---

Terrorism Bill

This country is at war. We are discussing the terms on which that war is fought. This House and this Parliament are committed to seeing that we win. In order to do that, we have to divine the prime objectives of the enemy. The prime objective of the enemy is to divide our nation and bring a part of it into fealty to a power outside it. The noble Lord, Lord Condon, put in police terms what the noble Lord, Lord Ahmed, put in civil terms in explaining why, if we up the ante from 28 days to 90, we shall be playing into the hands of the enemy by enabling them to tell one part of our community that it is being victimised. That would be a strategic error. I accept that there is a tactical advantage in having longer to deal with individual cases but, in the end, the strategic loss would outweigh it enormously. That is why I cannot support this amendment.