from Magna Carta in 1215 we have had 800 years of basic democracy and a law that says we cant be detained by the authorities without charge.this fascist law which Labour want to bring in means that we could be arrested and held for 6 weeks without being told why we are being detained.

ben, isle of wight, U.K

True civil liberties are upheld only if the police charge immediately upon arrest. After that the time a suspect is detained without charge is then a matter of practicalities 2 days to check figer prints? 7 days to check DNA? how many days to check hard drives and overseas connections you tell me?

Anthony J, Alton, UK

The people who support 42 days are those who are sick
of the rights of criminals being put above the rights of victims.
Those who oppose 42 days are chosing not to understand the
gravity of the threat. A few peoples inconvenience set against
1000s of dead. No contest, none at all.

Robert, Croydon, UK

Before the Iraq war popular support, as assessed by opinion polls, was very much in favour of action (70-80%). What is it now?

When reality strikes (mis-use of legislation, etc.,) what will "popular support" be then? After all the Govt was elected but in 2 yrs time?

M. Cawdery, ramone, Co. UK, EU.

What a load of tosh, for the vast majority of people you could make it 420 if necessary. Only Shami and her mates imagine that mis-parking a trolley a Tesco could lead to the detention of totally innocent muslims.

KG ( K Greenhalgh), Beauly,

If Robert Spink - UKIP's newly 'adopted' MP - votes in favour of the 42 days, then he would appear to be not endorsing his party's policy; "we regard detention without trial as an improper state of affairs". [UKIP Criminal Justice Policy 7.9].
Not having been elected as UKIP, is he bound by it?

David Moon, Seaford, Sussex

Such drastic measures for a country that had only 1 major incident. In Sri Lanka where the LTTE terrorists bomb on a daily basis & when the army rounds up people for questioning the entire world clams down & cries foul...why the hypcrisy...& double standards.

shenali waduge, colombo, sri lanka

The nation is largely oblivious to the fact that the Government's own reports state that we are not 'strategically' at risk from an imminent terrorist attack. It should be reacting to MI5's unprecendented reluctance to commit itself to the 42 day detention bill.

Mara MacSeoinin, Cambridge,

Andy We are at the top of the terorists hit list because we have
a section of the population that supports them. We are also reasonbly well off compared to a lot of the world. Nothing can fix that. We just have to look as though we have the spine to stand up to threat.

Zoe, Norwich, UK

Was not Britain the first country in the world to introduce the principle that nobody can be held without a charge and a just trial?
And 42 days without a charge is absurd: if you have reasons to arrest someone you can also charge them, if you have no charge against them why should you arrest them?

Harry, Oxford,

I despair at what's happening in this country, the powers the government is accreting are building the foundations for a future fascist state. I'm not a afraid of the so called terrorist threats, we lived through far worse in the IRA era, it's my government I'm afraid of.

Nicholas Appleton, Birmingham, England

We have had to put up with a continuous erosion of our civil liberties and have become more like the old style Soviet Union.OK so terrorism is a threat but who put us at the top of the terrorists hit list in the first place?Enough is enough-give in to this and more of the same will follow.

Andy, Bristol, UK

Of course a majority support it, Opinion polls ask a leading question, if it would keep the nation safe from terrorism, would you support the detention of terrorist suspects for 42 days? What if they asked, Do you support detaining innocent people for 6 weeks where there is no evidence to charge?

Ken Hall, Barrow in Furness, UK

I'd rather see it made possible to imprison and deport terrorist. This is where the law seems to sit most in favour of the criminal. All this naval gazing around 42 days is just a smoke screen for inactivity.

CA, Manchester, UK

How strongly do those in favour of 42 days support it? Would they change their vote at a general election if the government changed its position on the matter? With most comments being in opposition to 42 days, I wonder if the popular "support" for it really amounts to anything much at all.

Simon, Brentwood, UK

Who are those in favour of the 42 days detention without charge? Do they really understand the question./
If the poll result is correct and the government get their way then the UK deserves the fascist rule that will inevitably follow.

Bernard, Edinburgh, Scotland