I've complained in the past about Labour members having lost a sense of principle after their party's warmongering and steady walk towards a police state. However, some of them still have the moral courage to stand by their principles.

Brown's desperate attempt to bolster his leadership, embodied in raising the pre-charge detention limit for terrorism suspects to 42 days, rallied most of the pliant troops who put party politics before the protection of our civil liberties. But not without some last minute horse-trading.

I've never often had an occasion to agree with Diane Abbott, but she rightly accused the government of:

"trading ancient civil liberties in a grubby bazaar"

Every concession Brown gave the wavering backbenchers was bought with another scrap of our freedom.

Kudos to Jim Cousins (Newcastle upon Tyne Central) and Chris Mullin (Sunderland South), the only Tyne/Wear Labour MPs with the cojones to stand up against Brown. Respect to all who voted against this disgusting charade.

PS - the Unionists where whores under the Tories. They're still on their back - but taking Brown's shilling.

Tee shirts in disguise

Terrorists must be pissing themselves with laughter at how scared we are of our own shadows. And tee shirts. Perhaps the stoopids at Heathrow would be better spending their time looking for real guns?

Fortunately El Reg was on the spot to get a photo of the incident.

Terror Vision

If anything illustrates how badly thought out the concept and operation of the National DNA Database, it's this article from El Reg. David Mery was arrested on the Tube in London in July 2005 for "suspicious behaviour and public nuisance". His crime, carrying a rucksack and wearing a big jacket. Considering the de Menezes killing, at least Mr Mery lived to tell the tale. After he was released without charge, he has fought to have his DNA details removed from the database. His fight has highlighted the complete lack of controls in the NDNAD, which inevitably means that instead of an objectively managed system we have a mechanism that is in the hands of a subjective powerful few, without adequate or open checks and balances.

His website gives a Kafkaesque account of his arrest and subsequent treatment under the much abused anti-terror laws, and the casual contempt the police have towards citizens and their rights. One man's story, one of many, illustrating our slow slide into a police state - all in the name of the War Against Terror.

WOT, no War On Terror?

Gordon Brown's avoidance of the phrase "War on Terror" confirms that the term will no longer be used by UK government officials. It's seen as a change in direction where terrorism is redefined as a purely criminal action, stripping any context which might prompt examination of motives.

With an election looming Brown will want to avoid any terms linking himself with Tony Blair's handling of terrorism, so changing the landscape of the language used is a key tool.

This is a common marketing technique - rebranding. It's a bit like changing the name of the Marathon bar to Snickers. The product hasn't changed, just the name.

But the ghouls of extremism are still there, and Brown is going to stoke the fear of them to keep the rest of us terrified. Despite the change in arse keeping the PM seat warm, our government continues to invoke 'terrorism' and 'security' in order to control.

Move over Poodle, here's Scottie.

Conjuring the spectre of 'rogue states', the government's announcement that it is going to allow the USA, without any debate in Parliament, to use the listening station at Menwith Hill for it's nuke treaty-busting 'missile defence system' indicates that Brown views democracy with the same contempt as Blair. It also shows that Brown, like Blair, puts Bush's interests before that of Parliament. In a world teetering on the edge of a new cold war, Brown happily helps Bush to tip us into a new arms race.

Corporations are getting in on the 'security' act to quell protest, as is seen in BAA's attempt to stop climate protesters enjoying their liberty to demonstrate peacefully.

Like the Marathon rebranding, the War On Terror market repositioning exercise is being used by Brown and his chums to continue to sell us something that is as sticky and nutty - the erosion of our freedom and democracy.