Charles Clarke - Your views on fighting terrorism

From: Charles Clarke Sent: Friday, November 04, 2005 5:57 PM Subject: Your views on fighting terrorism I am emailing you today to find out your views on the action the Government is proposing to take to challenge the new terrorist threats that face all of us. Since the London bombings of 7 July, we all know that the UK faces a terrorist threat of a different level of seriousness and complexity from anything Britain has faced before. We are confronting extremists whose aims are to kill and maim as many people as possible, to strike at the heart of our society and destroy what we stand for.

These terrorists are part of complex international organisations that make ever greater use of new technology such as encrypted computers. Further attacks remain a real possibility, so action to protect our citizens is urgent. The Government has introduced the Terrorism Bill, currently going through Parliament, to try and ensure that the police and intelligence services have the powers they need to stay ahead of the new breed of terrorist. Yet some are opposing the Government's proposals, which come on the advice of specialist anti-terrorist police. Facing up to the challenges of the new terrorist threat is so important; we want to have your views as soon as possible. Please go the Labour website to register your views. Click here to go there now. Best wishes Charles Clarke Home Secretary

In Reply to Charles Clarke Email- Your views on fighting terrorism By Sean Atkinson

Dear Mr Clarke, I am terribly upset with laws you are trying and thankfully failing, to enshrine. If you give in and remove our hard won freedoms then those who oppose democracy will have won. In an ironic twist where you try to bring order and peace, you will bring strangulation and insurgence. Where you try to bring safety and security you will bring needless imprisonment and suffering. The actions to remove the freedoms of speech, remove freedoms of movement and remove basic rights, plays into the hands of the people who stand the most to benefit from our society fracturing at its heart.

Laws are supposed to bring about a fairness, free of emotional response and reactionary fervour. Laws should take time to be enacted so that they have the wisdom of age and the benefit of hindsight. Laws should be ideal structures and guides around which to live our lives, not be blockages and obstacles that take away rights and freedoms when it just 'pleases the authorities'. I fear that your letter (the email requesting views on the terror bill) sounds like the ranting of a very paranoid group of leaders who has something to hide. I fear that you have watched far too many movies and probably work to hard and don't spend enough time doing things you like and being with your families. I'm glad I'm not a politician in power; power seems to make you loose a tad of perspective (Just look at Thatcher!)

Please rethink the actions you propose and remember where your freedoms came from. My relatives have died to maintain our freedoms: it will be an insult for them to be taken away by the stroke of a pen. I bet I get another standard reply that doesn't even answer my points or even give me a more human insight into the person that is, apparently, my Home Secretary. Yours sincerely Sean Atkinson

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