The Sky is falling (again)!

I know that most of what I write on this blog is alarmist in nature and contains negative perspective on current affairs. But what can I say or write when the issues I feel passionate about, i.e. Civil Liberties and Human Rights, are being attacked by democratically elected leaders in the US, UK and mainland Europe?

The latest depressing developments, according to this Observer article, are labour's plans for yet another criminal justice bill in the United Kingdom, which will include following measures:

- Giving probation officers - rather than judges - the ability to send offenders who breach their licence back to prison.

- Giving police officers powers to hand out on-the-spot fines for a range of 'minor' street crimes.

Labour is apparently also planning a new anti-terrorism bill with measures to prevent Human Rights laws using used to prevent terrorist being deported and possibly a proposal to extend the police's ability to hold terror suspects without trial for more than 28 days.

The most depressing thing is that Labour is supposed to be the good guys (as opposed to the naturally authoritarian Conservatives). But, how is can you support, or trust, Labour when one of its senior leaders (Gordon Brown) wants to tighten race hatred laws because comments made by the British Nationalist Party leader would offend 'mainstream opinion in this country'.

There are many things that would (and should) offend mainstrean opinion, but is that now the basis for criminalising behviour or speech?