A Chink of Light in the Gloom

It's not a U-turn, it's responsible law making. That's the way the safety elephant is trying to sell it anyway.

It is a small but welcome victory for common sense. Nice one It's too early to break out the champagne though. He's still trying to get a version of the glorification law on the books. Give it up guy, it's totally unworkable.

Safety is also determined to press ahead with the plan to allow police to detain suspected terrorists for up to three months. He said:

The police use their existing detention powers cautiously and in moderation, and I am confident that they would use an amended power in the same careful fashion.

I'm at a loss. Is he joking? Unfortunately, I don't think he is. He's either seriously misinformed or he's telling porky pies.

The question is, do you trust this government not to implement these proposed new powers to the fullest extent possible? Are these laws likely to be used on occassions when they are clearly unjustified? Do you trust Blair in any way at all?

What about the next government? A new government will assume control of these powers at some point. Will they be more or less responsible than this lot? Who knows. One thing we do know though. They will inherit some dangerously kick ass powers if Safety succeeds in imposing his authoritarian fantasies on the country.