Newsy-ness: Leaked reports - my view

[sparkindarkness]

It would appear that reports have been leaked indicating that the US offered to send British resident inmates (but not British citizens) to the UK from Guantanamo (or possibly a secret gulag of choice) if Britain agreed to put them under 24 hour surveillance. Britain refused.

I have met a couple of people already today huffing about Blair not accepting the offer. Now, while I am more than happy to slap Blair with a full selection of wet fish, in this case I cannot agree.

We have human rights law and appropriate habeus corpus (or due process) law - and it's human rights law that applies to everyone here, not just citizens. If these people were sent back to the UK they would expect to have the full protection of the law (rightly so).

That law would certainly frown on us putting someone under indefinite 24 hour surveillance without damn good reason. "Because America said so" is not a good reason (though it seems America believes it is). I can see it now - they are returtned to Britain, we start surveillance, the High Court/Court of Appeal/House of Lords/European Court of Justice gives the government a good slapping, surveillance stops - and the promise to the Americans is broken.

Yes, that promise is unreasonable and yes they shouldn't be demanding that proviso and yes the whole Guantanamo mess stinks to high heaven and certainly makes the "Land of the Free" a bad joke; but we don't break those provisos because that would make things messy.

Comments

[being-here.livejournal.com]

Agreed.

Bloody difficult though. Practical v's moral issues and all.

[sparkindarkness.livejournal.com]

Very touchy indeed. But when it comes down to it, the simple fact is the government doesn't actually have the legal POWER to do what America has demanded.

[being-here.livejournal.com]

Sweetheart - we didn't have the legal power to invade Iraq either.

Our glorious leaders don't seem to let that stop them these days.

[sparkindarkness.livejournal.com]

ah true that, but the difference is that the court can't reverse a decision to go to war. The courts CAN tell them to cease and desist unnecessary and unwarranted wiretapping

[being-here.livejournal.com]

You're right of course.

I worry we're getting to the day when the government won't listen to the court though, and because its actions are part of the 'War on Terror' (TM) the public will support the government in this action... and then where will we be?

[jrho.livejournal.com]

It makes me very uneasy how casually Bush seems to treat the Geneva Convention.

[klgaffney.livejournal.com]

apparently it's okay, as long as you're doing it to "defend civilization"

[brownkitty.livejournal.com]

Much more defense and he won't have to worry about defending civilization. The civilized among us will have emigrated.

[jrho.livejournal.com]

It gets more and more tempting every year.

[sparkindarkness.livejournal.com]

heh, yes. It's like starting World War 3 to defend peace or torturing people in the name of human rights.

Orwell's spinning so fast in his grave we can harness his corpse as a powerplant

[the-yellow-king.livejournal.com]

Casually is one way to put it. The Military Commissions Act of 2006 pretty much puts paid to any lip service currently given to the Geneva Conventions, as well as wreaking havoc on habeas corpus.

[sparkindarkness.livejournal.com]

It was a wonderful circus all around that act as people tried to water it down - water it down? the whole thing should have been burned to ashes!

[sparkindarkness.livejournal.com]

I think the word "contemptuously" is more accurate that casually.

[only-playing.livejournal.com]

From a resident of the Western side of the pond: please don't hate us. Most of us did our best to get rid of him, or at least nerf him a bit...

[sparkindarkness.livejournal.com]

Most of you are quite sane, well, a significant portion anyway :) It's just a same the looney in chief is in office

[stormcat.livejournal.com]

Hey! It's not -us-, it's the damned vegetable.

[sparkindarkness.livejournal.com]

That's not fair.

vegetables are good for you.

[stormcat.livejournal.com]

:P You're not stuck in a country with one in power. Anyway, I prefer fruit.

(Er, not like that, though if the stereotype were played up properly it could be really funny...)

(*is now having visions of a sequel to "Priscilla, Queen of the Desert" set in the Oval Office*)

[thisdaydreamer.livejournal.com]

I'm glad you have people in power who still believe in human rights, even when it's inconvenient.

Somebody wake me when it's January 2009. I'm very tired of "my" president. *goes back to memorizing the lyrics to Oh Canada*

[sparkindarkness.livejournal.com]

Heh, nah, I wouldn't go that far. The government would loooooove to be able to put people under permanant surveillance, house arrest or happy happy torture. Blair would gleefully do anything the American government wants - but he simply can't do it.

Wakey, wakey, it's 2009! Supreme Generallissimo Bush welcomes you!

[thisdaydreamer.livejournal.com]

Wakey, wakey, it's 2009! Supreme Generallissimo Bush welcomes you!

NNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!

[sparkindarkness.livejournal.com]

Attorney General Pat Robertson warns you that you may be arrested for such clearly traitorous and ungodly utterances. Don't make them send round the Dick Cheny Kill Robot