Leg & Reg

I trust the Times will forgive me if I reprint a letter from today’s edition in full, so important is its content. Sir, Clause one of the Legislative and Regulatory Reform Bill (Comment, Feb 15) provides that: “A Minister of the Crown may by order make provision for […]

China Syndrome

This is my last word on the Terrorism Bill debate, I promise, until the Bill returns to the House of Lords, which should be sometime in early March: the 6th has, I understand, been mooted. I watched the latter stages of the debate on clause 3 of the […]

The Secret Policeman’s Ball

In reporting that Lib Dem and Tory Peers may fight back against yesterday’s reinstatement of glorification in the Terrorism Bill, the Beeb include this gem of a statement from the Met. Scotland Yard’s anti-terrorism chief Peter Clarke on Thursday said it was “hopelessly optimistic” to think the threat […]

O, the fierce wretchedness that glory brings us!

In the interests of separating the spin for the reality of yesterday’s proceedings in the House of Commons on the Terrorism Bill, this is what yesterday left us with in terms of ‘glorification’: There is NO offence ‘glorifying terrorism’ in the Bill. What Parliament reinstated were amendments which […]

V

I’ve always been the kind of person who’s mood is is very clearly reflected in my choice of reading and listening material – if it’s Kate bush on the stereo and I’m parked in the corner of the room reading Mervyn Peake then you know you’re on pretty […]