David Cameron... has stated that he is
certainly a big Thatcher fan, but I don't know whether that makes me a Thatcherite,which means he's not. Since he is
not deeply ideologicalhe lacks core principles and is easily led. He has been described as
certainly not a Pitt, Elder or Younger,but he does wear a nice suit so maybe he's Beau Brummel ...
's government said on Sunday, arguing it was hard to judge someone's testimony otherwise. In comments likely to stir up an already emotive debate, Ken Clarke, a minister without portfolio who used to work as a criminal barrister, likened traditional female Islamic dress to being "in a kind of bag", and said he found it "a most peculiar costume for people to adopt in the 21st century."
"I think we do need a clear rule. I don't think a witness should be allowed to give evidence from behind a veil," Clarke, a former interior minister, told BBC radio.
"I can't see how on earth a judge and a jury can really appraise evidence when you're facing someone who is cloaked and is completely invisible to you. It's almost impossible to have a proper trial if one of the persons is in a kind of bag."
A judge's ruling in September that a Mohammedan woman could not give evidence at her trial wearing a full-face veil sparked debate about whether Britannia should follow other European countries and ban veils in schools and public places.
Judge Peter Murphy said at the time he hoped parliament or a higher court would provide a definitive verdict "sooner rather than later".
Britannia has so far steered clear of following the examples of La Belle France and Belgium, where it is illegal for women to wear full-face veils in public.
Clarke, who said he had no objection to anyone wearing what they liked outside the courtroom provided it was "decent", said it was vital for jurors to be able to observe a person's body language and facial expression to make a decision on whether they were telling the truth.
Face-coverings were therefore an obstacle to justice, he said.
"I actually think it undermines a trial and that's not based on any trace of Islamophobia
...the irrational fear that Moslems will act the way they usually do...
."
Cameron's government is considering how to better integrate Britannia's 2.7 million Mohammedans without restricting their right to freedom of religious expression.