Protecting Our Democracy
The Vicar of Downing Street seems to have entered martyrdom mode. His reaction to the rebellion over his plans to allow the police to hold people for three months without charge was to inform the Cabinet that "Times are tough but they are tough because the Government is trying to do the right thing." Well, that settles that.
The Invertebrate for the Interior, Cardes Clarke, obligingly joined in the chorus that the case for ninety-day internment was still "compelling". The case is compelling because the police have made it and Tony believes it. Whether, in the final crusade, the compulsion will be physical, psychological or merely moral is presumably still an open question.
Aiming as always for precision, consistency and loyalty to Tony, though not necessarily in that order, Mr Clarke had previously offered all-party talks on the rebels' suggestion of a twenty-eight-day limit. That's how compelling it was. It appears Mr Clarke is prepared to compromise unless he has to compromise.
Tony, on the other hand, will never, never compromise. "Nobody should be in any doubt about what I think," the Prime Minister has proclaimed. Personally, I have no doubts whatever about the what; though I confess that the whether sometimes troubles me. "A compromise isn't in the interests of this country," as defined by the Blair who lied us into Iraq and the Blair who lied about the Stockwell shooting. This is certainly compelling.
The Prime Minister also challenged opponents of the Terrorism Bill to "justify denying the police the powers they want". I trust this does not constitute an invitation to glorify terrorism. The Invertebrate for the Interior, Charles Carde, obligingly joined in the chorus by urging MPs to consult their local police about the issue. "I thought it was important that MPs talked to their constituents over the weekend - go into their communities, go and talk to the police in their localities, and form a view," he said.
Apparently Wednesday's rebellion was carried out by people who do not have a view. I certainly hope they form the correct view once they have talked to the police. If there is one thing that matters above all in a modern democracy, it is finding out what the police think about police powers, and then doing as they tell you.
The Invertebrate for the Interior, Cardes Clarke, obligingly joined in the chorus that the case for ninety-day internment was still "compelling". The case is compelling because the police have made it and Tony believes it. Whether, in the final crusade, the compulsion will be physical, psychological or merely moral is presumably still an open question.
Aiming as always for precision, consistency and loyalty to Tony, though not necessarily in that order, Mr Clarke had previously offered all-party talks on the rebels' suggestion of a twenty-eight-day limit. That's how compelling it was. It appears Mr Clarke is prepared to compromise unless he has to compromise.
Tony, on the other hand, will never, never compromise. "Nobody should be in any doubt about what I think," the Prime Minister has proclaimed. Personally, I have no doubts whatever about the what; though I confess that the whether sometimes troubles me. "A compromise isn't in the interests of this country," as defined by the Blair who lied us into Iraq and the Blair who lied about the Stockwell shooting. This is certainly compelling.
The Prime Minister also challenged opponents of the Terrorism Bill to "justify denying the police the powers they want". I trust this does not constitute an invitation to glorify terrorism. The Invertebrate for the Interior, Charles Carde, obligingly joined in the chorus by urging MPs to consult their local police about the issue. "I thought it was important that MPs talked to their constituents over the weekend - go into their communities, go and talk to the police in their localities, and form a view," he said.
Apparently Wednesday's rebellion was carried out by people who do not have a view. I certainly hope they form the correct view once they have talked to the police. If there is one thing that matters above all in a modern democracy, it is finding out what the police think about police powers, and then doing as they tell you.
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