Twisted
David Blunkett attempts to explain why the British government would like to abolish key elements of English common law. He begins:
Sometimes one small word can tell us more than a lengthy speech. Among the many thousands of words which will be written about the Criminal Justice Bill, I wonder how many will focus on the fact that we always refer to the criminal justice system rather than the criminal justice service...
I have difficulty believing anyone could be convinced by what follows, in which time-honored protections of basic civil liberties are dismissed as archaic "twisted traditions" that are hopelessly out of step with the times. Tyranny is groovy, baby, yeah. The Telegraph's editors make short work of it, but so could anyone with a modicum of common sense and human decency.
The classic authoritarian trick of pretending that being tough on defendants is the same thing as being tough on crime has never been so poorly-disguised.
Appalling.
UPDATE: The great Iain Murray, as so often, supplies an apt rejoinder: "the 'twisted traditions' are all enshrined in the US Bill of Rights. Care to come over here and call them 'twisted,' David?" In the comment section, his wife, Kris, is even more concise: "What kinda joker is this idiot?" I think we know what kind...
Posted by Dr. Frank at November 12, 2002 02:07 PM | TrackBack