Police State &House of Commons -EU Scrutiny Committee

10 January 2008: The Committee will be taking evidence from Mr Tony McNulty MP, Minister of State for Security, Counter-terrorism, Crime and Policing, Home Office, on Wednesday 16 January at 2.30pm in Committee Room 8, Palace of Westminster. Please see Press Notice No.5 for further information. Some concerns mentioned in yesterday's posting about a police state will hopefully be raised next week. One point in considering what Anne Palmer mentioned on the entry of armed EU police into Britain occurred to me overnight, Anne said : 27) One could imagine the outcome if the people were deprived of having guns for their defence, (Bill of Rights) and now allowing foreigners fully armed wondering about the streets of our sovereign Country. The Government though were fully intent of being part of Article 40. 3 (d) and was trying very hard to find ways to take forward co-operation in this area consistent with UK law. The only fixed link (The Channel Tunnel) was deemed to be “Sue Generis”; neither land nor sea border and thus, as above, halfway across the English Channel Waters. In spite of all the concerns, debated fully, there was no mention in the Bill of any firearms restriction. Yet anybody who has recently used the Eurostar train service will know that UK immigration checks are undertaken on Foreign soil. For example at Lille Europe, after passing through the British immigration check one is confined in a controlled area and herded on board the train, BUT there would be nothing to prevent the French authorities should they so wish from allowing possibly armed officials on board the train outside the control of UK officials. In fact an entire Eurostar train of armed EU Gendarmes could be diverted in place of a scheduled service and pass straight through to St Pancras, without any in Britain having any knowledge of their presence until they arrived. In this respect Britain now effectively has a land border with our European neighbours which perhaps accounts for our apparent adoption of their political ethos.