REGARDING the Government victory on 42 days' detention, while I support the Conservatives, I don't agree with them in opposing this. I don't quite understand why they won't accept the Government's arguments in favour of 42 days.

The Government says that the police, who actually deal with terrorist investigations, want 42 days because increasingly they will need more than 28 days' detention to deal with the very large amounts of evidence that need to be investigated.

These police say that in the coming years, in a small number of cases, the 28 days just won't be enough. And so there is a great danger they would have to release real terrorists by 28 days who would then go on to commit an outrage, police argue.

Terrorist groups in the world are trying to develop small-scale nuclear, and possibly biological, weapons which could kill hundreds and perhaps thousands in atrocities – and to use them in countries like Britain.

Wrong priorities

From: David Wright, Little Lane, Easingwold, North Yorkshire.

DAVID Davis has got his priorities wrong in the reasons for his resignation. Instead of complaining about the loss of civil liberties, he should have identified the real cause of our problems which is our membership of the EU, which spews forth endless regulations and directives which adversely affect our daily lives.

Additionally, he should also be campaigning for our Armed Forces to be brought home from Iraq and Afghanistan, to stop all immigration into the UK, call a halt to political correctness and to return
to effective policing and crime prevention.

These issues are worth campaigning for and would gain David Davis much support and sympathy from a largely cynical public.

Anti-British scoundrels

From: AW Briglin, Sefton Street, Hull.

YOU ask, "What can David Davis achieve?" (Yorkshire Post, June 13).

Some are calling it a stunt and others a statement of principle. In my view, it doesn't matter whether it is a stunt, a principle, or both.

What I hope it achieves is to make people think of what this Government has done to their civil liberties and freedom which have taken hundreds of years to establish and bring them out of their apparent apathy to what is being destroyed by this anti-British bunch of scoundrels.

A ploy by our rulers

From: John H Waller, Harding Close, Rawmarsh, Rotherham.

I LOVE to read the Letters page as the majority of letters are written with common sense, and by people who are worried at the continuing decline of this once great nation.

It is sad, though, to see inclusions by people like Lawrence de Donge-Amiss (Yorkshire Post, June 16), who castigates David Davis
with a wholly bigoted viewpoint, which goes against public opinion.

We also had the letter that decried the Magna Carta and considered it to be outdated and not relevant to the modern world. The free world has
been grateful for the tenet engendered by the Magna Carta and it has been copied by many of the truly democratic nations. We need to look back in history and consider the areas we have gone wrong and those where we have done the right thing.

New isn't always best as Socialists should now realise from the creation of New Labour; a party which has created the biggest decline in personal freedoms and taken the nation back to pre-Magna Carta days. Politicians are now the barons in thrall to the financial monarchy and to the EU. I may not follow David Davis and his general political views, but I fully endorse his stance on this issue.

I am astounded that the Government wasted its time and considered the 42-day issue more important than sorting out the fuel, energy, economic and financial issues currently besetting the country. I consider it to be another ploy to divert attention away from these much more urgent and immediate requirements.

Reality of terrorism

From: H Bradshaw, Gainsborough.

YET again that picture of the blown up bus in Tavistock Square, London, is a prominent feature of the letters page.

Perhaps if David Davis had a close relative injured on that bus on 7/7, he would change his mind regarding the length of time suspected terrorists could be held without charge – I certainly would
have no qualms whatsoever about holding them without charge indefinitely.

I hope that the public sees sense and that David Davis loses his seat.

Erosion of freedoms

From: Brian White, Britannia Close, Chilcompton, near Bath.

ONE has read the correspondence published in your paper during the last few days since David Davis made his historic announcement. Some of the letters and the articles published make one wonder if some of your readers fully understand what David Davis is about.

Can anyone dispute that the imprisonment of suspects, without trial, in Cyprus, Kenya, Ulster and in Bellmarsh Prison was not counter-productive? Indeed, many of the recent people under arrest stated
that the reason they became anti-UK and our natural freedoms was because of the perception that internments were against their particular group.

It does seem strange in an age when nearly all the population of the UK believe that all politicians are only in Parliament for the benefit they receive from being in a gravy train job that when David Davis stands up on a matter of extreme importance and declares that he wishes to fight the erosion of our civil liberties that he is, by some, stated to be cynical.

The continual erosion of our freedoms by this present dodgy Government should be a matter of concern to all of us. The public safety of all of us is stated to be the reason habeas corpus is to be ignored by the people in power, yet the streets are unsafe, in daylight, let alone during the hours of darkness. If one is seen to fight to protect one's home and family, the law tends to come down heavily on the victim. Presumably he, or she, may soon be subject to the 42-day rule.

All those who value the freedoms gained by our ancestors, as well as many of the present populace, wish Mr Davis well and a speedy, overwhelming majority in the East Riding. Good luck, David.

Shaking the system

From: John DC Piper, West Burton, Leyburn.

Our soldiers are fighting a war in Iraq and Afghanistan trying to impose a sort of democracy which the people there do not really want, flying in the face of centuries of tribal and religious antagonism.

At home, democracy is being denied to the people by our Government and the EU. A promise was given and Gordon Brown is denying it on a technicality and now the EU wants to carry on in spite of Ireland's "no" vote.

David Davis has made a very strong argument, with which many of us agree, on various aspects of the "establishment". It is time someone shook the system. Whether he was wise to do it the way he did is open to question.

However, the arrogant way the politicians are running the system needs exposing by the ballot box.

Cynical tactic

From: JW Smith, Sutton-on-Sea.

BERNARD Dineen (Yorkshire Post, June 16) is absolutely right about David Davis, who is neither brave nor principled in resigning his seat. It is simply a cynical ploy to increase his majority, which, after a backroom deal with Nick Clegg, could easily double.

This is a safe Conservative seat and even anyone in agreement with the 42-day detention would still vote for him. His action does nothing to alter his party's standing in Parliament, but perhaps he thinks a larger majority might give him more influence with David Cameron.

No-one from any party should oppose him, which would leave his majority still intact, but would save the taxpayers substantial amounts of money in removing the need for a by-election.