Rights body threatens to bring legal challenge...

[Steve Gardner]

...on 42-day detention

I hope Brown gets defeated tomorrow - big time. His Premiership has been a disaster almost from day one.

Source and full article: RINF

By Alan Travis and Patrick Wintour | The government’s human rights watchdog last night served notice that it will immediately launch a legal challenge to the government’s plan to extend the pre-charge detention limit to 42 days if it reaches the statute book. The Equality and Human Rights Commission, chaired by Trevor Phillips, backed its claim by publishing legal advice from Matrix Chambers that the extended limit would violate the European convention on human rights.

The advice from leading human rights lawyers Rabinder Singh QC and Professor Aileen McColgan says that the amendments tabled by the home secretary, Jacqui Smith, last week to win over potential Labour rebels still leave the measure breaching human rights law, as extended detention without charge is likely to involve inhuman or degrading treatment and discrimination against Muslim detainees.

Phillips said: “As the body charged with the promotion of human rights, we agree with ministers that the right to life is paramount, but that does not give us the liberty to take actions that unnecessarily violate other human rights … Should the proposed measures be carried, the commission will immediately move to test its legality by launching a judicial review.”

Government whips are not expecting the nine Democratic Unionist MPs to vote with the government on the measure, as the prime minister warned his backbenchers privately that he may be humiliated if he is defeated tomorrow.

[Steve Gardner]

Bollocks.

It's bollocks that he won the vote and it's a bollocks piece of legislation that surely won't make its way past the Lords.

Surely not.

Source: BBC

Prime Minister Gordon Brown has narrowly won a House of Commons vote on extending the maximum time police can hold terror suspects to 42 days.

Thirty-six Labour MPs joined forces with Conservatives and Lib Dems to vote against the proposals.

But that was not enough to defeat them - although the government still faces a battle in the House of Lords.

The 42-day proposal was passed by 315 MPs to 306 - with votes by the nine DUP MPs proving crucial.

But there was uproar in the Commons as the result of the key vote on 42 days was announced after five hours of tense debate - with Tory and Lib Dem MPs shouting "You've been bought" at the DUP benches.

They claim the DUP was offered a string of inducements - including extra financial help for Northern Ireland - to guarantee its support.

Labour rebels claimed the DUP had obtained guarantees that the government would block efforts to use the Human Embryology and Fertility Bill, currently going through Parliament, to loosen abortion rules in Northern Ireland.

They are also said to have cut a deal to keep revenue from water rates, which Westminster had been set to claw back.

But the DUP denies it was promised any financial support and insists it voted out of principle.

DUP MP Rev William McCrea said: "The issue was on national security."

[teddy]

Totalitarianism is well on its way. Ever-expanding government and dependancy on the state, and ever-increasing police powers. There's a chance they are going a little too fast and people might start to notice where this is all heading.