Forty-Two

Forty-two of the country's most noted writers, not including your correspondent, are protesting against the Government's attempt to increase detention without trial to six weeks. The legislation was passed in the Commons with the help of those champions of freedom and tolerance, the Democratic Unionist Party, and now faces a possible bounce back from the Lords. The Glorious Successor will no doubt be hoping that his use of anti-terror legislation to coerce a friendly government may be taken as proof of the necessity for stronger measures; if the financial situation gets any worse he may wish to consider holding selected European leaders hostage until the White House lets him know what to do.

The director of Liberty, Shami Chakrabarti, said that none of the writers who were invited to take part in the protest refused; it seems that neither the freedom-loving author of Saturday nor the freedom-loving author of The Second Plane was asked to participate, yet the Observer refers to the protest as a "flexing [of] intellectual muscles in a manner not seen since leading figures in the arts world regularly clashed with the Thatcher government in the Eighties".

In fine abstract-noun-spouting mode, a spokesbeing for Agent Smith said: "We are resolute in our determination to put our arguments to the Lords"; doubtless their resolution is similarly determined, inasmuch as their determination is resolute.