Defeated!

Ha!!!! Bliar gets a lesson in parliamentary democracy. His first defeat. 291-322.

Blair defeated over terror laws

The last few days have been an unseemly show as Bliar has gotten increasingly desperate to get his pet project - 90 days detention without charge for terror suspects - through a doubting house. His lap dogs in the tabloid press have been batting for him, all the faceless, crony MP’s looking for promotion have been speaking up for him, even police chiefs have been bought into the battle talking up the case for the government in the both media and in the Commons where the PM's office have been encouraging them to write to MPs. The police should be policing, not indulging in politics.

90 days was always a random figure. It was never justified or backed up with any real evidence of a need. We were told that it takes weeks to examine CCTV footage and hard drives, but it only took them six days to sift through more than 2,500 tapes after 7/7 and find the 'bombers'. Hmmmmmm indeed. Hundreds have been arrested in the UK since 9/11 and only a handful have been charged with anything, let alone terrorist charges and that is under the current legislation. 90 days would encourage even lazier policing if such a thing were possible. Dodgy ‘foreign types’ would have been rounded up, their lives nosed through and they would then be freed after 3 months. Imagine the hostility and resentment that would cause.

It’s not often I have a good word for the Commons but today they have ignored the Prime Minister, ignored the Sun reading, blood baying masses and voted against an illiberal act that would have harmed civil liberties and community relations in the UK. Well done to you.