Why Quentin joined Labour

In justifying his resignation from the Conservative Party Quentin Davies listed a number of criticisms of, and personal grievances with, David Cameron. He said very little, however, about why he had joined Labour rather than go independent. He's attempted to do that in an article for the New Statesman today:

New Labour: "In a sense I agreed with New Labour since its inception. After all its two cardinal principles, a competitive enterprise–friendly economy combined with social justice, are what I have stood for all my life."

Brown's government: "First of all it will reflect many of his own well-known qualities. It will be very serious and very thorough. Some people may at times call it unglamorous and boring. Everyone will have to do their homework – and do it very well. The idea of tossing out policy initiatives to suit a PR agenda will be inconceivable. It will also be very straightforward. And there will be a strong sense of purpose and direction."

Threatening times: "There are probably only three Prime Ministers since the Second World War who have faced major physical threats to the country and to our people and territory, Churchill himself, Attlee (who helped to found NATO) and Thatcher (who retook the Falklands). When it comes to the qualities needed to face a really major crisis Gordon Brown is in exactly that tradition."

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Deputy Editor

Comments

[Raj]

What drivel, comparing Brown to Churchill - does anyone believe such rubbish?

[Matt Davis]

Well as far as Quentin Davies and the Tories go the fact is that for both sides he's Better Off Out!

[Tory T]

"I joined Labour because I am a cross between a rabid Europhile and Sir Bufton Tufton.

Although I favour grammar schools, the death penalty, hunting and banning gay adoption, all of which the Labour party oppose, there was something more to it - I had been passed over for promotion.

I, Sir Quentin Tentin. I, who had been found guilty of animal cruelty to my sheep - but that's no way to talk about the activists of Grantham! Does not David Cameron realise that although he won the leadership election, there are better and older men than him who love the EU in all its forms? How could an opposition of all the talents omit Sir Quentin Tentin?

Nobody wrote about me. Nobody talked about me. Nobody smoked cigars in plush clubs with me. Frankly it breached my human rights to be respected.

Gordon Brown is a man of principle. Thus, he welcomed me as an ardent proponent of grammar schools, ending gay rights, hanging and flogging and starving sheep, for I wore the right colour rosette to accessorise him on his big day.

He knows that new Labour has a Bufton Tufton shortage and I Sir Quentin Tentin am just the man to uphold the Labour principles of socialism I have espoused all my life.

David - thanks for mutton!"

(Apols to J. Seinfeld)

[owdgit]

As one of Mr Davies constituents I still waiting for his to do the honourable thing and resign his seat. If he wishes to remain in Parliament for his new party then he should have the guts to let the voters of Grantham and Stamford decide.

[Stewart Geddes]

Whichever way you slice it New Labour starts from the principle that Government knows best and will therefore dictate every aspect of our lives.

This is contrary to Conservative values that starts with the family as the building block of society and trusts people to get on with their lives and assumes they will take the responsibility for looking after them and theirs.

Labour assumes that the state will "care" for all and it does this by taking large amounts of money from a relatively small number of people and giving it to a large number of people who they hope will then gratefully re-elect them at every opportunity.

What part of this Robin Hood politics does Quentin Davies subscribe to? And why therefore has he waited so long to make the jump?

[justin]

"Everyone will have to do their homework..." (under Brown)....

Like the undermining of our pensions, the selling of our gold reserves, and the shambles of the tax credit system, I suppose...

[Tapestry]

Give This man A Peerage - and then send him to the opticians, followed by a course of psychiatry.

Labour have wrecked the economy, allowed 5 million to remain idle on state handouts while 5 million otherwise unneeded immigrants have poured in to replace them, including a few terrorist cells, who we cannot touch courtesy of Labour's Human Rights Laws.

The load of all Frown's tax credits is stopping many working families from trying too hard to work much at all. His pensions policies have condemned millions to poverty in old age.

Overtaxed Individuals and companies are fast heading for the exit as our streets fill with violent criminals who should be in jail but Frown hasn't got any money left to fund prisons. Our troops are underprovided while they fight to protect us from terrorist regimes, for the same reason.

Quentin Brown Nose is nosing and licking Frown's anal regions so assiduously, that Frown won't need to change his underwear for many months. Surely a peerage is much deserved here if not an upgrade to The Order Of The Stool, an ancient and honourable traditional title which should be dusted down and recreated by Frown to celebrate this titillating relationship which Frown is enjoying with his favourite Brown Noser. How about the title ' Lord Davies Of The Brown Stool'?

[IRJMilne]

I think he'll regret this ultimately. Though there is certainly a severe lack of country squires on the Labour benches, he would have done more good for himself and his causes had he stuck on our benches, whether or not he got a job, especially as we'll be in government fairly soon as far as I can see.

As for his article, he's trying to ingratiate himself with Labour people. I don't think it will work. Trying desperately to shoe-horn Atlee into a list of great war leaders - hm hm.

[James]

"I agreed with New Labour since its inception" - but then spent 13 years campaigning against it. And, seemingly, all it stood for.

[John g]

As a lifelong Conservative voter, a member and a Party Professional I am apalled at Quentin Davies's behaviour. If Montgomery had defected to Germany in the WW2 he would have been shot following the German defeat. Davies is not an honourable man, he stood on a Conservative Party ticket, he should resign forthwith and stand on a Labour ticket for that way the electors of his constituency can metaphorically "shoot him" and re-label him as "Non Recyclable Political Waste".

[X]

If he really thinks Brown is less of a spinner than Blair, it's good news he is now Labour's problem. Anyone who looks at Brown's record will be aware he makes Blair look honest.

[david k]

Why give this guy any more attention. Whatever he says about his defection is fully scripted by the labour spin machine.

I had never heard of him before he left - he took so many principled stands! So I have no idea why he really decided he was a socialist all along.

He came across on newsnight as a buffoon so I am inclined to believe the analysis that says he left because felt unloved and overlooked but had an ego that could not cope with that. As such I don't believe a word he says about why he went.

[Paul Oakley]

So what HAS Brown promised him in the form of thirty pieces of silver? The article doesn't answer this.

[William Norton]

Some of the posts here have been most ungracious.

Quentin's is a truly heart-rending story of modern life, like some of those you sometimes see blazoned across the covers of the trashier women's magazines in hairdressers: I was a woman born in a man's body; my boyfriend had an affair with a goat; no one likes me for my mind claims Paris Hilton etc etc. Where's your compassion, you cads?

[ACT]

Maybe when he fights his first seat as a Labour candidate he should stand in Gillingham?

[david]

I really can't see why people get worked up about this sort of thing. MP's have fallen out with their parties before, Labour people have gone over to the Tories, Tories have gone over to Labour, Libdems have gone
all over the place, its happened before, it'll happen again!

[A Sheep]

Baaaaaaa

[Justin Hinchcliffe]

"social justice" - with his socially conservative voting record? The man is beneath contempt!

[MacTory]

What choice of four letters shall we opt for!

[Paul Oakley]

MacTory - may I suggest "see you next Tuesday"?

[malcolm]

Your absolutely right as always William Norton. Perhaps we should organise a whip round for a therapist or maybe an outing for Quentin on Jerry Springer which might be cathartic. Put me down for 5p.

[Kevin Davis]

Time for him to spend more time with his sheep!

[Traditional Tory]

If Montgomery had defected to Germany in the WW2 he would have been shot following the German defeat.

If Montgomery had defected to Germany the Germans might well have won the war.

Taking as I do, a very relaxed view of TRG Eurofanatic Quentin's defection from Blulabour to Nulabour I must say I find the foam-flecked harrumphing on this thread extremely amusing.

Seems the 'Roons remain locked in the same Blimpish 1950's timewarp that saw Aneurin Bevan kicked in the backside for daring to enter White's Club.

Since this aristocrats-only, anti-women sexist gin-joint is now Dave's favoured hangout, Quentin had better say no if he's ever invited in for a chota peg.

[malcolm]

You're so boring TT. You've got nothing to say and you're saying it too loud.Why don't go and waste your time on the CDA site instead?

[Windsor Tripehound]

To quote the late Willy Hamilton, “we’ve been swamped in a deluge of nauseating bilge”

[Freemasonic Warning]

David Cameron is in a lot thicker than Whites Club. Look what, one of his "brothers" wrote on internet July 3rd, 2003 thinking it was secret but gave the game away.

"I'd like to congratulate my local Masonic lodge member, David Cameron MP for Witney, on his promotion to Deputy Speaker for the Conservative Party. As an extremely young MP (thirties) I expect him to be party leader by the end of his political career."

The rat, is out of the trap.

[Curly]

I'd tried my best to forget all about this self important turncoat, then you go and drag it all out again.

Go on, be brave and delete the post, he deserves no further publicity.

[Paul Kennedy]

In answer to the title of the topic, who cares? What's done is done.

[Andrew Bradley]

Quentin Davies joining Labour is similar in some ways to Karl Marx joining the BNP. What do the good comrades think of a pompous p--t joining them.Let him resign his Grantham seat and stand in Sedgefield!

I note with interest that tickets sales for the dinner in Stamford, ironically on Friday 13th July, to celebrate Quin's 20 years as the MP have slowed to a trickle since last week. However with IDS as the speaker, demand may not have been great! Did not IDS have Quin as a front bencher - surely that says alot about both of them!

I do hope that the Grantham constituency now make a better choice than a man who amongst other things was prosecuted in 1991 for cruelty to sheep owned by him on his country estate near Boston! Please don't choose a wealthy but dim local landowner called Piers or Gervaise or a hapless SKDC councillor. Anyone in the smoke looking for a safe seat should know that Grantham is only around 70 mins from Kings X.