Kennedy: Civil liberties fears

Charles Kennedy has warned that the government is exploiting a "climate of fear" to push through laws that reduce civil liberties.

The Liberal Democrat leader said on Monday that the measures introduced since September 11 go far beyond those required to combat global terrorism.

His comments will be seen as a fresh push for the Muslim vote in areas once considered solid Labour territory.

They come amid mounting criticism of the legal and judicial measures introduced to combat the terror threat.

"In this post-9/11 world, a climate of fear is being created which is being used to threaten our civil liberties," Kennedy said.

"Extraordinary threats - like those posed by international terrorism - may require us, in times of emergency and for limited
periods, to find a different balance between our hard-won liberties and our security.

"But the correct response to such threats should not be, as the current home secretary appears to think, the abandonment of some of the liberties that generations of Britons have relied upon."

Human rights

Kennedy warned that "hard-won rights, once lost, may never be regained".

And he warned that measures such as Section 44, under which many Muslims have been questioned, are being abused.

"Preventing a possible terrorist attack clearly requires good intelligence from our security services and vigilance by both police and public," he added.

"It is just plain daft to alienate communities that can be of particular help in identifying and exposing terrorists by the injudicious application of police powers."

Soft on crime

But Labour's elections chief Alan Milburn has accused the Lib Dems of being "soft on crime".

"Labour has taken tough measures to crack down on crime and anti-social behaviour, to tackle truancy, graffiti and vandalism, and to break up teen gangs," he said.

"The Lib Dems have repeatedly tried to block these measures. Their plans would take powers away from the police and local authorities to take on the vandals and bullies.  

"Hartlepool showed that when the veil is lifted on what the Liberal Democrats really stand for, hard-working families do not like what they see.

"We will continue to expose what the Lib Dem plans mean for law abiding families right across Britain from now until election-day."