Not entirely unexpected, but this would be on of those cornerstone ‘civil liberties’ issues that binds the two government parties at the hip… Damian Green:
“This Government is clear that the power to detain terrorist suspects for up to 28 days before they were charged or released was meant to be an exceptional power. This was always Parliament’s intention.
“But under the last government it became the norm, with the renewal of 28 days repeatedly brought before the House. This was despite the power rarely being used.
“Since July 2007 no-one has been held for longer than 14 days despite the many terrorists arrested since then. This is a testament to the efforts of our prosecutors, our police and our intelligence agencies.”
Mick is founding editor of Slugger. He has written papers on the impacts of the Internet on politics and the wider media and is a regular guest and speaking events across Ireland, the UK and Europe. Twitter: @MickFealty