This looks suspiciously like the old Tory tactic of announcing something completely f*cking mental so that it looks entirely fine when merely unpleasant and unreasonable measures are subsequently introduced, though. As today's Private Eye points out, 28 days is still a good deal more than anyone else allows.

Totally agree on its excess... but that's one hell of a gamble to make when you're in Blair's position, isn't it?

*ring ring, ring ring*

"Steve? It's Ross. Yeah. Rebakah's out tonight. Yeah. Again. With Blunkett. Yeah. Wanna come over?"

What am I insinuating?

Hahahahahahaha! And on *my* blog, too. You slaaaaaaaaaaaaaaag!

It was awesome, but I think it's a trap. The only risk he took was that PC Plod and his chums would be stupid enough to peddle his propaganda. As to what just happened in Parliament, it was a win-win gamble for him. By losing that vote he's made himself terrorist-proof. When the next bomb blows up, he can say it's nothing to do with Iraq, it's all those woolly liberal Tories voting down these vital measures. His modus operandi all the way through is to have the gall to peddle lies to a gullible and misinformed public, and triumph from it.

Yes, I thought that too, but he's only terrorist proof if any future bombers were arrested prior to the bombing and had to be released because the 28 days were up. If they either weren't arrested, or they were arrested and released before 28 days, then he won't be able to use it.

The only flaw in that argument, s7uar7, is that it relies on logic and not faith (or fear).

goatchruch:

*That* said... Blair isn't omnipotent, neither is he invulnerable... but Clarke's backpedalling on Friday's poll (make that 'discussion-prompter') clearly showed the strings.

*But*... I was greatly disturbed when listening to the debates this afternoon. Far too many Conservatives hung their argument on the 'how can I be an opportunist if public opinion is for it' hook for me to be happy about it.

Blair's control of mainstream media was the problem in the lead-up to Iraq, and it remains a problem... but I still think he's been weakened by this. Considerably. I would have loved to have been in the back-bars in Westminster this evening, when the 'when', not 'if' word was sure to be in play.

I never thought he's omnipotent. He's just playing a game now, more than ever before, and is simply going erratically for broke, like a gambler going to ruin. He knows this is his last chance to play King of the World, because afterwards we will bury his corpse so deep it will be preserved for a thousand years. He is not going to leave Downing Street willingly, ever. It will take five guys with crow-bars to shift him and bring him out tied to a stretcher. The time has come for all these party members wake up to the fact that it's no longer a game of waiting, that they have to actually stick their necks out and do something, or they will continue to be humiliated by this psychopath who is their leader.