Tory leader David Cameron has praised David Davis for his by-election victory but is refusing to say whether he will offer him another frontline role.

He called the former shadow home secretary a "very strong" figure who could "contribute in the future".

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7501226.stm

Oh! what a splendid idea! ...I had forgotten all about them.

Boris has been let down badly by his staff lately...needs a bit of support..and he is the only libertarian in Britain..(my counterpart in the UK, so to speak)...so I shall recommence "Boris Updates" from next week.

http://nzcapitalist.blogspot.com/

Elijah, why are you no longer giving us updates on him? Not only is he mayor, but still writes a weekly column for the Daily Telegraph.

I thought his brilliant move on the 4x4's could have gotten a jolly good seeing to by you.

I miss your Boris Johnson updates. Please bring them back!

Yes, you are correct Lindsay ...as a mild mannered, self effacing..(*ahem*)..sort of chap who does not have an ego the size of Africa..(*cough, splutter*)...my only concern is the good of the website...so long as people are reading our material, that is the only important thing, not who gets the credit... :p

http://nzcapitalist.blogspot.com/

Just be nice to each other. No need to scratch each other's eyes out over who posted something first. We all get it in the end.

Erm ...

Yes, that is true...I do not have any connections at all.

Here is a perfect example of what I mean......gosh, I posted around one day earlier!

Ahhhh...the joys of the internet ha ha

http://nzcapitalist.blogspot.com/ 

That's because you don't have my "illuminati" connections

Ha ha...I had mentioned it earlier this afternoon on the "Finally A Politician Who... " thread ...this is the third time in a week I have written a post first, someone else has written a similar one...and... ...their post has been more read and commented on! gosh...(what kind of a World are we living in?!?!)

http://nzcapitalist.blogspot.com/

...I haven't a clue what your talking about. I could have sworn that you are a member of Davis' neocon "new world order". However, I haven't seen you at any of our regular secret meetings

Thank you, Marcus, for being the first person on solopassion.com to announce the results of the by-election...oh! ...hang on...

http://nzcapitalist.blogspot.com/

Daily Telegraph

David Davis wins Haltemprice by-election as turnout halves
By Rosa Prince, Political Correspondent
11/07/2008

Speaking after the declaration, Mr Davis said his victory had been a "shot across the bows of Gordon Brown's arrogant, arbitrary and authoritarian Government".

"Today the people of Haltemprice and Howden have delivered a stunning message to the Government, and our campaign has reverberated across the country," he said.

"Four weeks ago as Gordon Brown stooped into the gutter to rig the vote on 42 days, ministers crowed that 69% of people voted 42 days.

"Today just 36% supported it.

"Four weeks ago the Government touted public support for a range of other draconian measures.

"Today 71% support my stand against the attacks on British liberty."

Mr Davis resigned the seat last month to seek re-election on a civil liberties platform after 42-day pre-charge detention for terror suspects was approved by the Commons.

Neither Labour nor the Liberal Democrats - who came second in Haltemprice and Howden in 2005 - took part in yesterday's vote.

Critics said that rather than the wide-ranging national debate over civil liberties that Mr Davis had hoped for following the extension of detention without trial for terror suspects, his one-man crusade had failed to capture the public imagination.

"This by-election was a vain stunt that became and remains a farce," said Tony McNulty, the Home Office minister.

The sizeable field of predominantly fringe candidates, a record number for a by-election, left Mr Davis few opportunities to air the issues which triggered his dramatic resignation last month.

Other contenders included David Icke, a former BBC sports presenter who once declared himself to be the "son of God,” a former Miss Great Britain, a man called Bus Pass Elvis, and Mad Cow-Girl of the Monster Raving Loony Party.

David Cameron and other senior Tories had campaigned for Mr Davis, but the cast of eccentrics and publicity-seekers fighting the seat fuelled Conservative fears that the contest had become a circus.

According to one estimate, the by-election process has cost taxpayers more than £200,000.

Free mailing provided to each of the candidates left Royal Mail with a bill of around £112,600. And East Riding Council which administered the election and the counting of ballots, is thought to have spent at least £95,000.

A Labour spokesman said: "David Cameron should have shown some leadership and stopped this complete waste of money. Why should taxpayers have to contribute to David Davis's vanity project?"

Mr Davis will now return to the backbenches for the first time in nearly 20 years. He has denied speculation that he will one day seek to overturn the man who beat him to the post of leader, insisting that he remains loyal to Mr Cameron.

There is little doubt, however, that he will use his remaining influence to try to see off any attempts by the Tory leader to rein back from the tough stance on civil liberties issues such as opposition to ID cards, which he had fought hard for within the shadow cabinet.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/2284123/David-Davis-...

6:18pm UK, Tuesday July 08, 2008

Nearly two thirds of people do not support the Government's move to extend pre-charge detention for terror suspects to 42 days.

Despite protestations from Gordon Brown that a majority of Britons believe the current 28 day limit should be lengthened, a poll for the Joseph Rowntree Reform Trust has found 61% believe six weeks is too long.

The ICM survey of 1,000 found 32% thought the current limit ought to remain, while six per cent suggested it should be reduced, to just four days.

The findings have been published on the eve of the Haltemprice and Howden by-election, sparked by the resignation of shadow home secretary David Davis, so he could stand for re-election on a civil liberties platform in the wake of the 42-day controversy.

Meanwhile, the legislation, which only scraped through the Commons, has received a savaging in the House of Lords.

Former Lord Chancellor Lord Falconer said it was too complex and would involve people, who should be focussing on finding evidence, instead having to find their way through a complex Home Office flow chart to discover what role they are to play.

"I find it worrying someone could be detained in prison on the basis of a deal done with another political party," he added.

And ex Attorney General Lord Goldsmith said he would also vote against it.

"42 days will undermine the fundamental freedoms on which this country is based," he said.

Although there was no vote in the Lords yesterday, Labour has no majority in the House and the chances of the 42-day proposal surviving appear slim.

It is almost certain to be stripped out of the Counter Terrorism Bill when the legislation is scrutinised in detail by the Upper Chamber.

Poll Results
How long do you think people who may be innocent or guilty of a terrorist offence should be held in detention for questioning before they are charged or released?

Up to four days 6%
Up to one week 10%
Up to two weeks 13%
Up to four weeks 32%
Up to six weeks 36%

http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/Politics/42-Day-Detention-Poll-Finds-Ne...

Not a bad speech given the current left-wing political climate. Hopefully just the beginning!
................................

David Cameron's Campaign Speech for Glasgow East's current by-election.

“I think the time has come for me to speak out about something that has been troubling me for a long time. I have not found the words to say it sensitively. And then I realised, that is the whole point.

“We as a society have been far too sensitive. In order to avoid injury to people’s feelings, in order to avoid appearing judgemental, we have failed to say what needs to be said. We have seen a decades-long erosion of responsibility, of social virtue, of self-discipline, respect for others, deferring gratification instead of instant gratification.

“Instead we prefer moral neutrality, a refusal to make judgments about what is good and bad behaviour, right and wrong behaviour. Bad. Good. Right. Wrong. These are words that our political system and our public sector scarcely dare use any more"

“Of course as soon as a politician says this there is a clamour – “but what about all of you?” And let me say now, yes, we are human, flawed and frequently screw up".

Our relationships crack up, our marriages break down, we fail as parents and as citizens just like everyone else. But if the result of this is a stultifying silence about things that really matter, we re-double the failure. Refusing to use these words – right and wrong - means a denial of personal responsibility and the concept of a moral choice.

“We talk about people being “at risk of obesity” instead of talking about people who eat too much and take too little exercise. We talk about people being at risk of poverty, or social exclusion: it’s as if these things – obesity, alcohol abuse, drug addiction – are purely external events like a plague or bad weather.

“Of course, circumstances – where you are born, your neighbourhood, your school, and the choices your parents make - have a huge impact. But social problems are often the consequence of the choices that people make.

“There is a danger of becoming quite literally a de-moralised society, where nobody will tell the truth anymore about what is good and bad, right and wrong. That is why children are growing up without boundaries, thinking they can do as they please, and why no adult will intervene to stop them – including, often, their parents. If we are going to get any where near solving some of these problems, that has to stop.

“And why would a different government be any different? Not least because we understand that the causes of our broken society lie not just in government policies but in our national culture.

“Changing our culture is not easy or quick. You cannot pull a lever. You cannot do it top-down. But you can give a lead. You can give a nudge. You can make a difference if you are clear where you stand.

Imagine if there was a Government that understood, really understood, that encouraging personal and social responsibility must be the cornerstone of everything that it did and that every move it took re-inforced that view.

“Saying to parents, your responsibility and your commitment matters, so we will give a tax break for marriage and end the couple penalty. Saying to head teachers you are responsible and if you want enforceable home school contracts and the freedom to exclude you can have it and we will judge you on your results. Saying to police officers you are responsible and the targets and bureaucracy are going but you must account to an elected individual who will want answers if you fail. Saying to business, if you take responsibility you can help change culture and we will help you with deregulation and tax cuts … but in the long run they depend on the steps you take to help tackle the costs of social failure that have driven your costs up and up.

“It is the responsibility agenda and it will be the defining thread of any government I lead."

http://conservativehome.blogs.com/torydiary/2008/07/cameron-its-tim.html