Bob Piper has been a Labour Councillor for the Abbey
Ward in Sandwell, West Midlands, for 10 years. He is a lifelong supporter of Aston Villa Football Club and a follower of Yorkshire County Cricket Club.
The views expressed here are mine in a personal capacity, not those of the Labour Party, Sandwell MBC, Aston Villa or Yorkshire County Cricket Club. Get it! Mine... just mine!
One of the most futile aspects of what is termed 'The Great War' was the trench warfare that claimed so many lives.
Armies dug into trenches fought for months on end over the control of a series of fields. Tens of thousands of men lost their lives and when you look back on it you have to think, why? What was that all about?
So it seems with 42 day detention orders. Of course, not in the degree of severity as the shocking conflict in the Somme and elsewhere, but in terms of the futility of the whole exercise.
Before Gordon Brown and his Home Secretary decide to order their troops to go over the top, the Generals should be asking the Chief of Staff.... why are we doing this? The cannon fodder should refuse to leave the treenches unless they get answers a bloody sight better than we have had so far.
There is a view in some circles that, like Tony Blair, the PM may prefer to go down to glorious defeat on this one in order to make Cameron/Clegg appear to be soft on terrorism. Frankly, that doesn't hold water. In order to be a successful strategy it relies on the terrorists getting it right. And if they do, 42 days, 28 days or 96 days will make no difference in the eyes of the public.... the Government will get it in the neck.
So, the PLP needs to stamp its collective feet and say no to this essentially illiberal piece of legislation. It is time for the troops to mutiny and refuse to go over the top in pursuit of a piece of waste land.
Don't make me laugh. Blair's Babes will never stand up for liberty, or do anything meaningful, and you're being false to yourself and the ideals you stand for every time you express hope for that bunch.
Gary Elsby stoke said:
June 3, 2008 9:11 AM | permalink
The People's Republic stand by these comments by a slender 100%, Bob and congratulate you on this article.
Liberty is being eroded by Labour and has been for several years. I respect your views Bob, but they bring little consolation when faced with a government who show such contempt for the most basic rights of the British public.
is this not a complete waste of time? with the "concessions" revealed last night it doesn't seem that different to the Civil Contingencies Act, which allows for up to 58 days detention. Is this - dare I say it - now more to do with making Brown look "principled"?
It's your party's mismanagement that has got the city council and the city in general into such a state and led to extensive support for the far right. Now the party has got what it deserves, & you yourself were defeated at fascist hands, you're reduced to writing incoherent comments on blogs.
Bob what you view as the poor bloody (backbench) infantry, lions being whipped into this by donkeys - sadly most of them actually believe it, and all the "new Labour" Thatcherite claptrap.
Asquith: Just in case you haven't noticed, my party has not run Stoke since before 2002.
Yes, I know that the local press (Daily Mail)say we are and always have but they lie.
You swalow that lie,I don't.
Just so you don't perpetuate that lie even to yourself, I have managed to get almost the entire City of Stoke to vote against any coalition with your Conservative Party and Liberals, as near to 100% as you can get.
You won't hear that in the press cos I'm banned by the Daily Mail.
This is what my life has come to.
Name one person in Stoke who the Mayor thinks will take his job if he stands against him (a 100% certainty of both)?
You won't hear that in the press either (same reasons).
Elsby, I regard the Sentinel as shite too, & haven't read it in years. If I did, I'd disagree with it. And I'm not a Tory. There's more than one way of regarding Labour as knobhead, you know.
June 3, 2008 6:41 AM | permalink
Don't make me laugh. Blair's Babes will never stand up for liberty, or do anything meaningful, and you're being false to yourself and the ideals you stand for every time you express hope for that bunch.