Greens on course to give Davis a scare
08 July 2008
The Greens are heading towards their best by-election result ever, beating the 6.1% in Vauxhall in 1989, and in the process giving David Davis and the Tories a scare in the Haltenprice and Howden by- election. The Greens are the main challenger to Davis, challenging his claim to be the defender of British civil liberties.
Dr. Derek Wall, who is campaigning in the constituency today, said
"David Davis is taking the people of Haltemprice and Howden for granted with this stunt, but he may find that he will not have the election completely his own way.
"Many voters find his illiberal stance on 28 days detention without charge, support for capital punishment and support for Section 28 just too much to swallow. The Greens' candidate Shan Oakes is the only option available to those voters.
"There's more to civil liberties than one vote in Parliament; it's not okay for the government to lock you up for four weeks without even telling you what you're supposed to have done. It's not okay to deny you a right to criticise the government within a mile of Parliament. If a child is being bullied for being gay, it's not okay to order his school not to have a policy to protect him.
"There is a real interest in Green Party policies in support of our civil liberties, for the withdrawal of all our troops in Iraq and for growing a green economy. Voters realise that Shan Oakes is the main challenger to David Davis and Green Party support is growing rapidly."
