David Davis, Conservatives and Hypocrisy
snowflake5 Tue Jun 17, 2008 at 11:39:48 PM GMT 
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David Davis and the Conservative blogosphere have made much of how they hate CCTV and the DNA database - conveniently forgetting that these things were introduced by the last Conservative government.
David Cameron used to be a special advisor to Michael Howard when Howard was Home Secretary under the last Conservative government. In this 2002 biography of Cameron, it boasts that
[Cameron] helped to devise the scheme which has delivered thousands of CCTV cameras to towns across Britain.
So now we know whom to thank for the introduction of CCTV into British towns and cities - the leader of the opposition! David Davis was a member of parliament at this point (he was first elected in 1987) - so if he objected to CCTV, why didn't he go to the Home Office, take Cameron by the lapels, give him a shake and tell him in no uncertain terms that he objected? Why didn't he voice his objections to the then Home Secretary Michael Howard?
The Conservative manifesto of 1997 was also explicit:
* Closed circuit television has proved enormously successful in increasing public safety.
We will fulfil the Prime Minister's pledge to support the installation of 10,000 CCTV cameras in town centres and public places in the 3 years to 1999. We will provide £75 million over the lifetime of the next parliament to continue extending CCTV to town centres, villages and housing estates up and down the country that want to bid for support.
* Our national DNA database - the first in the world - now has over 112,000 samples on it. 3,300 matches have so far been made between suspects and crime stains.
[Cameron] helped to devise the scheme which has delivered thousands of CCTV cameras to towns across Britain.
So now we know whom to thank for the introduction of CCTV into British towns and cities - the leader of the opposition! David Davis was a member of parliament at this point (he was first elected in 1987) - so if he objected to CCTV, why didn't he go to the Home Office, take Cameron by the lapels, give him a shake and tell him in no uncertain terms that he objected? Why didn't he voice his objections to the then Home Secretary Michael Howard?
The Conservative manifesto of 1997 was also explicit:
* Closed circuit television has proved enormously successful in increasing public safety.
We will fulfil the Prime Minister's pledge to support the installation of 10,000 CCTV cameras in town centres and public places in the 3 years to 1999. We will provide £75 million over the lifetime of the next parliament to continue extending CCTV to town centres, villages and housing estates up and down the country that want to bid for support.
* Our national DNA database - the first in the world - now has over 112,000 samples on it. 3,300 matches have so far been made between suspects and crime stains.
David Davis ran for parliament on this manifesto in 1997, and the good burghers of Haltemprice and Howden voted for him, presumably because they approved of all these things. Was Davis lying to them at the time by endorsing this manifesto?
Then in 2005, the ID Card Bill was going through parliament. Michael Howard, the Conservatve leader at the time said, "The Party will give its support in principle at this stage"
The Bill went through the Commons on 224 votes to 64. Conservative MPs, including David Davis, who was Shadow Home Secretary at the time, did not vote against the bill. Instead they abstained. If he really felt so strongly against ID cards, why on earth didn't he vote against?
Davis has made much about detention without trial, grandly citing Magna Carta and Habeas Corpus in his resignation speech. But he was happy to ditch Habeas Corpus and vote in faviur of 28 day detention.
On almost all these points he has shown himself to be inconsistent and contradictory. One can't help feeling that the real reason he resigned is to upset David Cameron, fearless pioneer of CCTV!
Then in 2005, the ID Card Bill was going through parliament. Michael Howard, the Conservatve leader at the time said, "The Party will give its support in principle at this stage"
The Bill went through the Commons on 224 votes to 64. Conservative MPs, including David Davis, who was Shadow Home Secretary at the time, did not vote against the bill. Instead they abstained. If he really felt so strongly against ID cards, why on earth didn't he vote against?
Davis has made much about detention without trial, grandly citing Magna Carta and Habeas Corpus in his resignation speech. But he was happy to ditch Habeas Corpus and vote in faviur of 28 day detention.
On almost all these points he has shown himself to be inconsistent and contradictory. One can't help feeling that the real reason he resigned is to upset David Cameron, fearless pioneer of CCTV!
David Davis, Conservatives and Hypocrisy | 7 comments (7 topical)
David Davis, Conservatives and Hypocrisy | 7 comments (7 topical)
