|
How long do we bang up Baddies?
Today, Wednesday, is the great vote. Do we extend 28 day detention for terrorist suspects to 42. .How should I vote? 42. The government wants 42, Tories and Libs don`t.
I started by being against it. It`s a steal from the Blair school of leadership. The leaderhangs a huge rock round his neck, jumps off a cliff and challenges the party to catch him. Which, being a dutiful lot, we all did with Tony. Gordon is heavier and less loved. But do we want him to crash on his first take off?
It`s also unnecessary. Another in the long line of efforts to wrong foot the Tories, in this case by showing Labour as tough on terrorism, them as soft.
Wednesday last. Meeting with Chackrabati. She’s very convincing: it can be invoked for trivial reasons. The safeguards are a load of balls and won`t work. It will be a matter not of a fundamental threat but the convenience of the Fuzz.
Saturday Gordon Brown rings (as he does). It`s an issue he`s inherited from Blair. I say there`s no need. He says he must get it out of the way so we can get to grips with the economic situation. The French have longer detention (4 years). The safeguards are strong, he`s a supporter of Liberty. It will be rarely invoked and only in extreme cases of “a grave exceptional terrorist threat”. Doesn`t care if its defeated in the Lords.
Monday Frank Dobson says “vote as you see fit but they’re conning you”. Colin Burgon says it’s a load of rubbish which will be useless but might as well vote for it because it won`t work. Cruddas the same.
Tuesday Invited to meet the head of security. A lad of about eighteen. He says there is a threat. It`s difficult to keep up with it. It`s really the police who want 42 days, not them but (a) difficult to decode messages (better than Europe he says) and keep up with mobile phones which thy keep changing and use while driving at 60 MPH. Not while driving I hope. We could get them for that. (b) much of he evidence is foreign and difficult to get in Pakistan Afghanistan and Yeman where the authorities are useless, eg they washed down the Bhutto assassination scene before investigating. (c) operatives getting more cunning and more difficult to trace and follow.
Doesn`t think we’ll need these powers but would rather have them in reserve than not. Will only be invoked in extreme threat. Honest Injun.
Alan Simpson says people are being ffered bribes to vote for it - like money for the election expenses. Anon says the cabinet should get rid of Gordon. It’s a decision above our pay grade. Kelvin Hopkins solidly against. A few undecided still. Some very still.
I assume it will be defeated in the Lords thus producing a six month confrontation to rub salt in the wound and hold everything up. Norman Tebbit, however, says not. He’ll vote for it. Thinks the Tortes are daft deserting their principles for a transient gain but the Lords, while they might give it one rejection, will submit to the will of the commons quickly. Norman is probably right. He’s the most astute Tory around. What`s more, he likes Gordon-strong man–private life-not greedy like the Blair. Just a shame he has these vestiges of socialism, though I tell him I`ve not noticed them.
Me? Fluctuating between for, against, and abstain. Though he’s mistaken we should give Gordon the benefit of the doubt this first time.
Today a session with Tommy McAvoy to come. He doesn’t seem to be taking my suggestion that I`ll vote for it if they’ll put £3 million on the Humberside Police Budget all that seriously.
Perhaps should have seen Gordon Brown today. It would have been a useful opportunity to tell him where he’s going wrong. But that might take all day.
|
