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Ephems by Brian Barder

Entries in May, 2007

With a month to go, Blair blames ’society’ and proposes yet more draconian police powers

Monday, May 28th, 2007

With only a month to go before they step down, Blair and Reid have launched proposals for yet more draconian police powers in yet another anti-terror law, while Blair blames the judges, the opposition and ’society’ for limiting his scope for further eroding our civil liberties [More >>>]

Here’s a Big Idea for Gordon Brown

Tuesday, May 22nd, 2007

The Independent publishes my letter offering Gordon Brown a Big Idea for the launch of his government, one that answers the West Lothian question and scuppers the case for Scottish independence. It’s a once-in-a-generation opportunity [More >>>]

Kosovo: not a Blair success but an Iraq clone

Tuesday, May 15th, 2007

An unpublished letter to the Guardian shows that the 1999 NATO attack on Yugoslavia over Kosovo was not a Blair triumph, as often claimed, but an illegal, unnecessary and unsuccessful misadventure whose misrepresentation as a justified success led on to Iraq [More >>>]

The Home Secretary on obeying the law (not)

Sunday, May 13th, 2007

Dr Reid, the (mercifully) departing home secretary, has been explaining that if judges and ministers insist on obeying the letter of the law, they may fail in their duty to protect citizens’ lives — an unusual attitude to respect for the law for a home secretary in office [More >>>]

Scottish Parliament elections: the disastrous PR arithmetic

Saturday, May 12th, 2007

The almost unintelligible PR system for Scottish elections has produced a virtual stalemate in which almost anything could happen and the chances of a stable and consistent government look slim [More >>>]