Banning them, securing us?

Terrorism, parliament and the ritual of proscription

Lee Jarvis, Tim Legrand

• Publisher: Manchester University Press
• Year: 2020
• ISBN:
  9781526144942
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Law
• Subtopic: Public Law
• Index: Law

Banning them, securing us? explores the proscribing – or banning – of terrorist organisations within the United Kingdom across a period of twenty years. The process of banning specific organisations, Jarvis and Legrand argue, is as much a ritualistic performance of liberal democracy as it is a technique for increasing national security from the threat posed by terrorism. Characterised by a repetitive script, an established cast of characters and a predictable outcome, this ritual provides an important contribution to the construction of Britain as a liberal, democratic, moderate space. It does so, paradoxically, through extending the reach of a power that has limited political or judicial oversight and considerable implications for rights, freedoms and political participation.Offering a discursive analysis of all British Parliamentary debates on the banning of terrorist organisations since the introduction of Britain's current proscription regime in 2000, this book provides the first sustained treatment of this counter-terrorism power in the United Kingdom and beyond.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Dedication
• Contents
• Figures
• Acknowledgements
• Introduction: banning them
• 1 Proscription in the United Kingdom: a tough but necessary measure?
• 2 Proscription in context: historical, geographical and political dynamics
• 3 Theorising proscription: discourse, argumentation and ritual
• 4 Debating proscription: sources of parliamentary support and opposition
• 5 Questioning proscription: holding government to account?
• 6 Proscription and identity: constructions of self and other in parliamentary debate
• 7 The ritual of proscription: reproducing liberal democracy
• Conclusion: securing us?
• References
• Index