Cowardly Labour?

Labour Home have an opinion piece entitled "Not standing against Davis is political cowardice".

"Our party leader and Prime Minister says about David Davis' resignation: "Everyone now recognises this is a stunt that has become a farce" - a sentiment repeated often enough on this site. But standing for election is a deeply serious matter, and fighting a byelection on the 42 days legislation and erosion of our civil liberties can not be dismissed so lightly.

Since when has the Labour Party not stood candidates in parliamentary seats? With the exception of not contesting the Speaker's seat, I can remember only one controversial example: the Neil Hamilton / Martin Bell contest in 1997.

Surely our normal procedures apply. Although we may, ordinarily, stand little chance of winning Haltemprice and Howden we apparently have a PPC and they should contest the seat.

Furthermore, not to contest the seat would be to ignore our own party constitution. The Labour Party Rulebook(2008) defines the purpose of the Labour Party: "It's purpose is to organise and maintain in Parliament and in the country a political Labour Party" (Labour Party Rulebook 2008, Chapter 1, Clause1, Part 1)

Constituency Labour Parties are similarly commanded "To secure the return of Labour representatives to Parliament..." (Chapter 7, Rules for CLPs, Clause II, Part 2B).

A failure to contest the byelection would surely risk showing the same contempt for our own Rulebook as, some would argue, the government has shown for our liberty.

If our leaders are so sure of their case on 42 days and civil liberties they should surely relish the opportunity to present it, along with the rest of party policy, in a high-profile byelection - even in a seat in which we would ordinarily have little chance of winning. Who knows, if Davis' act is, as our leader asserts "a stunt" then the good people of Haltemprice and Howden might see through him and show their support for imprisoning suspects without charge for six weeks by voting Labour?

But, on the other hand the public at large may see our failure to stand up for our beliefs by not contesting this byelection as an act of political cowardice, compared to what might appear an act of political courage and principle by David Davis."

Read it and you can see Gordon Brown's dilemma, although he probably a) never visits Labourhome and b) would not listen to someone who wrote under the tag "Free radical".