Sir, Reminded of Lord Hoffmann’s remark in the Belmarsh detainees’ case that the real threat to our way of life came not from terrorism but from laws such as detention without trial, the Prime Minister said he doubted “whether those words would be uttered now” (report, July 27). I hope he is wrong.

Having reread Lord Hoffmann’s speech, I can find nothing but good sense in it. The Government ought to discharge its duty to protect its citizens’ lives in ways that do not destroy their constitutional freedoms; there is a difference between freedom and security; freedom from arbitrary detention is a quintessentially British liberty; and the UK should not be a country in which the police can come to a person’s house and take him away to be detained indefinitely without trial.

Nothing which has great value is without cost, and the value of anything is what one is prepared to sacrifice for it. The value of justice is demonstrated by a willingness to see the guilty go free rather than risk convicting the innocent; and the value of liberty is demonstrated by stoically bearing the many evils which liberty permits.

If the defence of these values was worth the sacrifice of millions during two wars then, unless society has become wholly degraded, it must withstand the death of some citizens now.

ANSELM ELDERGILL
(President, Mental Health Lawyers Association) medicolegal@email.com

From Mr Roy Turner

Sir, The last time this country was threatened by an evil ideology which was attempting to destroy our way of life was in 1939. Thousands of civilian lives were lost as a result of enemy action. Innocent people were interned in case they were enemy agents, some for the duration of the war. We all had to carry identity cards and in some cases our movements were restricted. I recall no bleeding hearts protesting about our civil liberties.

Today in the war against terror, Michael Howard thinks that to deprive somebody of their liberty for three months is a “long time”.

In 1939 all the parties came together with no reservations. Today we fight a more difficult war because we do not know who is the enemy; all the more justification to restrict our civil liberties.

ROY TURNER
Compton Pauncefoot Somerset

From Mr Pete Taylor

Sir, I would rather be uncivilised than dead.

PETE TAYLOR
Virginia Water, Surrey

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