Letters From A Tory

Dear Rachel Sylvester,

I think you have done an excellent job of identifying the absurdity surrounding the government’s plan to increase the detention limit for terrorist suspects to 42 days.  Labour can emotionally blackmail us all they want, but I agree with you that the bill itself is ludicrous in terms of how it tries to achieve a safer Britain.

As senior policeman today have said that they don’t need an extension to the current limit of 28 days, it seems amazing that we have come this far.  You have summed it up perfectly by saying that the bill is “a dangerously ill-thought-out show of strength designed to position Labour as tough on terror”.  If this country needed the limit to be extended, I would have expected judges, the police and all political parties to be dancing to the same tune - but the reality is that none of these groups support the government.  For politicians to interfere with the work of the judiciary in the way that this bill proposes will cross a very dangerous line and you have correctly identified the spectacular contradiction at the heart of the bill - the Commons vote to decide whether a suspect can be detained longer than 42 days will take place AFTER 42 days has elapsed (you really couldn’t make this stuff up).  As you rightly said, suggesting that the decision of Parliament to detain or not detain a suspect would have no effect on a jury in a subsequent criminal trial is also unbelievable.

It is sad that a government is so desperate to be appear strong and united that they are willing to destroy some of the most sacred rights in this country.  Your article has captured the true heart of this proposed legislation and I can only hope that the Labour rebels don’t run and hide like they did with the Post Office vote.

Yours respectfully,

A.Tory