Thanks for your thoughtful and articulate post. My worry really is that Davis may actually be going a bit bonkers! As I said that would be a shame - although having to sit too close to Cameron for too long might challenge anyone’s equilibrium!

Paddy

Firstly, although it was a “shock” announcement to the waiting media, it appears that he had consulted for a couple of weeks about this.

Secondly, there was never any doubt that he will return to the Commons re-elected by his constituents - either with, or without, opposition. The Conservatives’ standing in the opinion polls and the personal rating would have guaranteed it, so all he has lost is his Shadow Home Secretary cabinet role.

I do think, however, that he has called into question the Whips method of influencing democracy - apart from the fact that I am not convinced that 69% of people (YouGov poll) really do support 42 days detention, I imagine that a good many MPs ignored the thousands of letters, visits to constituency surgeries and e-petitions that they received from individual members of the electorate after offers of future promotions or fudging expenses or whatever they were offered - and as you well know Paddy - sports people are not immune from the ability to “throw” a game either under similar financial or celebrity duress.

It may well be that David Davies is suffering from an ego-manical belief that people care that he regards the commons voting as tantamount to corruption, but the opportunity to be trailed by reporters and paparazzi during the hustings will offer him a daily media access that he has not had since he stood for the leadership.

I think that 42 days (which is an outrageous amount of time for a person to be detained as an innocent citizen) is only of importance to David Davies because of his shadow role, I think he is simply fed up with the government rubber stamping of every ludicrous wheeze dressed up as democratic process.

But then I also endorse proportional representation!