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Guardian 29/9/2001: "Straw takes swipe at liberals"

------- Forwarded message follows ------- From: "Caspar Bowden" <cb@fipr.org> To: "'FIPR News Archive'" <news_archive@fipr.org>, "'Ukcrypto'" <ukcrypto@chiark.greenend.org.uk> Subject: Guardian 29/9/2001: "Straw takes swipe at liberals" Date sent: Sat, 29 Sep 2001 04:45:38 +0100 Send reply to: ukcrypto@chiark.greenend.org.uk

http://www.guardian.co.uk/guardianpolitics/story/0,3605,560194,00.html Straw takes swipe at liberals

Surveillance 'watered down'

Anne Perkins, political correspondent Saturday September 29, 2001 The Guardian

The former home secretary Jack Straw launched a bitter attack against the civil liberties lobby yesterday, claiming that it had forced him to water down plans to take new surveillance powers. "It wasn't big brother government. It was government trying to put in place increased powers so we could preserve our democracy against this new type of threat," he said on BBC Radio 4's Today. "Now people are saying: 'Why are these terrorists here?' "

Mr Straw, now foreign secretary, said plans in Britain and the United States that would have allowed surveillance of encrypted email had been dropped because of opposition. He also attacked the Today programme itself as the "mouthpiece" for the opponents of change.

As the Home Office prepares to introduce what have been described as draconian new laws in the wake of the terrorist atrocities - likely to include monitoring emails as well as identity cards - there is growing anxiety about a backlash from civil liberty organisations and commentators.

David Blunkett, the home secretary, indicated yesterday that Britain's complex extradition laws were to be overhauled, ending the procedure that can allow a case to be the subject of seven or eight appeals. There is also discussion within the Home Office about challenging some of the rights asylum seekers can claim under the Geneva convention, which obstruct the detention of asylum seekers suspected of links with terrorism.

"We have got to get in perspective what it was possible to do before September 11 and what we can do after September 11 with its severe and horrendous warning of what these people are prepared to do," Mr Blunkett said.

He promised a "jigsaw of measures" and added: "We will take all necessary steps to secure our freedom from fear and from the threat to life, and do it so that it protects and maintains liberties."

Roger Bingham of Liberty said: "We do have very extensive powers of detention, surveillance and deterrence. Rather than endlessly looking for more powers, we should look at why the existing powers aren't working properly. There has to be a balance between protecting the citizen and maintaining freedom."

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