ANYONE afraid of eroding civil liberties in the fight against terrorism should adopt a more flexible approach instead of thwarting effective measures on rigid ideological grounds.
On his recent visit to Brussels I spoke to the Home Secretary Charles Clarke.
The Home Secretary spoke good sense. It's about time we took a more rational and reasonable approach.
No one is suggesting we are abandoning civil liberties. It's our respect for civil liberties that forms the foundation of our society. But the London bombings have once again highlighted the threats that European societies face. We need to be able to take targeted measures that bring results.
Those who fret about civil liberties seem to think anti-terrorism measures mean a blanket approach to civil liberties. But the greatest civil liberty of all is the freedom to live life without fear. We should not be fearful of taking the steps necessary to do that.
Timothy Kirkhope,
MEP for Yorkshire & the Humber
and Leader of the Conservatives in the European Parliament,
Main Street,
Scotton, Knaresborough.
Updated: 10:17 Friday, July 15, 2005
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article