Revolt of the Mud-Gulpers

It appears that, having put up with eight years of grinning self-righteousness and three years of soul-kissing George W Bush, the Parliamentary Labour Party has belatedly developed a backbone. It may be too much to hope that there are many land animals in their number, but at least forty-nine of them seem to have evolved beyond the wriggling stage.

Although the Reverend Blair's direct-from-the-blue proposal for three-month internment without trial has been thrown out, the House of Commons has still allowed an increase in the maximum period from fourteen days to twenty-eight. How this will help in stopping terrorists blow us up (I take it as read that protecting non-terrorists from instant, utter cranial destruction was not even on the agenda) remains unclear.

A spokescreature for the Vicar of Downing Street said that the Terrorism Bill was "a one-off issue" on which "there has traditionally been a tension in parliament between those who, on the one hand, believe you have to do everything to protect the country's security, and, on the other hand, those who wish to protect civil liberties as they see it." Civil liberties, you see, are a matter of individual perception, quite unlike the problem of how to secure the country.

"You and your colleagues are going to have to make your decision today," the Reverend informed Michael Howard, and went on with his characteristic combination of humility and intellectual honesty: "We have made ours. We believe this is right for our country. We believe it is necessary to protect our country from terrorism and I'm only sorry you don't agree."

The problem of security was settled, as far as the Reverend was concerned, when "the police and those charged with fighting terrorism said the 90-day power was needed to make the country safe". I seem to recall a time, only a few tens of thousands of deaths ago, when an invasion of Iraq was needed to make the country safe. We're going to replace Trident at vast cost, too, just to make the country safe. Safe for the right people, of course.

The Reverend apparently "left the chamber shaking his head", doubtless mindful of the pronouncement of his personal friend and mentor concerning the honour of a prophet in his own country and his own House. The Vicar of Downing Street's Thought for the Day is that "Sometimes it is better to lose and do the right thing than to win and do the wrong thing." Only sometimes, of course.