need to get too philosophical about it – even though freedom is a core subject of philosophy.
But it is worth quoting what the philosopher John Locke said: “Where there is no law, there can be no freedom.�
He was right. We need the State (as the only legitimate authority) to curtail your freedom somewhat, because the State also curtails the freedom of others – which is the only thing that can make your freedom real!
Without freedom under the law, we would have only violence and fear.
But one Very Big Problem occurs when the State becomes over-weaning and tries to regulate every aspect of its citizens’ lives. That’s happening now. To you and me and David Davis.
Another problem is when the State, shamefully, in secret, and with deliberate deceit, tries to give away the freedoms of its citizens to another power.
That's also happening now – with the attempted abandonment of British sovereignty to the unwanted and largely undemocratic European Union.
The Irish – they are not big but they are clever! – have said no to the Lisbon EU Constitution (I refuse to call it a treaty, because it ain’t). Good for them.
But already the creepy political elite of the EU, including our Prime Minister Gordon Brown and Foreign Secretary David Milliband, are trying to push forward with the unwanted Lisbon measures by ignoring the Irish (or suggesting they vote again and this time reach the “right� decision), while refusing to give the British people any say in a referendum.
That’s because they know, if asked, a whopping big majority of British people – decent, patriotic, freedom-loving people – would say “No. Not now. Not ever. Bog off.�
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Smokehouse wrote...
HI Steve, I personally think that the stand David Davies is taking is no more than a token which will achieve nothing. To the best of my knowledge none of the other parties are even supplying an opposition candidate. I actually agree with the 42 day law. I agree with the cameras dotted around the UK. I don't agree with the database or ID cards although I have no alternative solution and something needs to be done.
I seem to recall one MP as saying we do not need more laws in this country, we need the exsiting ones to be enforced, something which the police seem reuctlant to do. Maybe it is something to do with budgets and targets. Crimes involving damage to property where the cost is less than 500 quid are not even investigated.
I totally agree about our freedom being eroded with the refusal of this government to hold a referendum on the Lisbon "Treaty". Maybe we should pull out of Europe forever. After all when we joined EFTA we had no idea that we would one day be ruled from Brussels. Now that really is Big Brother.
REGAN REPLIED: Yes, the European project is the biggst threat to freedom, and there certainly is a problem with law enforcement in this country. At least there is a debate about the threat to liberty now - we are no longer sleepwalking into tyranny.
Posted by: Smokehouse | June 19, 2008 10:19 AM