New Labour: Where 90 Equals 42 [and terror questionaires]

Channel4 News tonight ran the story that the Government has given up trying to force the idea of internment for 90 days without charge, and has settled on the arbitary figure of 42 days. [Watch the 6 minute report]

Having made their case that the police are insistent on 90 days, and that tabloid articles by policemen make that a compelling case, then the Bliar et al are turning the whole thing into a farce. If 90 days is compelling, then where the hell do 42 days come from? Do you just divide the original by 2 and take a bit off to make it look like you're really listening.

I mean, why not 45 days? It's half, a true compromise, 50%. It makes a mockery of the argument that the police case is compelling, and anything else means a bus is going to blow up under each and every one of us sometime soon, but you can see how they got to the number.[Personally, I think 14-28 days is in the very outer regions of what should be considered]

This isn't a negotiation, it's an offer. Are they so twisted, that they think if they offer more than 50% off, it looks like an offer too good to be true for recalcitrant Labour MPs? Do they think it shows enough 'humility'? "Look, we've saved you the indignity of negotiating, so we've taken ourselves below 50%. Deal?" Or is it simply so the time will be defined in terms of 6 weeks instead of 3 months?

Maybe Cherie had a hand in the logic...

Whoever is behind it, it's dumfuckery at it's very worst.
I generally have very little faith in Labour MPs sticking to their guns, but the farce that the government position is descending into is such that even they might baulk at rolling over and taking this.

Hazel Blears made the point in the above C4 News segment that for the last 35 years terrorism legislation has been arrived at by political consensus, whilst completely missing the point as to why Government proposals are being rejected by swathes of all 3 parties.

The accusation is that opposition parties, and the labour backbenchers are using this as a political stick with which to beat the Bliar.

The fact that the Bliar has nailed his colours so firmly to the 90 days means it will be a pleasant bonus when the Bliar suffers personal damage as his exesses are vetoed, if indeed the bill falls.
But this is a bonus, and the point of the objections is that the proposals are plain wrong.

The deeply disturbing thing is not only that New Labour don't agree, it is that they just don't get it.

News following Blogs...?

C4 also tell us that the Government have no plans to share the questionaire results. Which makes me wonder why they bothered stretching to 4 questions...?