John le Carré: Britons have been 'stripped' of civil liberties

Antaletriangle · 09-23-2008, 10:17 PM

John le Carré: Britons have been 'stripped' of civil liberties
Britons have been "stripped" of their civil liberties amid an "atmosphere of panic" over the threat from terrorism, according to the novelist John le Carré.

By Nicole Martin and Christopher Hope
Last Updated: 3:31PM BST 23 Sep 2008

John le Carré. The writer has been an outspoken critic of Labour's erosion of civil liberties Photo: GETTY
In a rare public intervention, the spy author criticised ministers for voting to extend the time limit that terror suspects can be held without charge to 42 days.

His comments come only weeks ahead of a key vote in the House of Lords that could see peers throw out the Government's controversial 42-day proposals.

The writer, who admitted he has a reputation as "an angry old man", said he was furious that the Government had been allowed to get away with a sustained attack on civil liberties.

"Partly, I'm angry that there is so little anger around me at what is being done to our society, supposedly in order to protect it," said the 76-year-old in an interview in Waterstone's magazine.

"We have been taken to war under false pretences, and stripped of our civil rights in an atmosphere of panic. Our lawyers don't take to the streets as they have done in Pakistan.

"Our MPs allow themselves to be deluded by their own spin doctors, and end up believing their own propaganda."

He added: "We haul our Foreign Secretary back from a mission to the Middle East so he can vote for 42 days' detention.

"People call me an angry old man. Screw them. You don't have to be old to be angry about that. We've sacrificed our sovereignty to a so-called 'special relationship' which has nothing special about it except to ourselves."

The writer has been an outspoken critic of Labour's erosion of civil liberties.

He was one of several figures from the arts and academia who wrote to Gordon Brown in March to protest at the 42-day detention limit.

The open letter, which was also signed by author Iain Banks and fashion designer Vivienne Westwood, warned that "relations could suffer if the Muslim community appears to be ... targeted for prolonged pre-charge detention".

Campaigners and opposition MPs are suggesting that the terror vote in the House of Lords on October 13 will be tight.

Shami Chakrabarti, the director of the civil rights group Liberty, said: "Mr le Carré is not a lone voice.

"Forty-two days has become totemic of the biggest assault on all our hard won rights and freedoms. It is a shame that it takes a writer of fiction to give the Government a reality check."

Le Carré said his book, A Most Wanted Man, explores the struggle to find a balance between individual rights and state security and "how far Germany will go in imitating our mistakes."

The novel, published today, tells the story of a half-Chechen, half-Russian Muslim refugee who is living in Hamburg and being tracked by a series of special agents, who suspect that he may be plotting a terrorist attack.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/news...liberties.html

09-23-2008, 10:17 PM	#1
Antaletriangle Avalon Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: U.K. Posts: 3,380	John le Carré: Britons have been 'stripped' of civil liberties John le Carré: Britons have been 'stripped' of civil liberties Britons have been "stripped" of their civil liberties amid an "atmosphere of panic" over the threat from terrorism, according to the novelist John le Carré. By Nicole Martin and Christopher Hope Last Updated: 3:31PM BST 23 Sep 2008 John le Carré. The writer has been an outspoken critic of Labour's erosion of civil liberties Photo: GETTY In a rare public intervention, the spy author criticised ministers for voting to extend the time limit that terror suspects can be held without charge to 42 days. His comments come only weeks ahead of a key vote in the House of Lords that could see peers throw out the Government's controversial 42-day proposals. The writer, who admitted he has a reputation as "an angry old man", said he was furious that the Government had been allowed to get away with a sustained attack on civil liberties. "Partly, I'm angry that there is so little anger around me at what is being done to our society, supposedly in order to protect it," said the 76-year-old in an interview in Waterstone's magazine. "We have been taken to war under false pretences, and stripped of our civil rights in an atmosphere of panic. Our lawyers don't take to the streets as they have done in Pakistan. "Our MPs allow themselves to be deluded by their own spin doctors, and end up believing their own propaganda." He added: "We haul our Foreign Secretary back from a mission to the Middle East so he can vote for 42 days' detention. "People call me an angry old man. Screw them. You don't have to be old to be angry about that. We've sacrificed our sovereignty to a so-called 'special relationship' which has nothing special about it except to ourselves." The writer has been an outspoken critic of Labour's erosion of civil liberties. He was one of several figures from the arts and academia who wrote to Gordon Brown in March to protest at the 42-day detention limit. The open letter, which was also signed by author Iain Banks and fashion designer Vivienne Westwood, warned that "relations could suffer if the Muslim community appears to be ... targeted for prolonged pre-charge detention". Campaigners and opposition MPs are suggesting that the terror vote in the House of Lords on October 13 will be tight. Shami Chakrabarti, the director of the civil rights group Liberty, said: "Mr le Carré is not a lone voice. "Forty-two days has become totemic of the biggest assault on all our hard won rights and freedoms. It is a shame that it takes a writer of fiction to give the Government a reality check." Le Carré said his book, A Most Wanted Man, explores the struggle to find a balance between individual rights and state security and "how far Germany will go in imitating our mistakes." The novel, published today, tells the story of a half-Chechen, half-Russian Muslim refugee who is living in Hamburg and being tracked by a series of special agents, who suspect that he may be plotting a terrorist attack. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/news...liberties.html