Chinese Re-Education"

And so, I see, China is finally dragging itself into the middle ages. Next week, the people's congress will be discussing whether it is right to detain people in labour camps without trial because the police suspect them of something. If the bill passes, the period of this detention could be limited to less than 18 months.

Apparently, this has been well received by the Chinese media, which sees the law as "increasingly out of step with the country's progress in protecting human rights".

Interesting question - the state has the capacity to do us great harm. By failing to do that harm, is it actually "protecting" our human rights? Perhaps we should be grateful that our beneficient state has not chosen to lock us all in hard labour camps producing things for the state.

It is interesting that wherever the state is powerful, it is through its own self-aggrandisement. The fact that the Chinese government considers itself the arbiter of human rights is the reason that it is so easily able to flout them.

Whilst we can criticise the Chinese government for its appauling atrocities against its people, I think it is only fair to point out that this is the inevietable outcome when people are willing to cede their consciences to a higher body, never thinking that that body may have an agenda itself.

Let us make sure that we are never in a position to allow the state to "protect" our human rights