Thursday, May 04, 2006

The deportation debate

Can I be a shameless toady and say how good I think Ming Campbell's soundbite was at prime minister's questions yesterday? The great man said:

"In the last nine years we've had dozens of pieces of law and order legislation, and hundreds of new offences have been created. Isn't what we need less legislation, better government and a new Home Secretary?"
That is exactly right.

Meanwhile, I am not sure that today's revelation that someone who is facing terrorist charges was imprisoned for robbery a few years ago and not deported is as damning as it is being made to sound. Is the argument that any youth convicted of robbery should be deported in case he becomes a terrorist one day?

I want to see Charles Clarke sacked - and the smart money says he will at least be moved in a cabinet reshuffle tomorrow - but I want it because of his appalling speech attacking individual journalists last Monday. It made him sound like the minister of the interior in a Soviet satellite circa 1962.

1 comment:

Tristan said...

I liked that snippet too. It sums up much of the liberal argument.

As for Clarke, well, he's gone... not sure where to yet.
Unfortunately I'm pretty sure Blair approved of that speech...