And now Davis responds...
Peter Hoskin 3:39pm
Here's the text of David Davis' response to Gordon Brown's letter:
Dear Gordon,Thank you for your letter of 26 June. This is the second time you have responded to me directly, since my resignation from the House of Commons in protest at your relentless assault on British liberty.
First, you gave a speech on 17 June at the IPPR, a favoured Labour think-tank, hardly an environment that allows for the vigorous and open debate we so sorely need. Now, you insist that any questions I wish to ask on this vital national issue be raised within the narrow confines of Prime Ministers Questions, where you have developed the novel practice of asking - rather than answering- the questions.
I note from your speech on 17 June that you genuinely believe in the positions you have taken and stand behind the sustained erosion on British liberty, which regrettably means that the country must expect more to come in the future. Equally, it is deeply disturbing how ill-informed you are about the basic effectiveness of your security policies - from 42 days, ID cards and the DNA database, through to the ineffectual deployment of CCTV at immense cost to the taxpayer.
We need a proper national debate on these important matters - not just set piece speeches to carefully choreographed audiences or the weekly one-liners you deploy at PMQs. If you were serious about debating these important issues, you should have put up a candidate or at the very least allowed your Ministers to debate publicly with me. Having cowered from both options, it is a bit rich to snipe from the sidelines in a serious debate that will proceed with or without you. Even at this late stage, I would be only too willing to adjust my schedule to debate you or any Cabinet Minister in public, if you feel able to relax the restrictions currently in place.
Yours sincerely,
David Davis
Previous
Comments
mart
June 30th, 2008 3:55pmPitch perfect.
Sniper
June 30th, 2008 3:58pmShabash, Basher!
Guy Incognito
June 30th, 2008 4:02pmA superb reply - particularly the observation that this debate will continue "with or without you". Exactly the right tone: respectful but dismissive.
Why can other Tory front-benchers not match this clarity and candour?
Verity
June 30th, 2008 4:07pmHeroic! And bloody well-written.
Max
June 30th, 2008 4:20pmGood man!
Mark Heenan
June 30th, 2008 4:26pmOwned!
Bernard from Horsham
June 30th, 2008 4:41pmIts yet another example of every decision Gordon takes.. is the wrong one. A brillant reply!
Slim Jim
June 30th, 2008 4:47pmDavis knows that Brown won't come outside his comfort zone of parliament, where he can control the agenda, debate and even the outcome. That's why he had to take it outside the Westminster Circus. Great response!
Marian Clarke
June 30th, 2008 4:48pmExcellent, well said David.
Tom
June 30th, 2008 4:50pmI didn't realise Ministers had been banned from discussing the topic.
Chris SE9
June 30th, 2008 4:55pmWhat pathetic to-ing and fro-ing from both these two egos. But is does mean DD gets some sort of coverage, as there is virtually no interest in the by-election nor him at present.
crown
June 30th, 2008 4:57pmbrilliant.
Chuck Unsworth
June 30th, 2008 5:21pm@ Chris SE9
So, who started the 'pathetic to-ing and fro-ing'? Brown is so crass that he gives even an ex-MP (no doubt soon to be re-elected as a back-bencher) a chance to tell him to FOAD.
Marvellous. This man is an idiot.
Nicholas
June 30th, 2008 5:27pmWell done DD. I like the retort about Brown asking rather than answering the questions.
Time to go Brown. We all detest you and your Stalinist totalitarian vision for Britain. Take your ACPO henchmen with you.
Ian C
June 30th, 2008 5:30pmGB cannot do/say anything that is to his/Labour's advantage, and here we see that he cannot even play the game of political one-upmanship without having the floor wiped with his efforts. If he cannot even come out ahead in this sort of exchange (pointless from his view point - little upside and wide open to the reply he got) why is he party Leader, let alone PM?
Well done DD.
Neil,Devon
June 30th, 2008 6:19pmBrilliant stuff - pity the letter cannot be seen by the country as a whole.
Dave Burns
June 30th, 2008 6:30pmIts not true that GB does not answer questions. Every week there are Labour MPs who ask the Great Leader to confirm how brilliant he is and give them a shed load of tractor stats to take back home!
TGF UKIP
June 30th, 2008 7:16pmIf only, if only!
Drew
June 30th, 2008 7:51pmJust as a matter of interest... does anyone actually KNOW how many tractors were manufactured in the UK last year?
I think DC should use one of his six weekly questions on that one - perhaps at the end-of-term PMQs.
Doh! Now I've spoiled the surprise.
Trumpeter Lanfried
June 30th, 2008 8:00pmYowzah! Yowzah! Yowzaaah!
Oscar
June 30th, 2008 8:41pmChris SE9 - the media led by the BBC were absolutely obsessed by DDs decision to stand down - that is until they discovered via the opinion polls that the nation was backing DD. Then they dropped it like a hot potato. As ever the people are way ahead of the commentariat. Excellent response from Davis - but will the BBC do their job and let the nation know about this letter?
Max Kaye
June 30th, 2008 9:47pmWell done, DD!
Perry
June 30th, 2008 10:18pmWell done DD!! Never ever stop, - the country needs you – and there is so much more work to do.
dilys
June 30th, 2008 10:50pmWho cares? Not I!
I would like more cctv, compulsory ID card carrying and more 'stop and serch'. It all makes me feel safer.
Nicholas
June 30th, 2008 11:14pmdilys, you're not a friend of Dora are you? I hope New Labour are paying you for working so late monitoring blogs or are you doing it at the taxpayers expense?
Pete, Scotland
June 30th, 2008 11:35pmOver the centuries our ancestors have fought and died for the freedoms and liberties that I, and my generation, have enjoyed and taken for granted.
I regard it as my duty to protect these freedoms and liberties for my children just as my forbearers did for me.
For Labour to not even try to defend it's own policies, other than childish and shallow sniping from the sidelines, highlights the hollowness of this Governments arguments.
David Davis, and we the public, deserve a good honest debate from all sides on this matter.
At the moment, in my opinion, David Davis is a champion of public opinion with no Government contender willing or strong enough to take him on.
What a reflection of a Labour Government in power!
Silent Hunter
June 30th, 2008 11:51pm'...within the narrow confines of Prime Ministers Questions, where you have developed the novel practice of asking - rather than answering- the questions...'
LOL Brilliant riposte to the clunking ditherer! :O)
Silent Hunter
June 30th, 2008 11:55pmChrisSE9:
Yeah! Right!
As can be seen from the total lack of support here for DD!
Another ZaNuLabour prole, bleating! LOL
Silent Hunter
July 1st, 2008 12:01amdilys:
'...I would like more cctv, compulsory ID card carrying and more 'stop and serch'. It all makes me feel safer...'
From some one who can't even spell 'search' correctly....that isn't surprising.
Another case of New Labours "Educashun, edyookation, edupyercasson"
Pete, Scotland
July 1st, 2008 12:12amdilys,
I presume that you will be amongst the first 'volunteers' to chipped, implanted and monitored 24/7.
What that has got to do with catching 'clean' terrorists I don't know.
But if that makes you feel happy and safe!
Alex
July 1st, 2008 12:32amPity the Brown Broadcasting Corp. wont talk about this
Stephen Barr
July 1st, 2008 1:13pmDD is completely correct - these issues are serious and need debating.
The fact that he's clearly got up Gordon's nose is a nice bonus.
John Haynes
July 1st, 2008 2:05pmDD - Brilliant reply but for the life of me I cannot understand why Brown wrote in the first place, he really isn't up to the gig at all.
PS. dilys & ChrisSE9, dark room, sucky bear and lots of rest before your GCSEs. Good Luck with them - 'A' s are now the standard !
dilys
July 2nd, 2008 6:52amThank you John and I hope that I do as well as you must have done although it has done nothing for your judgement.
BTW, I am 60 amd gained my degree several
decades ago.