Leila's blog

Fri, Jun 13, 2008

May you live in interesting times

My respect for David Davis soared yesterday. A politician taking a principled stance, putting their career (and livelihood) at risk to do so. The criticism levelled at him in the media seems unjustified, as if there is no belief that to take a stance can be anything other than a cynical move. Without giving my backing to the Conservative Party as a whole I do extend my personal good wishes to him in the by-election. Shame on the Labour Party that they are looking unlikely to contest the seat, either out of fear or malice. If their stance on 42 day detention is correct they should be willing to publicly defend this and make the argument to the people, the public, who will be at the mercy of the legislation. London Green MEP and member of Liberty's board also criticised the government, saying "Counter-terror powers are already more than sufficient and the counter-terrorism bill as it stands does more to endanger than to enhance public safety."

Also on my radar is the report on the BBC which finally recognises something those of us in Wales and Scotland have known for years - that the Welsh Assembly and Scottish Parliament fail to get the coverage they deserve. As a dedicated radio 4 fan and being without television I have to concur and point out that the problem will not be solved by different news bulletins on the telly alone. The BBC and other broadcasters have to move away from the view that these are irrelevant because they aren't in London and recognise many of their listeners and viewers are not based in the city or tied to the financial institutions there. Space for coverage of all the parliaments (including Europe) and the Welsh Assembly needs to be incorporated into all the mainstream news, even if it is just a line or two, so that a UK broadcaster gives UK coverage.

And finally worried about emergency measures for terrorism? Worried about fuel supplies? No need - the government has combined the two in one easy set of 'draconian laws' to ensure we all (well the police and armed services at least) can keep moving.

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