Civil Liberties

Sorry for the prolonged period of quiet on this blog. I've been uncharacteristically busy of late.

Over the last few years we have seen the erosion of civil liberties here in Britain and throughout the world. There have been many instances such as the Americans imprisoning suspected terrorists without charge in Guantanamo Bay and the recent vote on 42 day detention without charge in Parliament. It has been these events that have made me agree with the media savvy civil liberties campaigner and director of Liberty Shami Chakrabarti. I remember a couple of years ago almost being livid in disagreement every time she would open her mouth on television, but those days are gone.

However, she has perhaps been caught out recently with the Burnham-Davis-Chakrabarti story. Hat Tipped to Normal Mouth for directing me to this fascinating post over at Harry's Place about the entire story. The most remarkable point is that the prominent civil rights campaigner is threatning to use the illiberal British libel laws against Andy Burnham, Secretary of State for Culture over comments that 'suggest' that she is in cahoots with David Davis, former Tory shadow Home Secretary.

Although I am unusual in the sense that I am politically quite illiberal (although mellowing as I grow less younger), Wales has a very liberal history and I am sure that through devolution all political parties (with perhaps the exception of the Welsh Conservatives) will fight and win the battle for increased civil liberties. Can you imagine what kind of society we would be if the laws of Hywel Dda still applied to us in Cambria.