Security Articles
The Qatada Complex
When the celebrated lawyer Gareth Peirce suggested that I drop in on "Mr Othman" (Abu Qatada) for a cup of tea at his house, I jumped at the chance. Charismatic even in a grey sweatsuit, he [...]
Intelligence handling and the recent terrorist attacks
After many years of relative failure, this spring has seen terrorists mount vile and contemptible attacks at Westminster Bridge, Manchester Arena, London Bridge and Finsbury Park. I have been asked, by letter from the Home Secretary of 28 June, to provide [...]
Not for wimps: the pragmatic case for human rights
Internationally recognised human rights standards are an essential benchmark for anyone who seeks an informed view on the laws governing terrorism, surveillance and extremism. But contrary to the belief propagated by some, those standards do not amount to unrealistic aspirations, dreamed [...]
Terrorism, Surveillance and Extremism
This is not a blog post as such, but a compilation. I thought it might be useful to link to what I have had to say in the past six years or so on counter-terrorism, surveillance and countering extremism. Counter-Terrorism [...]
Brexit: the security dimension
My article about Brexit and Security ("Terrorism: the EU picture") has just been published in Counsel Magazine. In summary: The leadership role in the EU exercised by the UK in matters relating to security (in particular [...]
Brexit and the Border
I spoke in December 2016 in Belfast to the Irish Centre for European Law and to the Northern Irish Judges on the subject of "Brexit and the Border". The NI/RoI border is twice the length [...]
CJEU judgment in Watson/Tele2
This post, composed immediately after judgment was handed down in this important case on 21 December 2016, encapsulates my reaction to it. Its possible implications for the Investigatory Powers Act 2016, for the other “bulk powers” [...]