Since nobody else appears to be going to say anything at all on the subject of the Prevention of Terrorism Act that is currently making its uncomfortable passage through parliament, I will have to have a bash at explaining why it’s wrong wrong wrong and why it’s absolutely imperative that, come the election, everyone uses their vote and gets rid of this lunatic government.
The Prevention of Terrorism Act allows all sorts of things that if you heard about them being imposed on the citizens of some far off South American, African or (unthinkably) the Middle East you’d want something done about the government that was imposing them. “Regime Change!” you might be forgiven for shouting. Under the Prevention of Terrorism Act as it stands (I say “as it stands” because the almost inconceivably inept radar-headed Blunkett-wannabe Charles Clarke keeps tabling amendments whilst other MPs try to debate what any sensible person can see is an insane proposal) terrorist suspects can be subjected to “Control Orders” which can mean that they would be electronically tagged, banned from using a telephone, banned from using the internet, made to observe curfews or even be placed under house-arrest. Control Orders could be issued without their subject seeing any of the supposed evidence against them and without any of that evidence being tested in court by the Home Secretary.
One of the amendments tabled by Clarke is that the house-arrest control order would only be issued by a judge. That does not alter the fundamental flaw in the bill – there would still be no trial and the accused would still have no right to see the evidence against them.
This undermines, depending on who you listen to, either three or eight hundred years of legal custom and precedent, including principle of habeas corpus. It allows a politician, never a group of people renowned for their impartiality, to have people locked up without having to disclose any of their reasons. This is the sort of thing that totalitarian dictators do.
I am not suggesting that the current government harbour any kind of ambition to transform itself into any kind of totalitarian regime, but this sort of legislation should not be hurriedly (and it has been hurried – only a day’s debate in the commons) passed under any circumstances. When one asks why it is being hurried through in a time of peace with such haste the only conclusion that can be drawn is that the politics of fear have been enthusiastically embraced by the government - and, judging by their pathetic impersonation of an opposition party, by the Conservatives.
Who can blame them? If a government promise at the start of their term that they will, in four years, have improved schools, hospitals, roads and soforth it will be absolutely demonstrable if at the end of that time they have not fulfilled their promise. But if they promise that they will keep the homeland secure and keep everyone safe from all those nasty terrorists that are lurking in every cellar and attic and at the end of their term their has been no terrorist atrocity they will be able to claim nothing but success. Who could resist guaranteed success? Not Tony Blair and not Charles Clarke, apparently. Nor, apparently, can Michael Howard; but if there’s anyone in the country who thinks he’s a man fit for Prime Minister I’ve not met them.
And so we must hope that the Lords, usually the voice of reason, can stop the Prevention of Terrorism Act. And then we must hope that enough people turn out in anger about this act or about the bungled foxhunting ban or the illegal and abominable invasion of Iraq or about the forthcoming insane expense of the identity card plan and vote Labour out. Hopefully, the Liberal Democrats will be elected and reason will return to her lofty throne.
In the meantime let’s hope that Charles Clarke, when the bill becomes bogged-down in the Lords, doesn’t reach for the Parliament Act once again.
And don’t be afraid, really – there’s no reason. If you allow yourself to be terrorised then the terrorists that don’t exist (except in the minds of the Daily Mail and their like) will have won.
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