Happy Magna Carta Day

By only

Sunday June 15, 2008

Granted, Habeus Corpus existed prior to Magna Carta, and that document did not initially provide any protections to anyone other than the very powerful, but Magna Carta has provided a powerful deterrent against arbitrary detention of civilians for nearly 800 years.

So, well done to New Labour. The House Of Commons passed a motion to extend detention without charge to 42 days earlier in the week. Who needs centuries of a basic human right to continue when the approval polls need a bump.