It was always obvious (wasn’t it?) that the government’s insistence on trying to extend detention of terrorist suspects beyond 28 days was political madness. Even if they do manage to get it through Parliament, the public won’t thank them, or at least, the silent majority Gordon Brown may suspect backs him on this is, I think, more silent and less of a majority. And rather than demonstrating his strength – which I think must be what the Prime Minister is trying to achieve here – the whole saga shows up his weakness.
This latest promised concession simply confirms that. It’s not much of a concession, really: if Parliament ever did permit detention beyond 28 days it’s perfectly obvious that the police would go immediately to court to apply for it. Cutting the time-limit for them to do so to 30 days makes no practical difference whatever. If Labour backbenchers fall for this, it’ll show how truly pathetic they are. I don’t expect they will – I expect further concessions, desperate concessions. Anything, to allow ministers to say they “got the 42 days”. But still I think they risk humiliating defeat. Madness, pure madness, this.
I still agree with my old boss Lord Goldsmith on this. I’m not sure it’d have the impact on Muslim opinion he fears, but he’s right that the case hasn’t been made.
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