The British government move to limit debate on the Bill reforming the police service in Northern Ireland was last night criticised in the House of Commons by the Conservative opposition as "deeply insensitive" and an insult to the RUC.
The Police (Northern Ireland) Bill was drawn up following recommendations by the Commission chaired by Mr Chris Patten. Mr Jeffrey Donaldson (UUP) said it was "a sad day" in terms of what the RUC had done to protect democracy and the liberties of people in Northern Ireland and the UK as a whole. "That their future should be dealt with in such a shoddy way, I think, is shameful", he said.
He said there was a feeling in Northern Ireland that the motive for haste had more to do with the need to satisfy "more extreme elements", especially among republicans, than the need for proper legislation properly scrutinised.
Mr William Ross (UUP) said: "It seems to me that the government is more and more . . . treating this House's legislative processes as if it was running some sort of little commercial business where the directors or the management decide on a course of action and then they go ahead with it."
Mr Peter Robinson of the DUP said: "I think it demeans the government if it is seen that it is not confident of its own arguments in order to have them fully debated in this chamber."
The Conservative Party spokesman on Northern Ireland, Mr Andrew Mackay, demanded that the Bill be given a full and proper hearing after the government announced debate would be restricted to seven hours.
Mr Mackay told MPs that the Bill was "fundamentally flawed" and there were many amendments aimed at improving it which needed full consideration.
"It is a deeply insensitive motion on a day when the Royal Ulster Constabulary are yet again very bravely and very professionally acting as the thin green line between the rule of law and the province descending into anarchy. What a way to treat those officers who have a natural vested interest in this legislation being right at a time when they are risking life and limb."
The DUP leader, the Rev Ian Paisley, said: "This Bill is seeking to demoralise and destroy the Royal Ulster Constabulary."
He protested that while MPs had talked of long and effective committee scrutiny, his party, "which happens to be the majority unionist view in Northern Ireland", had been "locked out".
The lack of DUP members on the committee had been compounded by a 10-minute restriction on backbench speeches at Second Reading and yesterday's move to restrict the length of debate, he said. The time set aside for debate was "hopelessly insufficient" and an "insult" to the brave members of the RUC.
The UUP home affairs and defence spokesman, Mr Ken Maginnis, demanded there must be "no sweeping under the carpet" of the Bill's serious deficiencies. The input of the Commons could not be dismissed just because a Bill had received lengthy committee scrutiny.
The focus of the legislation as a whole needed to be shifted to deal with the interests of police and society in Northern Ireland, Mr Maginnis said.
Mr Lembit Opik, Liberal Democrats Northern Ireland spokesman, said the guillotine was not disrespectful to the RUC or its "very courageous" record. The Bill had had 40 hours of effective committee scrutiny, and many of the Government amendments up for debate were responses to opposition party concerns.
The former Conservative minister, Mr Douglas Hogg, protested at the frequency of Government guillotines - 36 so far, he said. It was a "scandal".