Alan B'Stard for Haltemprice!

err?

So far only Mad Cow-Girl of the MRL Party is standing against David Davis. Kelvin MacKenzie, ex editor of some toilet roll paper, may do!

I like politics.

Is it just me, or does anyone else find that statement slightly weird

I have to explain do I?

The New Statesman was an 80s-90s series about an over the top Tory MP, Alan B'Stard who was MP for the then fictional seat of Haltemprice. This constituency was then created at some Boundary Commission adjustment and David Davis is/was (I'm not quite sure on the legalities of whether he still counts as an MP at the moment) its MP.

So I would find it quite amusing to have Alan B'Stard (as played by Rik Mayall) standing in the election.

Well we've had J.Prescott at the other end of the city since forever so Alan B'Stard out to the west couldn't be any worse! Bring it on - I really think K.McKenzie is doing his best not to be selected, though.

Would you like to elaborate Carol? I find people who support football teams or drive fast cars etc strange, but would never call them "slightly weird" on a public forum.

It was tongue in cheek - sorry!
(It does says in my sig - do not take me too seriously )
I guess in the current political climate a lot of people think they are all as bad as each other so I guess to find someone saying "I like politics" just struck me as unusual - that's all - no offence meant

fascinating.... as it involves us all in some way or other.
Pity not to take any interest...

"Unusual" - I like the sound of that! That's what my wife thinks too.

What Mr Davis did, I think was a very shrewd bit of politicing. A very subtle but clever statement, but whom is he attacking.

The obvious is the Labour Front Bench, but is he having a side-swipe at his own too?

Standing down on the point of principle is not new. I'm uncomfortable with increasing the length of detention without charge, first terrorism, what next? It rather reminds me over what happened during the Weimar Republic in the 1930s.

It will be interesting to watch what happens next.

We have all the legislation in place to become a police state... we just don't have a Hitler in charge.

Today's Observer is interesting on this whole thing. There is precedent of course, for hopeful leaders-in-waiting (Powell, Heseltine) to oppose their party just bfore an election, though Davis's more cynical colleagues regard his stand as ill-judged in terms of possible personal advantage ....

I'm pleased that someone is taking a high profile stand on this - very disappointed that my MP (Hewitt) and the other MPs I know a little (Timms, Soulsby) did not vote against this shameful measure. Still, ministers are not permitted to vote against the government, and would-be ministers are pehaps ill-advised to (though Tony Banks got away with it once or twice I think).

One needs to look carefully at Davis's proposed policies, however. He may be sound on 42 days, but what else does he have up his sleeve?

I don't take as much interest in politics as I should, but I don't think that cynicism or apathy is an adequate response - surely if people think that politicians 'are all as bad as each other' they should take a much closer interest in their dealings? After all, politics is merely the business of how our public lives are managed ... and you'd think that should matter to us?

A little engagement could be helpful to our freedoms. It's clear that people are very easily led ... after all, look at the characteristic public support for war, or in this instance for 42 days (Davis: 'if you told people that 50% of those imprisoned for 42 days are entirely innocent, would they still support it?')

I confess to not living up to my own principles here - for example I regard the EU as inefficient and wasteful (at times also corrupt), but do nothing about this.

nick

I'm afraid politics is not my thing at all, but I did have quite a long chat with a cabinet minister yesterday!