By Andrew L. Jaffee

The Brits, under the “leadership” of yutzes like London Mayor Ken Livingstone, have helped make the UK very vulnerable to attack and infiltration by Islamo-fascists, all under the rubric of “multi-culturalism” (see “Britain stands at the precipice” and “Europe is Finished, Predicts Mark Steyn”). But a poll released today shows that the British peoples’ appetite for political correctness has been waning since 1990. Perhaps events like the 7/7 attack and the foiled airliner plot have given Brits pause for a little reality check, as a “Huge majority say civil liberty curbs a ‘price worth paying’ to fight terror,” reports the Guardian:

Research finds most support compulsory ID cards, with phone tapping, curfews and tagging for suspects …

An overwhelming majority of people in Britain are willing to surrender civil liberties to help tackle the threat of terrorism, the nation’s leading social research institute will disclose today.

The survey found seven in every 10 people think compulsory identity cards for all adults would be “a price worth paying” to reduce the threat of terrorism. Eight in 10 say the authorities should be able to tap the phones of people suspected of involvement in terrorism, open their mail and impose electronic tagging or home curfews.

The findings come from the annual British Social Attitudes survey, based on interviews with a sample of 3,000 adults by the National Centre for Social Research.

It found a declining sense of Britishness, particularly among English people who are becoming more inclined to assert their “Englishness” …

The report said support for civil liberties in Britain peaked in 1990, before going into a steep decline. In 1990, 9% of adults thought the police should be allowed to question suspects for up to a week without letting them see a solicitor. In the latest interviews, this nearly trebled to 25%.

In 1990, 40% disagreed with the proposition that every adult should carry an identity card. That proportion has nearly halved, to 22%.

Much of this hardening of attitudes occurred in the mid-1990s, before people’s views were influenced by possible dangers of Islamic terrorism. The researchers decided the main reason was a slackening of concern for civil liberties among voters who were influenced by the tough rhetoric of Tony Blair and his law and order spokesmen. The proportion of Labour voters opposing compulsory identity cards fell from 45% in 1990 to 15% in 2005 as the party changed its stance.

“The proportion of Labour voters opposing compulsory identity cards fell from 45% in 1990 to 15% in 2005 as the party changed its stance.” Even the UK’s leftists are waking up. Quite reassuring…