British Prime Minister Tony Blair launched an unprecedented assault yesterday on the legal and political establishment, accusing it of being "out of touch" with the people -- and pledged new moves to "hassle, harry and hound" suspected criminals from Britain.
In a passionate public exchange of e-mails with journalist on the the London-based Observer Henry Porter, the British prime minister vigorously defends his stance on civil liberties and sketches out a new faultline in British politics over individual freedoms, crossing the traditional divide between right and left.
Admitting frankly that some of his own party as well as many Tories and the Liberal Democrats are ranged against him, he insists nonetheless that he is on the side of popular opinion and will not retreat, adding: "I truly believe they are out of touch with their own voters."
Critics such as Porter or Lord Steyn, the former senior appeal court judge who recently accused the Blair government of authoritarian tendencies and creating "oppressive" immigration laws, had respectable motives but "the practical effect of following the course you set out is a loss of civil liberties for the majority," Blair concludes.
Blair also outlines a series of controversial new steps, ranging from seizing assets from more suspected drug dealers -- which could see anyone stopped carrying more than ?1,000 (US$1,782) having the money confiscated -- to draconian new restrictions on the movements of those suspected of organized crime.
Even if they have not been convicted of a crime and there is insufficient evidence to try them, suspects could be banned from associating with certain individuals or travelling to certain places, in order to disrupt trades such as human trafficking.
Blair's approach, to be fleshed out in a major debate about Labour's future after next month's local elections in England and Wales, reflects a growing cross-party conviction that liberty is the new battleground for British politics.
Last week senior Conservatives launched a new grouping, Conservative Liberty Forum, with the blessing of their new leader David Cameron, which will debate issues ranging from the growth of CCTV to anti-terror legislation, and advise his policy review on fresh ideas to promote liberty.
"This will be one of the big issues for the next 10 years. It fits well with the new Conservative party and it's rediscovering a lot of Conservative tradition," said Damian Green, the party's immigration spokesman and one of the group's supporters.
"It's a genuine divide between the parties: New Labour has now taken the view that if something serves the interests of the police and the security services, we should do it," he said.
Labour strategists, however, believe the Tories' reinvention has set Cameron adrift from public opinion: they were thrilled last week by newspapers unfavorably contrasting his eco-friendly trip to the Arctic with Blair meeting pensioners for tea.
"Tony Blair believes the political and media establishment are completely out of touch with where the public are on these issues and it's during election campaigns that that is brought home to politicians on the doorsteps," a Downing Street source said.
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