John Humphries on top form

This morning I listened to an interview with the Home Secretary, Jacqui Smith, on the 8:10 Today spot. They were discussing the thorny subject of the length of time that a suspect can be detained without charge.

JH was asking JS what she thought the upper limit should be, but the Home Secretary repeatedly said that she hadn't made up her mind. Which made me think of a Victoria Wood/Patricia Routledge quote "That's leadership for you, where were you when they bombed Plymouth?". But JH then said, "Well, how about 70 days, 80 days, maybe even 12 days". At the 12 days comment, I would have been spitting out my cornflakes had I been eating any. Pure Basil Fawlty moment of sarcasm.

I did want JH to ask at that moment, "What did you vote for in the 2005 vote?" in which I believe that JS voted for the 90 day period. The next question could then be "How were you able to vote for 90 days, but now you're not sure?". The last point could then be, "Home Secretary, you're not trying to put a case for the correct length of time to detain a suspect but whether you will be able to get away with it!"

Squiffy.