I find it hard to be cynical about Davis’ actions today. Rather than being a “publicity stunt”, I suspect they may demonstrate that rarest of things – a politician acting on principle. But, whatever you think on that front, there’s a separate question: what will Davis achieve? I’m not sure it will be all that much. Some thoughts on why:
1) The 42-day legislation hasn’t been passed yet. If anything, the smart money’s on it not getting through the Lords (and possibly then entering a period of wrangling, courtesy of the Parliament Act). In that case, Davis will be running a by-election campaign largely against a policy which isn’t in place. That’s hardly the thing to bring about a land-shift in public opinion.
2) Do the public care about 42-day detention? As James has said before, the public are largely in support of 42-day detention, whilst also appreciating that it’s not the be-all-and-end-all of counter-terrorism in this country. Of
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