Secret terror courts considered

Hat tip to The Englishman's Castle for this one New Labour is considering secret terror courts. Looks like they really are dusting off all of the authoritarian wet dreams. As I recall the last time that special courts like this where used, outside of wartime, was the hated Star Chamber under Henry VII with it's excesses being one of the sparks for the English Civil war and the eventual execution of the King (to whom the Star Chamber reported). But even in that the precedings where public, and Habeas Corpus ruled.

One possible model for the pre-trial hearings could be the Special Immigrations Appeals Tribunal, which sits in secret and keeps the details of charges from those facing them.

Defendants are represented by special advocates, who have access to the evidence but do not brief their 'clients' on the details.

And where ruled illegal last year. But this covers everybody so in the Multicultist view point of New Labour it must be OK, seeming to forget that it was that these where a travesty of British justice that made them illegal, not just the descrimination between British Citizens and immigrants.

With the view that you shouldn't believe anything until it has been officially denied

"There is no question of secret trials, there is no question of jury less trials, there is no question of any sort of internment," said Lord Falconer.

He then goes on to cntradict everything in that

"Mr Blair last week said the government was looking at new court procedures to allow terror suspects to be held without charge for longer than the current two-week limit."

in otherwords internment, and the suspention of Habeas Corpus, which is kind of what you expect from New Labour. He seems to have overlooked the very swift action of the police who do not seem to need this in the case of the London Bombers, the people Blair is (according to him) aiming at, with trials already beginning and all of the suspects having been arrested in the normal manner.