Blair plans increased anti-terror powers if re-elected

[maddezmom]

LONDON (AP) - British Prime Minister Tony Blair (news - web sites)'s government is considering toughening already contentious anti-terrorism powers if it wins another term in office, a senior government minister said Sunday.



Home Secretary David Blunkett said the government is considering allowing wiretap evidence to be used in court and establishing special terrorism courts overseen by judges without a jury.


The changes would not come until after a national election expected next year, Blunkett told ITV television's Jonathan Dimbleby Show, excerpts released in advance by the broadcaster showed.


"It's not my intention to try and push a bill through this side of the general election, whenever the prime minister calls it," he said.


Blunkett said new measures could also include the use of "civil orders" barring suspects from committing certain acts, even if the acts themselves were not criminal. They could, for instance, prevent suspects from using a specified banking network or using the Internet

more: http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=1856&ncid=732&e=1&u=/cpress/20041121/ca_pr_on_wo/britain_terrorism

[cubsfan forever]

1. Poor little Tony the Poodle

is he in some kind of competition with Bunnypants to see who is stupider?

[Cha]

2. Can they rig the votes in

England?

[Cronus Protagonist]

5. Not so easy, and it's all recountable

Paper and pen ballots. Oversight by representatives of all parties during counting. Simple and straightforward.

However, AFAIK (they may have changed this since I was last there), you can't vote for Prime Minister; only the party and they decide who it is, which is how the Iron Lady got her bony ass into the PM seat and decimated the country.


http://brainbuttons.com/home.asp?stashid=13
Buttons for brainy people - educate your local freepers today!

[leesa]

6. Thank goodness. Get this monster out. Our system is too corrupt.

[Nihil]

9. Getting easier every year

Electronic voting has been used in several regions over the last few
years. No hue & cry, no fuss, no publicised problems. As a result,
they are getting more widely accepted as a "good thing".

If you want to put on the tin foil, you might like to know that all of
the trial regions were non-contentious - i.e., the outcome was pretty
obvious in terms of overall winners & losers so very few people would
review the details to find out if the actual vote counts were accurate
or not. This sort of inspection would only occur if a critical outcome
"flipped" ... or, at least, flipped before the electronic voting machines
became widespread and "trusted" ...

[bin.dare]

3. Maggie Thatchers's legacy

she once said, when asked what her legacy will be, said it is New Labour. I hated the bitch, but jeez she was an astute politico.

[Pachamama]

4. ATTN Brits! DEMOCRACY ALERT!

Hello Great Britain and its subjects: This is an alert that if you haven't noticed what is happening here in the US, Bush's poodle is about to try to do the same to you....hope you are paying better attention than the rest of our country is....

:kick:

[durutti]

7. Most of the original BNP members were recruited from Labour.

Seriously.

[fedsron2us]

8. I see Blunkett wants to revive the Diplock courts

They did not defeat the IRA in Northern Ireland during the 1970's and they will not work now. As for using civil orders to bar people from using the banking network or the internet these will simply be a joke. The law enforcement agencies are already groaning under the burden of policing the recent spate of government anti social behaviour orders against delinquent teenagers and will shortly be expected to chase illegal fox hunters. I suspect that they will regard the prospect of sitting around in internet cafes on the odd chance of catching a suspected terrorist as a bit of a relief.