Yesterday Gordon Brown announced his initiative on border policing - an idea originally proposed by the Conservatives. After initially being welcomed by the Tories it was attacked by David Davis for excluding the police. The Independent also found a delicious quote from Labour minister Liam Byrne when the Tories first proposed the policy:
"The chaos of a damaging, distracting and disruptive reorganisation of three agencies on the front line into a single border force. That idea is outdated and is rooted in a concept of a frontier that is long past. It is simplistic and dangerous in the disruption that it poses. The number of people who seek to come to this country might double in the next 10 to 15 years, and I simply cannot think of a worse use of time than to consume front-line staff in the process of reapplying for their own jobs in a reorganisation, the benefits of which we are already achieving by equipping different agencies with the powers to do each other's jobs."
Today is the Conservative Party's turn at presenting their ideas on homeland security. Dame Pauline Neville-Jones will present the findings of her policy group on security. Here are some expected highlights:
- There is be the heavily-trailed promise of a US-style National Security Council to form long-term strategies on foreign policy, defence, internal security and national cohesion.
- The establishment of a dedicated civil emergencies force that would provide coordination and leadership in the event of a major terrorist incident.
- It will call for people from ethnic minority backgrounds to be respected as individual citizens rather than as members of groups.
- It proposes a new "Partnership for Open Societies" that would bring together major democracies and Middle East powers to promote stable, liberal democracy throughout the Middle East region.
- Attacking overstretch of the armed forces it calls for a review of defence policy every four years to ensure capacity matches mission.
It will call for people from ethnic minority backgrounds to be respected as individual citizens rather than as members of groups.
The indigenous population would appreciate this too instead of being denigrated as White British
What is national cohesion ? Might it be that a large cross-section of the population is alienated in this society, but only one subsection of the frustrated and alienated has so far resorted to terrorist acts ?
Posted by: TomTom | July 26, 2007 at 07:11
Will the EU let us control our borders?
Today's Telegraph reports Government advisers as urging a homeland defence force, i.e. a civil emergencies force with teeth.
Is that Lab stealing Tory ideas?
Posted by: Ken Stevens | July 26, 2007 at 08:52
IMO in the post Cold War era both Tory and Labour governments foolishly drew a "peace divdend" instead of ensuring that our defence and security services were properly maintained and focussed.
Posted by: Bill | July 26, 2007 at 09:10
As both the EU and immigration are no-go areas for Conservative leaders and have been for many years I doubt that anything serious will be proposed.
Nearly every policy area is affected by these two howling mistakes and even now a failure to be open about them because their ramifications affect all policy areas.
The proposals as outlined above seem to be bureaucratic reorganization rather than attempts to address the fundamental policy issues.
Just to raise three-
Is it realistic to put forward security measures when the party is quite happy for the EU to intrude in this vital area of asylum and immigration?
Will there be an explicit commitment to leave the Convention on Human Rights and the Convention on Refugees?
Why is there no commitment to bar all further immigration of MUslims and to start the necessary repatriation programme? At present British politicians are allowing the problem to grow daily and appear to be hoping that the threat will go away as they exercise their self-perceived charm on the muslims-most of whom are moderates-. It has yet to be explained therefore why Britain should be exempted from the daily attacks going on in the Phillipines,Thailand, India,Iraq,Afghanistan,Russia,etc.
In these circumstances is not a country'mad' to allow a further daily influx of MUslims?At least the countries mentioned above do not.
Posted by: anthony scholefield | July 26, 2007 at 09:16
I listened to Dame Pauline Neville-Jones interviewed on the Today programme this morning. I thought she came across very well, and sensibly suggested that we should have troops here to defend Great Britain.
Posted by: Torygirl | July 26, 2007 at 09:30
One hopes that Gordon Brown will not be tempted to steal Dame Pauline Neville-Jones clothes in the same fashion as he has with David Cameron.....oops
Posted by: Curly | July 26, 2007 at 11:05
It will call for people from ethnic minority backgrounds to be respected as individual citizens rather than as members of groups.
Let us hope that members of certain groups will reciprocate by shedding their apparent aversion to individually loudly decrying acts of terror. This would be the largest advance for security in this country!
Posted by: Hail to the Thief | July 26, 2007 at 11:21
Ken Stevens:
From what I understand that border control is dealt with by the Schengen Agreement (1985). This allows people to cross borders between around thirty European countries freely.
However, the UK (& Ireland) only have limited membership and retain border control.
Details here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schengen_treaty
Whether there is anything specific to the EU, in the latest treaty for example that changes this.
Posted by: John Leonard | July 26, 2007 at 13:25
John Leonard | July 26, 13:25
Ta for that. Have to keep an eye on whether revised Treatystution slips us under Schengen!
Posted by: Ken Stevens | July 26, 2007 at 15:53