Internment

Mr Neil Harding seem rather upset that people are calling New Labour authoritarian, and is making some rather wild remarks that everybody that does not whole heartedly and absolutely surport everything that New Labour has ever done obviously wants the instant return of Margret Thatcher. Who is EEEEEVIL.

There is plenty of bad stuff that Thatcher can rightly be blamed for, most of which has been picked up by New Labour and pushed as far further than she and John Major had been willing or able to go. But one of his claims, also used by Councellor Bob Piper, does not stack up.

What about internment and shoot to kill policies in N. Ireland?

Internment, ah yes. A policy created in 1971 by the Ulster Unionist Party headed by the Prime Minister of Northern Ireland, Brian Faulkner. Probably he asked Edward Heath if it was a good idea, who possibly said it was. At the time Thatcher was Secretary of State for Education and Science.

There have been two other times that internment has been instigated in the UK, first was during the second world war when people like Oswald Mosley where detained under Defence Regulation 18B. Mosley was released in 1943 when the pressing threat of invation had passed. At the time the Conservatives where in power, but where sharing it with such Labour luminaries as Clement Attlee and Ernest Bevin.

The second, and much mor recent time, was by New Labour under the Anti-terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001. This was ruled illegal by the Law Lords, so Labour had to rush through 'temporary' legislation for indefinite house arrest without charge or trial, so that the detainees could be released from belmarsh to be locked up in their own homes. Where they are still locked up.

So on this issue which is worse?

The Conservatives who might have allowed the Ulster Unionists to instigate internment 35 years ago, with nobody from that period still in a major position and most out of politics completely.

Or Labour who definitely legislated to create internment 5 years ago, that is still going on, and where all the major players are not only still in politics but still in positions of power.