terror laws

Cynicism towards the Labour government is well-founded.  The recent donation scandal is alarming but not surprising, and it is even less surprising that the government has chosen to revisit the proposals to extend the detention period without charge, such is the controversial and headline-grabbing nature of Jacqui Smith's plan (nicely deflecting attention away from Mr Abrahams et al).  What is baffling is that extending the 28-day detention period seems to be without purpose or objective, which is unusual for Labour as they normally try to sneak some hidden motive past the public's nose even if it isn't immediately apparent.  In the complete absence of any public or confidential evidence supporting changes to the law, the whole process seems absurd.  MPs don't want the law changed and numerous legal experts also fail to see the logic.
 
Gordon Brown's own Security Minister, Admiral Lord West of Spithead, did a spectacular U-turn on his views about these proposed changes.  After recently telling Radio 4's Today programme that was not "fully convinced" of the need to raise the detention limit, he emerged from a meeting with Gordon Brown about an hour later saying "My feeling is, yes, we need more than 28 days,".  His subsequent remark was even more revealing: "I personally absolutely believe that within the next two to three years, we will require more than that for one of these complex plots."  So, in short, Gordon Brown's own Security Minister admits that there has never been a case where a limit above 28 days would have helped.

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