Does Jack Straw actually believe this tripe?

From The Guardian comes Jack Straw writing an article entitled "Labour's decade is liberty's best since the vote was won". It includes some pearlers such as:

"Does the sun rise in the east? Has Labour enhanced rights and liberties? The answer to the second question is as unambiguously a yes as to the first"

"This period has seen a greater improvement in our democracy and people's sense of rights than any time since the development of the franchise between 1832 and 1928."

"So let's take a look at the list. First, the Human Rights Act. We really did "bring rights home", as we said we would. At last British people have been able directly to access and to enforce positive rights in the British courts, rather than having to go to Strasbourg and wait for years in a queue.

Some on the right complain that all this has been is a "villain's charter". Nonsense. However uncomfortable the idea may be, it must be the case that, in a democratic society, even those who deny rights to others have rights themselves - for example, to a fair trial."

"end to the appalling primary-purpose rule"

"freedoms from fear, crime and terrorism are as important as positive freedoms. No constituent of mine has ever complained to me that our strengthening of the criminal and antisocial behaviour laws is incompatible with their sense of rights. They are just happy that crime and disorder is down and that they can enjoy a quieter life."

"we have deepened and extended civil liberties for all."



Delusional, simply delusional. And the comments on CIF seem to agree with me...

"Is this a joke Jack? If so it's a bit sick."


"Only this government could pen a piece about individual liberties without mentioning the ID card and the explosion in surveillance cameras.
False orthodoxy? That's Whitehall speak for 'the public are morons'"


""we have deepened and extended civil liberties for all"

Aye and "war is peace" etc.

It is this contempt for reality and voters, as expressed through manifest lies and deception, that one deperately hopes, will see Labour kicked-out of power.

Have they learned nothing from the shameful Blair years? Apparently not."


"The culture in Whitehall has been changed beyond recognition from what I witnessed as a young special adviser in the 1974-79 Labour government, when the "it's the man in Whitehall who knows best" attitude was still dominant.

I laughed so much I a little bit of wee came out."


"You are taking the piss right? Because the idea that you believe this crap is too, too scary."


"Please allow me also to make a list:

Indefinite detention without trial
28 days pre-charge detention, maybe rising to 42
Banning of protest within 1 mile of Parliament
Use of the Terrorism Act to prevent legitimate protest
National Identity Register
ID Card
DNA database
NHS Spine register
National Child database
Kratos Shoot to Kill policy
Heaviest concentration of CCTV cameras in the world
Complicity in CIA extraordinary rendition
Automatic Number Plate Recognition systems

Worst performing Western nation in Privacy International's survey (equal to Russia and China)
http://www.privacyinternational.org/article.shtml?cmd%5B347%5D=x-347-545269

79% believe Britain is a "surveillance society" according to a YouGov poll
http://www.yougov.com/archives/pdf/TEL060101024_4.pdf

I'm sure I've missed some..."

etc. etc. etc.



And this angry one:

"Mr. Straw you really are deserving of our national contempt.

To claim "credit" for a list of laws that you believe has helped our country when in fact the reverse has been the case is the biggest example of blind arrogance I have seen from a politician in a long time.

I choked on the following:

" This period has seen a greater improvement in our democracy and people's sense of rights than any time since the development of the franchise between 1832 and 1928. "


I guess it depends what you call "people". If you are referring to the majority of people then of course that would be totally untrue, if you are talking about the promotion of tiny sectional interests at the expense of the majority then you might have something there.

But lets look at your claims:

Human Rights Act - Now thanks to this act we have to keep suspected terrorists within our communities. We can't lock them up, we can't have them under house arrest, even if they are not our nationality we have to feed, clothe, educate, medicate and pay legal fees to allow people who would potentially murder us wholesale to evade the law - nice one Jack!

Toughened Race Laws - which has meant public debate on immigration, the behaviour of certain ethnic minorities and manic political correctness has now frozen out indigenous culture and replaced it with a santisied, religion and culture free approach to Englishness/Britishness, where employers/state sector are wary of talking about anything which might allude to race or which could be construed as being "offensive" as this might land people in gaol - our society has as a result fractured majorly down racial and religious fault lines and society as a result is disintegrating - nice one Jack!

End to the "appalling" primary purpose rule - what's appalling about it? I would consider it appalling that British nationality should be bartered around the the third world as part of a marriage dowry where Indian/Pakistani/Bangladeshies use the promise of nationalisation as a lever to extract money and favours from impoverished third world marriage partners. It has been proved that this "way in" to Britain is used to exploit families, import poverty and ignorance and the lives of the people brought in this way are not only changed forever, but often they are miserable, isolated and exploited. I think it is appalling that a section of the so called "British" community behaves in this way and exploits the privalege of being British as nothing more as a commodity to be bought and sold. Nice one Jack!


"Protected from the overweaning power of the state" I can't believe you actually said that. You really are breathtakingly arrogant and complacent.

NuLabour ARE the overweaning state - it isn't some other higher authority. Your sanctimonious pronouncements on how people should live their lives, social engineering, diktats, politically correct nannying, payroll voting bloated state sector, INCOMPETENT and unfit for purpose Civil Service, riven by PC rules and shed loads of rules and regs - give it a rest Jack - you and the Labour rabble at Westminster have screwed the whole thing up good and proper.

Even your supposed triumph the diasability discrimination act has made criminals out of volunteers who have had to close down village halls and community centres, because they simply can't get the cash to enable them to comply with your airy fairy unrealistic refurbishment requirements.

Under Labour our freedoms have been stamped on and well you know it.

Even your risible attempt to justify the 28 Day business is a gobsmacking contradiction to your premise that things have never been so good.

We now can't talk about religion, race, behaviour of ethnic groups, gays, disabled, immigrants, we have to cater for every minority under the sun and suppress our own way of life and values, and if we are appalled at someone killing a goat in a suburban street, or beating hell out of their burka clad wife we are to be silent and just accept that this is Labour's new Britain.

We mustn't talk ill of the European Union, we must accept meekly the handing over of our sovereignty to a corrupt and unaccountable state without a democratic vote - because this is what Labour have decreed, the party with 23% of thre popular vote made possible through a corrupt devolutionary settlement which has effectively silenced English objections through gerrymandering, backhanders and alleged cash for peerages.

Jack you have no moral authority on anything and to come to the guardian and write this ridiculous eulogy about the new rights you have given this country when the reverse is true is a monumental insult to our intelligence.

All I can say is that you personally have been one of the most disingenous, self hating, insincere and destructive members of the cabinet, and when the time comes to write about the NuLabour years, your role as a cynical & spiteful pantiEnglish politician will be evident!"