Britannist

"It was in the national interest that we vote with the Government on this measure to increase rules on detention from 28 days to 42 days" Nigel Dodds MP, Deputy Leader of the eurosceptic Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), just said on Channel Four Television News. Mr. Dodds added "We voted against 90 days' detention but voted for this."

Britannist

He is no position to talk - his party has long backed the eradication of many of our liberties through the transfer of UK sovereign powers to the EU.

From:

42-Day Terror Detention: Government Win Vote |Sky News|Politics

Anthony Butcher

I completely understand what you are saying, but it is pretty hard to defend that position given that he represents 100% of the UKIP vote in Parliament. Surely his opinion is the UKIP position in every meaningful sense?

He is effectively the party's leader in the Commons, chief whip of himself and the sole representative of UKIP.

While he may be in favour of EU withdrawal, protection of civil liberties is also a core tenet of UKIP political philosophy in so much as it exists. Spink seems to have challenged that today.

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Smidgey

Then he should be kicked out of the party like the piece of dirt that he is.

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Richard Allen

While I also understand your point you surly cannot accept that whatever Spink believes on any given subject is by default the official UKIP position.

Little Englander (sour)

Maybe someone will remind me as to how marvelous it was when Spink jumped ship leaving, in the lurch, those that voted for him. How will UKIP hierarchy square the circle between "Party" policy and the voting antics it's Parliamentry Party or doesn't the vote for 42 days detention without trial actually determine UKIP "policy". What a tangled web ...

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stathan

Spink said on radio this afternoon that he would be voting with the government, I would suggest that surely one of the tenets of being in UKIP is that we are individual thinkers who vote as we wish on many issues rather than being a bunch of sheep like the members of other parties.


I am torn on this one, I have no problem with suspected terrorists being investigated and held for that length of time, however knowing our police and government they will, and already have abused the cuurrent anti terror laws many times for purposes that they were never intended for.

In short they cannot be trusted on this issue!


If it's any consolation 69% of the British public support the 42 days so Bob's vote does in fact reflect public opinion.

Britannist

The list of how MPs voted in this evening's division in the House of Commons on the Counter-Terrorism Bill (i.e. on extending 28 days' detention to 42 days' detention) has now been published and it is confirmed that UKIP Mr. Bob Spink and Conservative MP Ann Widdecombe voted with the Labour Government (i.e. in favour of 42 days' detention if it has to be used) - as did the eurosceptic Democratic and Ulster Unionist parties.

The above-mentioned parties and MPs combined added 12 votes to the Government side and the Government won the vote at 6.19 pm this evening with a majority of 9.

The list of how MPs voted can be found here (please click on the following link and scroll down the page):

Hansard - Commons | Houses of Parliament

Earthling

I now wait for all those people who love to express their hatred of UKIP to gloat.

At the end of the day, it is not a mirror reflection of UKIP policy, just like the Labour rebels and Conservatives who supported the government. Just because he is the only UKIP MP in the commons does not mean he should support every UKIP policy, it is through no fault of his own that he is the only UKIP member

The bottom line is we need more MPs

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Britannist

As I wrote earlier in this thread at the end of posting five - one thing the vote on the Counter-Terrorism Bill at 6.19 pm this evening shows is the influence small anti-EU parties such as the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) and UKIP can have if the Government's majority is small or non-existent.

If UKIP MP Mr. Spink had voted against the Government and if the nine DUP MPs had also voted against the Government Labour Prime Minister Gordon Brown would have lost the vote at 6.19 pm today.