Blair Butches Up: Announces Tough Anti-Terrorism And Anti-Incitement Initiatives

You can only hit the snooze button for so long before you must wake up. Some of Blair's proposals or accomplished changes in the law, according to his address:

The Home Secretary today publishes new grounds for deportation and exclusion. Deportation is a decision taken by the Home Secretary under statute. The new grounds will include fostering hatred, advocating violence to further a person's beliefs or justifying or validating such violence. These grounds will be subject to a short consultation period which will finish this month. Even under existing grounds, however, we are today signalling a new approach to deportation orders. Let no-one be in any doubt. The rules of the game are changing.

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One other point on deportations. Once the new grounds take effect, there will be a list drawn up of specific extremist websites, bookshops, centres, networks and particular organisations of concern. Active engagement with any of these will be a trigger for the Home Secretary to consider the deportation of any foreign national.

As has been stated already, there will be new anti-terrorism legislation in the Autumn. This will include an offence of condoning or glorifying terrorism. The sort of remarks made in recent days should be covered by such laws. But this will also be applied to justifying or glorifying terrorism anywhere, not just in the UK.

Anyone who has participated in terrorism or has anything to do with it anywhere will automatically be refused asylum.

We have already powers to strip citizenship from those individuals with British or dual nationality who act in a way that is contrary to the interests of this country. We will now consult on extending these powers, applying them to naturalised citizens engaged in extremism and making the procedures simpler and more effective.

Cases such as Rashid Ramda wanted for the Paris metro bombing ten years ago and who is still in the UK whilst France seeks extradition, are completely unacceptable. We will begin consultation, on setting a maximum time limit for all future extradition cases involving terrorism.

Lots of good stuff from Blair, though a lot of it falls into the "You're just getting around to doing this now?!" file.