I write to express my serious doubts about the new Civil Contingencies Bill which Gloucestershire County Council welcomed (Citizen 8/01/04). This new Bill will grant the Government sweeping powers to declare, then act under, a state of 'national emergency'. Effectively, the Government is giving itself discretionary emergency powers, similar to those which it has under anti-terrorism and asylum legislation. Yet they already have a history of abusing these powers. Blunkett has placed London under an unannounced state of emergency over the last 2 months, allowing the arbitrary 'Stop and Search' powers to be used to target, for example, anti-arms trade protestors. More notoriously the Government has declared a national state of emergency to suspend the European Convention on Human Rights provision against internment without trial, to target non- national 'terror suspects'. Any extension of the Government's discretionary powers, is especially worrying in the present climate, because recent cases indicate that the High Court is refusing to challenge the Government's judgement of 'national security'. The new legislation, and the High Court's inaction, effectively gives the Government a carte blanche to abuse its powers particularly towards political and ethnic minorities. When you consider that the Bill also places more duties on our local councils without providing funds then it is clear that this Bill should not be welcomed.

Carol Kambites, Gloucestershire Green Party.