Quentin Davies defects

[Silent Hunter]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/6241928.stm

Apparently, he'd never liked Cameron...

[Verily]

Not the sort of defection one might have expected, jumping onto a sinking ship. Though I suppose Labour has been looking a bit perkier these days, Davies certainly won't win reelection in his current seat that voted for the Conservatives (himself) in 1997. Maybe he plans to retire.

[The Man From G.O.P.]

Butthole


Guess you have to follow your conscience though, but he is just a new passenger on the Titanic.

[minionofmidas]

I always find the kind of good words British MPs have to say about their defectors hilarious. They don't think anybody believes a word of it, do they?

[afleitch]

I always find the kind of good words British MPs have to say about their defectors hilarious. They don't think anybody believes a word of it, do they?

Considering the defection came from that soft gooey left of the party that even people like Clarke keep their distance from as opposed to the hard right is interesting, and probably less damaging.

Edit: One commentator said he had the 'Toriest name you could imagine' which I thought was pretty chucklesome

[minionofmidas]

Edit: One commentator said he had the 'Toriest name you could imagine' which I thought was pretty chucklesome

Davies? Hardly.  Quentin Forbes-Patterson. Now we're talking.

[afleitch]

Give it a few years and it will be typical Tory; Bob Smith, typical Labour; Cecil Kensington Smythe; Lib Dem; Lord Razall or Baroness Hamwee

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Edit: One commentator said he had the 'Toriest name you could imagine' which I thought was pretty chucklesome

Davies? Hardly.  Quentin Forbes-Patterson. Now we're talking.

He certainly looks like a Tory:



Btw, his seat includes Grantham.

[Silent Hunter]

Oh, that Grantham...

[minionofmidas]

Oh, that Grantham...

The most boring town in Britain, or so says the BBC.

[Democratic Hawk]

Guess you have to follow your conscience though, but he is just a new passenger on the Titanic.

Don't count your chickens lad . Brown may yet pull a Macmillan rather than a Douglas-Home

I make this the 5th Conservative to Labour defection since 1995:

1) First, we had Alan Howarth (Stratford-on-Avon, 1983-1997), who defected to Labour in 1995 and, subsequently, became Labour MP for Newport East until he stood down in 2005. He now sits as a Labour peer, in the House of Lords, Baron Howarth of Newport. He was the first Conservative to Labour defection since Sir Oswald Mosley in 192, who, of course, went on to form the New Party, which soon became incorporated into his British Union of Fascists

2) Second, we had Peter Temple-Morris (Leominster, 1974-2001). He was suspended by the Conservative Party in 1997 and, subsequently, sat on the Labour benches as an Independent One-Nation Conservative before joining Labour in 1998. He stood down in 2001 and now sits as a Labour peer, in the House of Lords, Baron Temple-Morris

3) Third, we had Shaun Woodward (Witney, 1997-2001). He defected to Labour in 1999. He has been Labour MP for St Helens South since 2001. His Conservative successor, in Witney, being David Cameron

4) Fourth, we had Robert Jackson (Wantage, 1983-2005). A former junior minister in the Thatcher and Major governments, he defected to Labour on January 15, 2005 having previously announced that he standing down at the next general election (May, 2005)

And now we have Quentin Davies, (Stamford and Spalding, 1987-1997; Grantham and Stamford, 1997 - present). A former front-bench spokesman under William Hague and Shadow Secretary of State for Northern Ireland under Iain Duncan Smith

These things happen. One thing I do know, however, is that he won't be re-elected a Labour MP (not in Grantham and Stamford, anyway)

Dave

[Democratic Hawk]

Considering the defection came from that soft gooey left of the party that even people like Clarke keep their distance from as opposed to the hard right is interesting, and probably less damaging.

Wiki describes Davies as a Thatcherite Europhile

Dave

[Silent Hunter]

That makes Labour's majority what- 64?

[afleitch]

Considering the defection came from that soft gooey left of the party that even people like Clarke keep their distance from as opposed to the hard right is interesting, and probably less damaging.

Wiki describes Davies as a Thatcherite Europhile

Dave

He's not Thatcherite that's the thing. He was when he was elected, one of the 'bright stars' of that elections crop, but not since then. Though if he still descibes himself as one then thats probably why Labour appealed to him.  He's been wanting to get out of the party since before Cameron anyways, though I should have known he'd have waited for a day like today to do so.

[afleitch]

Davies on Brown;

He was just incredibly imprudent… extraordinarily incompetent… extraordinarily naïve… desperately complacent… As a result of that self-congratulation and complacency, the Chancellor is becoming so cut off that he is beginning to underestimate the intelligence of the electorate… I trust and believe that something nasty will happen to the Chancellor in electoral terms before too long. He will have no one but himself to blame.

16 March 2005

[afleitch]

Alan Duncan almost in hysterics on Newsnight. Quentin Davies apparently wants a cabinet post...

The question now isn't why he left, but why the hell did Labour take him?

[Filuwaúrdjan]

The question now isn't why he left, but why the hell did Labour take him?

Isn't that the case with all (or almost all) defections? It will be interesing to see who he sits next to; Jim Dobbin perhaps?

[afleitch]

The question now isn't why he left, but why the hell did Labour take him?

Isn't that the case with all (or almost all) defections? It will be interesing to see who he sits next to; Jim Dobbin perhaps?

He should sit next to Dennis Skinner Oh to be a fly on the wall if that happened.

[Rural Radical]

Is he the first of many?

[Verily]

Is he the first of many?

There all sorts of rumors flying around about two more defectors within a week. Conservative MPs Anthony Steen, John Bercow and Andrew Pelling have all been mentioned, as had Malcolm Rifkind, but he's quashed rumors. Shirley Williams has also been mentioned as possibly defecting back to Labour, but I can't say an old woman no longer seriously involved in politics defecting would have much impact despite her historical importance.

[Rural Radical]

Is he the first of many?

There all sorts of rumors flying around about two more defectors within a week. Conservative MPs Anthony Steen, John Bercow and Andrew Pelling have all been mentioned, as had Malcolm Rifkind, but he's quashed rumors. Shirley Williams has also been mentioned as possibly defecting back to Labour, but I can't say an old woman no longer seriously involved in politics defecting would have much impact despite her historical importance.

I could see John Bercow switching.

Anthony Steen, former M.P. for Liverpool Wavertree.
IMHO.

Andrew Pelling. I dont know him.

[Rural Radical]

Andrew Pelling.

Probably the only one who could win reelection as a Labour Mp in his own seat (Croyden Central).

[Verily]

Is he the first of many?

There all sorts of rumors flying around about two more defectors within a week. Conservative MPs Anthony Steen, John Bercow and Andrew Pelling have all been mentioned, as had Malcolm Rifkind, but he's quashed rumors. Shirley Williams has also been mentioned as possibly defecting back to Labour, but I can't say an old woman no longer seriously involved in politics defecting would have much impact despite her historical importance.

Anthony Steen, former M.P. for Liverpool Wavertree.
IMHO.

He's MP for Totnes now.