In Defense of:

Liberty

 

Human rights? The terms gone out of fashion of late, after all who needs rights like the right to remain silent, the presumption of innocence until proven guilt? You know those little things no citizen would ever need.

Tony Blair today made an announcement (though I don’t know why, he’s like the last drunk at a house party) that would extend the powers of the police to stop and search anyone if there is suspicion of committing an offence or not. From the BBC

“Proposed new anti-terror laws could give police greater powers to stop and question anyone in the UK. … Anyone refusing to co-operate could be fined up to £5,000.”

I salute him as a gentlemen and a scholar. I can see the line now. Police: Tell us everything you know or we’ll give you the right to remain silent.

There’s something rotten about this government, the aim of the terrorism we face is to change our liberties and way of live, yet the government seem to be doing all that for them. This extension of the terror laws comes hot on the heels of the announcement earlier this week that Control orders were flawed. They are; house arrest without the right not to be detained without charge or punished without being found guilty.

After 3 suspected suspects escaped their control orders Mr Reid blamed the Tories, us, Judges, the human rights act (opting out of inalienable human rights is a novel, if ultimately flawed approach) God, Leeds, and possibly at some point himself for the escapes.

He claimed that control orders are not ’strong enough’ a novel approach to crime and punishment: Simply plucking people off the street kind of ignoring the age old tried and tested Justice system that’s the envy of the world, you know, the one with independent judges, Jury trials, and punishment fitting the crime. If you suspect someone is guilty of a crime, and have evidence to support it then the proper method to deal with it is not draconian new terror laws, but to get out the government barrister and establish guilt in an impartial, non party political court, the same atmosphere John reed is calling for with these new laws. There is a reason for the separation of State and Justice, even the Americans could tell you that, hell they wrote it down 300 years ago.

Instead our criminal justice system today draws parallels with Nazi Germany and Guantanamo bay; only the self proclaimed defenders of freedom would have a prison camp in one of the worst dictatorships left. Judicial Independence is being usurped by a government department of Justice, thers new laws designed to end the right to Jury trial, ASBO’s ruin a young persons life, giving them a criminal record as young as 10 when what is often needed is support, guidance and rehabilitation, the prisons are full, and that’s despite half the prisoners managing to run away!

A government should defend liberty, not take it away. This country neither wants, nor deserves this shoddy government.