Rebels and waverers

42 day detention clause must be defeated

Over at Liberal Conspiracy Sunny puts the case for firmly defeating tha government’s plan to increase detention without charge to 42 days, and after Labour rebels have forced Gordon Brown into a U turn over the 10p tax rate he argues that they must not stop now but take heart and have the courage to go on to force Jacqui Smith’s hand over this illiberal and dangerous measure.

Sunny gives us this list of Rebels and Waverers

Rebels

• Diane Abbott;
  Nick Ainger;
  John Austin;
  Karen Buck;
  Martin Caton;
  Colin Challen;
  Katy Clark;
  Ann Clwyd;
  Jeremy Corbyn;
  Jim Devine;
  Andrew Dismore;
  Frank Dobson;
  Frank Doran;
  Gwyneth Dunwoody, since deceased;
  Bill Etherington;
  Mark Fisher;
  Paul Flynn;
  Neil Gerrard;
  Ian Gibson;
  Roger Godsiff;
  John Grogan;
  David Hamilton;
  Kelvin Hopkins;
  Glenda Jackson;
  Lynne Jones;
  Peter Kilfoyle;
  Chris McCafferty;
  Bob Marshall-Andrews;
  John McDonnell;
  Michael Meacher;
  Austin Mitchell;
  Julie Morgan;
  George Mudie;
  Chris Mullin;
  Gordon Prentice;
  Mohammad Sarwar;
  Jim Sheridan;
  Alan Simpson;
  Dennis Skinner;
  Peter Soulsby;
  David Taylor;
  Emily Thornberry;
  Mark Todd;
  Jon Trickett;
  Des Turner;
  Keith Vaz;
  Rudi Vis;
  Bob Wareing;
  David Winnick;
  Michael Wood

Waverers

• Graham Allen;
  John Battle;
  Hugh Bayley;
  Anne Begg;
  Roger Berry;
  Lyn Brown;
  Chris Bryant;
  Richard Burden;
  Colin Burgon;
  Jim Cousins;
  Ann Cryer;
  John Cummings;
  Ian Davidson;
  Quentin Davies;
  Janet Dean;
  David Drew;
  Paul Farrelly;
  Dai Havard;
  Kate Hoey;
  Jim Hood;
  Sian James;
  Martyn Jones;
  Sally Keeble;
  Stephen Ladyman;
  Mark Lazarowicz;
  Andy Love;
  Andrew Mackinlay;
  Judy Mallaber;
  Gordon Marsden;
  Shona McIsaac;
  Anne Moffat;
  Madeleine Moon;
  Elliot Morley;
  Denis Murphy;
  Gwyn Prosser;
  Nick Raynsford;
  Angela Smith;
  John Smith;
  Gavin Strang;
  Graham Stringer;
  Paul Truswell;
  Joan Walley;
  Betty Williams;
  Tony Wright

Noting that the Foreign Secretary and South Shields MP David Miliband is unlikely to vote against the government because of collective responsibility, I would like to see neighbouring Jarrow MP Stephen Hepburn added to this list, and if your MP is not shown here then why don’t you write to him/her or email them to impress the importance of limiting the powers of government, executive, and it’s police force.

The issue encompasses more than just the ability of the government to cling on to power, as Sunny appears to suggest, but to limit the power of successive governments to intimidate and cow a population and remove long held rights to know the charges being levied against suspects within a reasonable time in order to prepare a defence.

Experts, including the Director of Public Prosecutions are now saying that they can work quite comfortably within the existing 28 day limit - if it ain’t broke, why try to fix it?

Read the thoughts of Labour MP Austin Mitchell - here.

Related Posts

• 42 day limit slammed
• Hard Labour over terrorism Bill
• Tremors felt in London
• 42 days detention - why?
• Liberty, out of step with comparable democracies

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