Re: Lawful and lawless
@Adam
A Minister wouldn't dare just pull such an interpretation out of his ass. He'll have documented advice from Government law officers and probably "independent" QCs as well. The fact that this Court disagreed with the rationale of the lower courts (albeit reaching the same verdict) clearly illustrates that there are solid alternative arguments and "reasonable doubt" is all it takes.
Further: the Court only ruled that there is an incompatibility. Both the HRA and the Terrorism Act remain valid law therefore so long as the Minister is following either one of them he's in the clear.
Finally: Crown Immunity. You can't prosecute a Minister of the Crown for actions taken as part of his official duties. Bliar would be in serious trouble otherwise.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
