I reproduce this letter in it’s entiretly – says it all really:
From Field Marshal Sir John Stanier and others
Sir, We understand the difficulty that any government faces in striking the balance between individual freedoms and the good of society as a whole. From our different perspectives, we take encouragement that the possibility of millions dying in a Cold War nuclear exchange did not lead successive British governments to suspend the rule of law. In the long Northern Ireland campaign, we learnt the folly of internment. After the Brighton bombing, in which Margaret Thatcher narrowly escaped death, no suspension of due process was considered necessary.
It is therefore surprising that the current diffuse threat from international terrorism should lead to such repressive measures as imprisonment, whether at Belmarsh or at home, of people denied the normal legal process (report, February 10).
We believe such suspension of the rule of law is counter-productive. It promotes a sense of injustice among minority groups, it damages our democracy and it does nothing to make us safer.
Yours faithfully,
JOHN STANIER
(Chief of the General Staff, 1982-85),
TIM GARDEN
(Assistant Chief of the Defence Staff, 1992-94),
BRYAN THWAITES,
HAROLD WALKER
(Ambassador to Iraq, 1990-91),
February 11.
Hear, hear.
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