Nov 05 2007
The Head of MI5 is used for political purposes
It is typical of this government that they should licence the Head of MI5 to speak to the press on November 5th, the commemoration of a day when a previous terrorist plot was foiled. He spoke on the eve of a Queen’s Speech debate when one of the most contentious items in that speech will be the proposal to detain people for up to 56 days without charge or trial, if the state suspects them of terorist inclinations. He spoke on yet another day when I and my collegaues are locked out from Parliament, unable to cross examine Ministers on the content of his remarks. He spoke to the press, not to a Parliamentary committee, again giving the lie to this government’s view that Parliament should be told important things first.
I do hope the Official Opposition complains about these constitutional abuses. It would be best if a senior Minsiter, like the Home Secretary, or the Prime Minister himself, made a speech setting out the government’s view of the threat to themselves and the public from Islamic terrorism. A Minister can then assess and sift the evidence coming from MI5, MI6, the police, the education service and other sources. Ministers can put it in context, and are entitled then to draw highly political conclusions from it, like their conclusion that it requires the suppression of centuries held liberties.
What is unacceptable is to use a senior official, who knows part of the story, to tell a general story which implies the threat is so severe we should accept severe measures to combat it. The Head of MI5 is not an expert on our educational system, yet he tells us an important part of the new threat is the grooming of young people to terrorism here at home. He is an intelligent man, so he must be aware that the Opposition strongly opposes an extension of detention without trial. Why then does he allow himself to be used in this way? Has he not read the evidence of the consequences of detention in Northern Ireland during the troubles, where it did not stop the threat?
I look forward to hearing a robust renunciation of this government tactic from the Oppositon, and demands for a proper Parliamentary statement by a senior Minister to tell us why they think the therat is so severe, and to set out what they are going to do about it.
3 Responses to “The Head of MI5 is used for political purposes”
John Redwood has been the Member of Parliament for Wokingham since 1987. First attending Kent College, Canterbury, he graduated from Magdalen College...
The problem is that a number of senior public servants now see their interests as being best served by helping Labour.
In effect our civil service has become politcised, and I don’t see how – given the low political standards of Labour – it can be reversed. It is perhaps time to accept the idea of a politicised civil service along American lines. It is after all what in effect we have anyway, and at least that way we could have civil servants committed to a Conservative government in the future rather than a 5th column.
This sounds typical of the work of Commissar Brown whose “vision” for this country is the destruction of the Conservative Party and permanent Labour government. The country is in a mess in so many areas because, for more than ten years, his actions have been motivated purely by his obsession of securing party political advantage. He is a menace to the good governance of this country, a threat to our democracy and unworthy of holding the position as Prime Minister. His intellect is grossly overrated by his cronies in the media and I hope that your colleagues can see this as clearly as you do and respond accordingly.
I presume the reason he does so is because when Captain Scarlett produced the, presumably equally falacious, claims about Saddam having WNDs it led to his promotion.