It's difficult to know what to comment on from Blair's performance. There's so much in what he said which was misleading, wrong, or profoundly worrying that you could spend weeks on it and still not cover it all and I'm a bit pushed for time as it is.
One section really stood out for me though and that was the issue of civil liberty versus law and order. We already know that Blair is instinctively authoritarian in his approach to this issue but he seems to have gone even further today.
I am quite sure, based on the experience I have had in government, you cannot solve some of these law and order problems unless you are prepared, quite profoundly, to change and rebalance the system of criminal justice so that you have more summary justice, more summary powers, more ability for quick and effective action to be taken, even if it will cross the line that most people normally think of as there in terms of civil liberties.When Blair speaks about this, it's a struggle not to fall foul of Godwin's Law at the best of times but this? It's genuinely frightening.
Our great leader knows best, eh? Citizens must be prepared to set aside their individual liberties for the greater good of the nation. If our great leader believes that the state needs more summary powers in order to keep us safe, that the principle of innocent until proven guilty is a luxury we can no longer afford, who are we mere mortals to question that judgement?
It's a familiar refrain. Not normally in a country with a long history of stable democracy though.
Tags: News, Politics, Tony Blair
4 comments:
Thats the bit that stood out for me too... very scary indeed. No one seemed to challenge him on it either which is very worrying.
Well... That's it then.
Blair is committed to whittling down Civil Liberties until we're all 'safe'. Or until we all shut up about crime figures.
interesting how he states his commitment to provide "more summary powers, more summary justice" but earlier, in his answer to justin's question, says "we shouldn't be assumed to have done certain things just because people make allegations about us"
- well, unless a copper makes the allegation eh?
mishima - it does'nt even take a copper to make an allegation.
I was recently arrested (when I voluntarily appeared at the police station) and my DNA nearly forcefully taken from me without me being asked a single question (other than my name).
THIS IS STANDARD PRACTICE NOWADAYS
All because of an allegation of 1 Man who said that i had threatened to set fire to his property (I did not - after the interview they rushed me out of the station).
Britain is becomming an Orwellian State already - that's how Blair want's it - even if he does'nt conciously realise it.
He has shown his true Colours,he is a Lunatic
I too am worried about the lack of response from the Media on his actual words.
VERY VERY SCARY !!!
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