A new item of anti-terrorism legislation going through the Manx Tynwald has run into unexpected opposition from one member highly critical of what he terms `draconian' powers to enter premises without a warrant which would be given to police.

The Terrorism (Finance) Bill 2009 is being rushed through as a matter of urgency and as with so much of these Terrorism related items of legislation it is a derivative of comparable UK legislation.

Ordinarily Tynwald members are like nodding donkeys over such legislation and it goes through without much dissent.

However MHK, Quintin Gill, has sought information on how often similar powers in Terrorism related legislation has been used and discovered that the answer is `not often'.

It seems to beg the question does the Isle of Man need to give police such far reaching powers which are seldom if ever used.

It also begs the question if the term `Terrorism' is wrapped around the heading of legislation that the UK government want its Manx surrogate to introduce so that politicians will blindly vote it through without proper scrutiny.

The Terrorism (Finance) Bill 2009 main purpose is to enable the Treasury to act if any Island business is linked with a country suspected to be involved in `money laundering, terrorist financing or producing nuclear, radiological, biological or chemical weapons.'

Strangely, in recent years the only country involved in `terrorist financing' that Manx linked businesses have been alleged to be involved with is the United Kingdom whose Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Africa Section) was rumoured to be linked to attempts to destabilise governments in Central and West Africa.

J B Moffatt Director of Information Celtic League

25/04/09

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