Micheal Cobley

Interstellar Tactics

 

 

 
 
 
 

Hey – what's the worst that could happen?

 Posted on June 12th 2008 | Leave a comment
 

Like Reggie M, I bury my head in my hands with despair. 42 days. 42 horrible, damning days detention without charge, as passed by the House of Commons yesterday, on a majority of just nine. I`m not outraged, in the sense of being taken by surprise; everything that New Labour has done in office since Blair took us to war as Bush’s sidekick has carried a rotten odour, the miasma of something corrupt. So I’m not surprised, just feeling the anger.

Y’see, ever since those days in 2001 – with all the UN shenanigans, the frantic, failed flailing after a UN resolution backing military force, and the orgy of violence that fell upon the Iraqi people anyway – I realised that the whole Blair/Brown crew are not to be trusted on any topic whatsoever. If they are sufficiently callous and heartless to unleash the full force of Britains military on an essentially defenceless people, then they are capable of anything; every policy, ever proposal, every speech, every utterance is intrinsically suspect. As has been shown to be true by their despicably deceitful management of the education system and the NHS, both of which are being eaten out from within by market mechanisms, and the redirection of public revenues into undeserving private companies.

And their obsession with authority, with the redrafting of criminal law, giving both government and police sweeping, almost arbitrary power, is the most worrying of all. For the last 7-8 years I`ve got into the habit of looking at government security policies in this way: would this measure make it easier for a future government (with even less scruples than this one) to subvert the democratic process, intimidate the opposition and suppress dissent? The answer has, repeatedly, been yes.

As it was last night, after the vote.

As a science fiction writer, its practically my job to imagine the near future, to figure out possible holes in the road ahead, to creatively imagine the consequences of our actions, for good or ill. And right now, living in the shadow of Labour’s supposed anti-terror legislation, I`m feeling a shiver of dread.

 
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42 Days (1008 Hours or 60,480 Minutes) Detention Without Charge

 Posted on June 11th 2008 | 3 Comments so far
 

And round it comes again. New Labour has been trying to extend the amount of time for detention-without-charge for years now, first under Blair and continuing under Brown. Back under Toe-Knee, the impetus and emphasis was all on extending it to 90 days to help in the Waronterra, essential, vital, crucial and other words designed to foster fear and uncertainty. Yet it ran aground in the House of Commons when the gummint was defeated, with the majority vote opting for the lesser increase to 28 days.

But they wouldn`t let it lie. Now El Gordo and his feeble Home Secretary, Jacqui Smith, return to the refrain of essentiality and cruciality, squawking about how 42 days is utterly vital to the War On…yawwwn… etc. Gotta give em credit – they just don`t know when to quit, even in the face of plummetting poll ratings and a contempt for New Labourism which is crossing all communities throughout the nation. Now, you’d think that Labour MPs, or ministers for that matter, would be worried about losing their seats and might, just might think about knocking this idiotic, anti-democratic, anti-civil liberties proposal on the head. But instead they continue pushing it, with a sheer, bloody-minded determination that beggars belief. Why? The more they argue for it, the more I have to ask why? – it’s as if they`re taking orders, but the orders ain`t coming from us, the voters who pay their frelling wages!

And now that it seems that the vote might just go against the government, they`ve come up with a new wheeze which takes my breath away – they`re proposing to pay £3000 per day to anyone wrongly detained under the 42-day rule if passed, that is per day over the current limit of 28 days. Heard this on News24 this morning, and my jaw dropped open in disbelief – so now now we know the value of liberty today in the brave new Labour world of market mechanisms and PFI scamfloggery; 3000 quid per day.

Just when I thought Brown and his gag-and-vomit crew couldn`t get any lower, they hock up another pavement-pizza of a notion, just to prove me wrong. Please, God-or-whoever’s-in-charge, let them get a kicking when the vote comes round later today.

Otherwise, I may have to really get stroppy.

 
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