On the BBC today it says that the Home Office could be split into two departments - one for security and one for justice. Because the two are not in any way linked... are they?
After all, if you've abolished habeus corpus and you lock people away without trial, those you label terrorists cannot expect to recieve justice. And if someone questions whether the fact you say they are guilty isn't enough proof - well perhaps they're a terrorist too. After all you wouldn't say they were a terrorist if they weren't... would you?
John Reid said there will be "no sacred cows when it comes to protecting security and administering justice." None? Well, I suppose not.
Jury trials? The need for due process? And if the suspect is a bit foreign, well all they need do is look funny and they could be jetting off to sunnier climes within hours. Some MPs are visitting Guantanamo right now and hope to see it shut down - but announcements like this are a declaration of intent have more of these institutions, not less.
In fact, why go to the bother of locking people up at all. Why not just shoot them whilst they are still on public transport? Much less fuss.
I would like to suggest though that if there is no justice, security will be an impossible dream.
Sunday, January 21, 2007
Securing justice
Labels: Labour, Law and order
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2 comments:
This is a particularly concerning development. It implies a difference between security and justice, and suggests there will be further erosion of our civil liberty.
On a more trivial political note, do you think John Reid will want to run:
a) the National Security job?
b) Justice?
Er - National Security. Look tough. Talk tough. Avoid all those difficult issues.
I don't think this "reorganisation" should be allowed to act as an excuse for unacceptable problems with criminal registers.
The thing I find it hard to get my head round is that they are moving policing into one dept. and the courts into the other... I mean what are they trying to say?
It's just completely illogical even in their own terms
There a Billy Bragg song where a prisoner in the dock says "there is no justice" and the judge looks at him and says "This isn't a court of justice, son, this is a court of law."
Right on.
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