David Davis' Resignation and fight over civil liberty

[Mary Hawking]

Chris Salter said:

>Martin Bell writes in "Through Gates of Fire":
>
>"I used to give a lecture to military academics entitled (not very 
>elegantly) 'Shit happens and how to deal with it'. I feel the same 
>about terrorism. From time to time its agents will penetrate our 
>defences, especially of the softer targets, however well we organize 
>them [our defences]. That is no reason for us to lead timorous lives, 
>or to turn our societies inside out and upside down for fear of what 
>the enemy at the gates may do to us. That gives him the victory without 
>a shot being fired. Instead, we should understand that there are no 
>quick fixes or silver bullets available. Terrorism is a fact of 
>twenty-first-century life. We shall have to learn to take the 
>casualties that it inflicts, to curb it where we can, and to live with 
>it where we cannot, for many years to come."
>

Terrorism has been a fact of life in England almost ever since I can 
remember - certainly since the 1960s.
Could someone remind me of the previous government reactions?
My recollection is that most of the infringements of individual 
liberties had to be renewed on an annual basis, whereas this legislation 
is permanent.

Mary Hawking

PS HMG was aiming at 90 days - and the ID card story suggests that once 
they have an idea, there is no possibility that either opposition or 
demonstrable impracticality make the slightest difference to their 
determination to implement it.
How long before they decide that 90 days is imperative - and/or 90 days 
becomes part of the next election manifesto?

PS did anyone ever discover the aims and motivation of the Bader-Mynhoff 
gang?
-- 
Mary Hawking