Doubtful Advice

The ex-Minister of Unfitness for Purpose, Charles Clarke, has expressed "very serious doubts" about locking people up for six weeks without charge. He wrote to Agent Smith before the recent vote, worrying that the bribes offered to Labour rebels would make the law unusable: "I remain very concerned about the possibility of ever using this power to extend to 42 days, so that the whole process is worthless from the point of view of national security," he said, apparently under the impression that anyone might care. He also warned that "the new law is likely to turn out to be entirely academic and the whole process will severely damage the fight against terrorism and will only bring discredit on the Government and the Labour Party". Obviously, this dashed well serves them right for not voting in the Vicar of Downing Street's original ninety-day limit, which Clarke unsuccessfully pimped to the Commons.