How To Beat The Recession…

Bills getting you down? Can’t afford to pay the rent? Been made redundant, and finding that all that National Insurance you paid doesn’t get you a bean?

Here’s a solution; get yourself suspected of terrorist offences:

There are currently 13 suspected terrorists under control orders. Their movements and actions are restricted because the security services believe that they pose a threat to public safety.

They cannot be kept in prison because judges have ruled it would breach their human rights. However, they cannot be put on trial because the security services believe the information that would be used to prosecute them is too sensitive to disclose in court. Instead they are ordered to stay at home, under regular supervision.

Because it is impractical for them to find work, the taxpayer has to pick up the bill for some living costs.

Well, there’s a nice little earner then, and a nice little corner the Labour government have painted themselves into.

Twenty four suspects placed on control orders have on average received £25,000 each to spend on accommodation, council tax, utility bills and telephone costs, including phone cards, according to official figures.

But this is in lieu of benefits, right?

Sadly, no.

In addition, the Government is also paying some of the suspects undisclosed sums in benefits.

*sigh*

The figures — published last week in Parliament — were uncovered by the Conservatives, who said that they strengthened the case for scrapping control orders and putting suspects on trial.

Well, yes.

But how are the Tories, when they get in, going to deal with the ‘too sensitive for court’ issue? They don’t say, just assure everyone that of course, they’ll deal with this far better than the other lot.

The Home Office defended the continued use of control orders and the associated costs. A spokesman said: “When dealing with suspected terrorists, prosecution is, and will continue to be, our preferred approach.

“Where we cannot prosecute, and the individual concerned is a foreign national, we look to detain and then deport them.

“For those we cannot either prosecute or deport, control orders are the best available disruptive tool for managing the risk they pose.”

I’m not sure they are disrupting anything. We learn only today that even being in prison doesn’t pose too many problems for the dedicated jidhadist:

Two of Britain's most high-profile Muslim extremists have been given free rein to recruit fellow inmates in prison and are spreading propaganda from behind bars, a think-tank founded by two former Islamic radicals said Monday.

London-based Quilliam Foundation said in a report that Muslim cleric Abu Qatada — once described as Osama bin Laden's ambassador in Europe — managed to smuggle out extremist propaganda from prison with the help of visitors, who then spread his message on the Internet.

This will, of course, simply be pooh-poohed as propaganda or rent-seeking by Quillam.

But if so, they are not the only ones:

Since 2007, £180,000 has been paid to private security companies contracted to carry out “electronic monitoring” of the suspects.

Another nice little earner for someone, eh..?