The vision thing

Gordon Brown managed to keep a straight face last month when he claimed that he was abandoning plans for a snap election because he needed time to spell out his ‘vision for change’. The rest of the country, it must be said, was laughing at this nonsense, knowing full well that it was polling evidence that had changed the Prime Minister’s mind. But let us take Mr Brown at his word: he explicitly invited the electorate to judge him not only by his competence, but by the scale of his ambitions and political philosophy. The Queen’s Speech on Tuesday was intended to impress voters with its sheer sweep, as well as with the 32 individual measures it launched.

This was a curate’s egg from a son of the manse. Some of the proposals are to be welcomed with varying degrees of caution. Mr Brown is undoubtedly right that fresh measures are needed to confront terrorism, and that an extension of the pre-charge detention period will be required. The Tories have misread public opinion and ignored police advice on this matter. It may well be that 28 days is already a high threshold for a developed democracy, but few developed democracies face a homegrown terrorist threat as advanced and complex as Britain’s.

After the 7 July atrocities, investigators spent a full fortnight merely gaining full access to the sites of the attacks and a further six weeks to complete forensic inquiries. In a world of global Islamist conspiracy, computer encryption and fiendishly complex forensic tasks, the demand for longer detention time is not draconian but a practical response to an altered threat. This will be a hugely controversial parliamentary battle — but the PM should stand his ground.

Mr Brown also deserves a hearing on ‘Britishness’, citizenship and allegiance, issues that will be addressed in a draft citizenship and immigration Bill before Christmas, as well as a draft statement of British values next year.