AnyOldIron
Atheist Missionary
Tony Blair's anti-terror policy is being "submerged" by party political interests, a report says.
The Joseph Rowntree Reform Trust said ministers could be accused of "exploiting the politics of fear".
And by trying to win "the white working class vote" they risked alienating Muslims who could help defeat terror.
The Home Office, which makes "no apology" for bringing in tough laws, is preparing fresh anti-terror measures to be unveiled in the Queen's Speech.
These might include a new effort to extend to 90 days the time that terror suspects can be held by police before being charged.
The director of public prosecutions Ken Macdonald told the BBC on Monday he backed a fresh review if there was evidence that a longer time limit would prove useful.
'Boomerang effect'
The trust's report says Mr Blair's "close and publicly unquestioning stance" alongside the United States was damaging Britain's influence on global politics.
It said: "The government's counter-terrorism campaign is often driven by party-political and electoral motives that are 'submerging' its own 'sensible' counter-terrorism strategy.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/6141524.stm
The Joseph Rowntree Reform Trust said ministers could be accused of "exploiting the politics of fear".
And by trying to win "the white working class vote" they risked alienating Muslims who could help defeat terror.
The Home Office, which makes "no apology" for bringing in tough laws, is preparing fresh anti-terror measures to be unveiled in the Queen's Speech.
These might include a new effort to extend to 90 days the time that terror suspects can be held by police before being charged.
The director of public prosecutions Ken Macdonald told the BBC on Monday he backed a fresh review if there was evidence that a longer time limit would prove useful.
'Boomerang effect'
The trust's report says Mr Blair's "close and publicly unquestioning stance" alongside the United States was damaging Britain's influence on global politics.
It said: "The government's counter-terrorism campaign is often driven by party-political and electoral motives that are 'submerging' its own 'sensible' counter-terrorism strategy.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/6141524.stm