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Marvellous news from my old University, Oxford Brookes. They’ve announced that Shami Chakrabarti is to become the new chancellor. She succeeds Jon Snow, from Channel 4 news. I’ve a huge amount of respect for both Jon Snow (my various posts here), and Shami Chakrabarti: She’s an impressive personality who has helped make Liberty the impressive force it is today, and I’m sure she’ll do a superb job at my old University.

I’ve been a member of Liberty for a few years now. For an organisation of its size, it makes a considerable impact in any debate on civil liberties, which I feel have repeatedly under attack by this Government, most recently with the unnecessary proposal to increase pre-charge detention from 28 to 42 days.

I find this proposal objectionable in the extreme. It further undermines fundamental liberties we used to enjoy, and despite the concessions being offered by the Government (Which, to me, smack of political desperation: Just listen to the concessions supposedly being offered to “rebels”), gives the UK the longest period of detention of any comparable democracy. That Sir Ken MacDonald, the Director of Public Prosecutions - the man who will charge the people detained - is opposed to it’s six week period.

There is a survey that suggests 60% of the public support this measure, but I worry that this reflects a knee-jerk response to a question that draws on fears which have been built up (in my view rather cynically and with political motivation, rather than based on evidence) over the years. Put simply, try to imagine what it would be like to be locked up, without knowing the reasons why, for six weeks?

The desperately frustrating thing is that there are genuine and solid alternatives that appear to be being dismissed: allowing the use of intercept evidence in court, post-charge questioning and, if needed in a genuine crisis (which the Government makes such an issue with), using powers that already exist in the Civil Contingencies Act 2004.

Whilst my MP Tom Harris is almost certain to vote for these measure (he’s a minister), to ensure that he’s properly aware of my objections and the issues I hold important when I come to decide who to vote for at the next election, I’ve today written to him through the excellent writetothem.com website. My letter appears below. I’d suggest anybody else who cares about this matter to consider writing themselves.

Some other resources:

• Sign the petition on the Prime Ministers website.
• Read Liberty’s suggestions on what to do
• Review the campaign details (PDF)
• Join Liberty.

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