PM argument is claptrap
Tim Worstall does a good job undermining Tony’s confused arguments.
The Dear Leader on Liberty.
The Maximum Tone has spoken on the subject of Civil Liberties. Somewhat confused I fear:
I have absolutely no doubt about the main duty of any prime minister: it is to do everything possible to protect the security of our nation and its citizens.
Err, no. You’re supposed to be protecting the freedoms and liberties of the nation and its citizens. The security of is a sub-set, only one amongst a number of things that make up the whole.
The Law Lords are the highest court in the land.
Only in the most technical sense, that they are the highest court that sits in this land. Come along laddie, your wife makes a fortune out of pointing out that there are at least two European Courts which can over ride the Law Lords.
These measures have the support of our police chiefs and our security forces. Indeed, they were drawn up with their assistance.
Just what worries us. Quis custodiet ipsos custodies? In our system, the courts, juries, Habeus Corpus and all the rest.
I reject completely the allegation that this is a fundamental attack on long-standing civil liberties.
Your rejection does not change the self evident truth that it is such an attack.
We have to balance protection for the public from terrorism with safeguarding civil liberties. But there is no greater civil liberty than to live free from terrorist attack.
Indeed, one must balance. The greatest civil liberty is to live free, something that to my mind at least includes the fact that one cannot be deprived of liberty just because some politician says so.
Ben Frankiln said it some years ago:
They who would give up an essential liberty for temporary security, deserve neither liberty or security.
But then that’s entirely too American a thought for the modern Europe, eh Prime Minister?
What’s the point of a fascist government if it can’t even make the trains run on time? 7 reasons why not to vote Labour in 2005.
Didn’t someone once say the tree of liberty needs to be fertilised with the blood of tyrants? I think Blair would make good fertiliser, he’s certainly full of shit.