So This is How Liberty Dies?

The Hacks are concentrating on Gordon Brown’s narrow victory, and how that’s kind of bad for him, popularity-wise. That’s only half the story.

As I type this, just over an hour has passed since we heard the news. Labours proposal to increase the time the government can arrest and detain someone without trial rise from a terrifyingly long 28 days, to an horrifically long 42 days.

The victory was as narrow as it could be. It appears Gordy had to bribe the DUP with something. All their 9 members, who usually have the courage to vote ‘no’ on most of these issues, voted ‘yes’ this time around. The government has won the vote with a majority of 9. The DUP have spent an awful lot of time with the PM in the run-up to the vote as well. I wonder what deal was made?

David Davis has made the big point that the Hacks are pushing slightly to one side. They are concerned that this is another nail in Gordon Brown’s coffin. I agree, but Davis’ point is much more vital. Those who were apposed to the extension of 42 days won the argument. Those who wanted to push this legislation through paid out for the victory. That’s not how democracy is supposed to work.

The relief and applause of the Labour Party faithful frankly made me ill. The colour drained out of my face, and I got a little case of the shakes. They’ve won an insignificant victory that will do little to help their waning popularity, and the rest of us have lost yet more rights.

So this is how liberty dies? In a round of applause?

I usually place little respect to the institution of the House of Lords. One of these days, I’ll get around to proposing a democratic model that works much better (!) but today, I just hope the revising chamber do us all a favour and vote this bill down. Our very freedom depends upon it.

We all want to see terrorists get locked up. But everybody deserves fair due process, a notion that has been at the cornerstone of British state-responsibility since 1225. If suspected terrorists don’t receive that level of due process, then neither will we.

We have a phrase for describing countries that lock-up suspects without even telling them what it’s about for 6 weeks. And it’s not “classical liberal democracy”.

If this continues, the Islamofascist world will start to win this war.