Or whatever they're calling it.

Just reading about the (soon to be) proposed changes to law that would allow police officers to stop and question any person they have a 'reasonable suspicion' may know something about a crime.

If the person refuses to answer they would be fined up to £5k and possibly charged with obstructing a police enquiry.

So much for the 'right to remain silent' that I hear them go on about on The Bill...

But what I find more disturbing and worrying is the attempt to demonize civil liberties, in particular this quote from Mr Blair (quote at bottome of article):




So civil liberties are misguided and wrong? What about human rights? I'm confused. And as TB admits that society puts civil liberties before terrorism laws, what right has he (or Gordon) got to impose laws that are directly at odds with the wishes of society?

But more to the point I'm very worried about the way this country is going with it's 'war on terror'.

All this police state shit sucks arse, doesn't it. Fuck knows where it will end.

It's just SUSS by another name. Who will be stopped and searched? People of AfroCaribbean and asian origin or descent. Way to build an alienation.

And we'll need to make sure they are who they say they are. ID cards to the rescue!

I wonder if they are deliberatly trying to wreck their re-election chances, they know they've fucked the economy and want out before the shit hits the fan (so they can blame the other lot when it does)

You haven't had the right to remain silent since the 1994 Criminal Justice and Public Order Act. Following that, you do not have to say anything, but it may harm your defence if you do not mention when questioned something which you later rely on in court. Which not only violates your civil rights, but also ends a subordinate clause with a preposition.

 

That said, when it gets to the point, as it has, where supposed civil/human rights are keeping dangerous criminals out of prison, it should give us pause.

I have a faint hope that Brown will take advantage of the changeover to knock ID cards on the head once and for all.

Unfortunately, stubborness is an unattractive feature of many people who have risen into powerful positions.

I just hope that there's some kind of legal requirement that when doing the Stop & Quiz thing, the police have to do it in the style of the old man from scene 24 in Monty Python and the Holy Grail.



etc.

:-D

“Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both.”

Benjamin Franklin?

Aye, the cheeky master of irony who owned two slaves when that was said/written (though probably not by him, it seems).

Never trust someone who admits to being called Benjamin.

Haha.

 

*American, though, Ben.

Yeah, wasn't he just quoting someone else when he said it, or something?

Who?

'ccording to wikiquote, someone attributed it to him then later attributed it to Hume. Or sommat.

Fuck it, it's still a good quote.

Scene 24? WTFAYadvdplayer?