Quote Originally Posted by Furunculus View Post
would telling a suspect that without co-operation his leukemia suffering daughter would be deported back to peshwar constitute severe mental harm?

that is but one example of a great many that could be effective in a given situation AND could also cause severe mental harm.

enemy of the state is a very clear legal term, the fact that our government has applied it badly in the past is our fault for tolerating it, not a problem with lack of clarity itself.

in all of this I am referring to what measures i am happy for britain to engage in, because we are basically a civilised country that i trust to act responsibly.
Enemy of the state may be clear about a government can then do to said person, but as to whom that might be, I do not trust my government on that, niether should you.

You trust the U.K to act responsibly? Oh dear, I feel that we are devided by cynicism...

Telling a man that you will deport his daughter is wrong ona few levels, firstly it will cause him serious ental harm, secondly he may not know anything and even if he does causing a possible case of mental collapse is wrong and could ruin any chance of getting avlid information out of him. Thirdly, if he is innocent, you would have just destroyed his trust in the government and the state, you may have just created an enemy of the state.