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IP: Merry Old is Blunketed Ashcroftishly at Yuletide
From: David Farber <dave () farber net>
Date: Tue, 25 Dec 2001 16:41:58 -0500
From: Dewayne Hendricks <dewayne () warpspeed com> [Note: This item comes from reader Janos Gereben. DLH] At 10:09 -0800 12/25/01, Janos G. wrote:From: "Janos G." <janos451 () earthlink net> Subject: Merry Old is Blunketed Ashcroftishly at Yuletide Date: Tue, 25 Dec 2001 10:09:19 -0800 MIME-Version: 1.0From the American Politics Journal -- Dec. 25, 2001The View From Europe A Blunket Over Yuletide Cheer By Nicola Mitchell Dec. 24, 2001 -- LONDON (APJP) -- Christmas is upon us, the time of year when we are supposed to extend good will to all and spend time with our loved ones. Despite all the harmonious intentions, 2002 may not be the happiest of new years if some of our politicians manage to get their way, as many of the freedoms and liberties we take for granted could be disappearing faster than the turkey and cranberry sauce on Christmas Day. Here on this side of the Atlantic, Home Secretary David Blunket has been making waves with his proposed Terror Bill in response to the events of September 11th. Although we are all agreed that the law needs to be changed as a result of the attacks, should that change mean the government has a right to infringe on civil rights and freedoms? Blunket, like US Attorney General John Ashcroft before him, has caused concern with what many have dubbed draconian measures said to have people's "best interests" at heart. Just as Ashcroft has been heavily criticised in the states, here in the UK the press, the public and even sections of his own party have attacked Blunket for his proposals. The press have been especially scathing of what is perhaps one of the most contentious parts of Blunket's plan: the right for police to detain those who they suspect may be connected with terrorist activities, whether they have concrete evidence or not. It is thanks to such details that Blunket's system, which is similar to that proposed by Ashcroft, is seen as ruthless by many in the UK. Like Ashcroft, Blunket is attempting to create an environment where a suspect will not see the evidence against him or her, a judicial mechanism where lawyers will not be trusted with confidential information, and a system where there will be detention without trial. It is my opinion that in these times of panic and worry, during which our freedoms and democracies are being threatened, that our governments should keep a level head and not remove the rights and freedoms we are so desperately fight to keep. Thankfully Blunket's mission has not been made easy as the Bill has suffered a number of embarrassing defeats in the House of Lords, but the embarrassment for the Labour Party has not stopped there, as a handful of back bench ministers have brought the issues of freedom and liberty to centre stage. Recently Paul Marsden made the headlines when he defected from Labour to the Liberal Democrats after he claimed he had been the victim of a hate campaign in which he had been severely reprimanded and even suffered violent clashes with fellow party members after expressing his opposition to the Afghan war, while another Labour MP has also accused the government of monitoring his private phone calls after he went against the party line on the war on terror. It was once famously claimed that a week is a long time in politics, and that statement has never proved to be more true than in the current climate. Christmas is a time when many reflect on what is happening around them. For some who have lost loved ones in the tragic events of September 11 this time of year will prove particularly hard, but we all need to focus on the goal in hand and rise above the government propaganda and spin. Our liberties and freedoms are so precious to us that we have chosen to go to war to protect them, lets not throw that all away by introducing measures that once here will be extremely hard to dispose of. American Politics Journal Copyright (C) 2001 American Politics Journal Publications, Inc
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- IP: Merry Old is Blunketed Ashcroftishly at Yuletide David Farber (Dec 25)