UK Will Stand up to Terrorism (by Curbing Freedoms)

In the wake of the recent fumbled British car bombs, some have raised the possibility of resurrecting an old bill that would give UK police the power to detain anyone they like for 90 days without trial. This is the bill that saw Blair's first-ever parliamentary defeat, and was eventually negotiated down to (only!) 28 days before it passed into law.

With new PM Gordon Brown on the clock, some reckon another push for the full 90 days might be coming, especially if "Terror" hits the headlines in a more serious way. Brown says no, for now—but then he's only been in power a few days, and certain "emergency" powers have already been rushed through for the Scottish police:

[Scottish police chief] Mr McKerracher said the powers had been applied for on Saturday after the car bomb attempt. Speaking at a press conference in Glasgow today, he urged the public to be tolerant of extra security measures being brought in to protect Scotland. He said: "We have applied for the authorisation to utilise stop-and-search and that is across every community in Scotland. That will be done sensitively and in situations where officers on the ground feel that is appropriate. Those powers were sought two days ago and that gives us an immediate 48 hours authorisation and then they will be confirmed by the home secretary."

Remember when the ban on liquids on planes was just a temporary "emergency" measure?

Jesse Walker blogged Blair's defeat in 2005.

Comments

[joe]

They tried that with the Irish. Didn't stop the bombs.

[crimethink]

This is the bill that saw Blair's first-ever parliamentary defeat, and was eventually negotiated down to (only!) 28 days before it passed into law.

Please tell me the new limit wasn't some weak-assed attempt to promote a certain British zombie flick.

[thoreau]

Remember when the ban on liquids on planes was just a temporary "emergency" measure?

They'll say that about the implanted tracking devices some day. But if it saves just one life covers just one ass, then it's worth it.

[Urkobold?]

'TWERE THE BAN ON SWORDS THAT DROVE THEM MAD AS A WITCH'S TEAT.

[David]

Don't you need to suspect that someone plotting a terrorist attack for such emergency powers to be worth anything? For that matter, don't police have sufficient power to investigate already?

It's the "who is planning what" part that no one knows until too late, and I can't see what the ability to detain people without charge does to address that.

[Warren]

I can't see what the ability to detain people without charge does to address that.

It trades freedom for the illusion of security. And that makes (almost) everyone feel better.

[sage]

If only they'd stand up to gum disease.

[Average Politician]

President Bush said that they hate us for our freedoms, therefore we must get rid of those pesky freedoms and then they won't hate us anymore!

Why didn't we think of this sooner?

[Paul]

give UK police the power to detain anyone they like for 90 days without trial.

Wow, I'd hate to see what they want to do with people they don't like.

I'm here all week.

[Deus]

Small correction:
"give UK police the power to detain anyone they like for 90 days without trial charge. "

[Edward]

Forget Terrorism in the UK. We need to get some food regulation laws in place in China.

[John]

The best way to fight terrorism is to kill them before they can do any damage. The fact is that between Iraq and Afghanistan, Al Quada's A team has been devistated. It is harder to be an effective terrorism than people think. It takes training and money. These clowns in the UK who were too stupid to get their bombs to go off are a good example of what happens when an amateur terrorist tries his hand in the big leagues. That is why the whole arguement that you create more terrorists by killing them is bullshit. One well trained terrorist like Mahumad Atta is worth 100 wannebes. You have to break up their training mechanism and kill the good ones. That makes it tha much easier to stop all of the wannabes left in the good one's wake. That is what we are seeing now in the UK. The good terrorists have been killed or captured since 9-11 and Al Quada and the radical Islamists are left with ill trained clowns and the best they can do is drive a car into a terminal or set car bombs that don't explode.

[DustinR]

Ooooooooooh terrorists scary. Better go get the ky out Brittan.

[crimethink]

The fact is that between Iraq and Afghanistan, Al Quada's A team has been devistated.

I'll give you Afghanistan for now, but al-Qaeda is much more of a threat now in Iraq than it was before we invaded. Not to mention the boon to AQ recruitment that our hamhanded conduct of the War on Terra has been.

Also, there were plenty of terrorist fuck-ups before 9/11 (the attempted LAX bombing, the botched first WTC attack in '93, etc). It's quite possible that most people willing to blow themselves up aren't the sharpest tools in the shed, don't you think?

[grumpy realist]

Also notice the age range of the suspects. All in their early 20s.

Methinks that once one gets to be a certain age one realizes it's much better to be the brains and teach other people to blow themselves up for the cause.

Unfortunately, young, foolish people in their 20s are, well, young, foolish people in their 20s.

[joe]

There were no Al Qaeda's A-Team in Iraq before this war, and there aren't any now.

Al Qaeda's A Team certainly aren't being used as cannon fodder against armed and prepared American forces.