Wednesday, July 12, 2006

We offer asylum from foreign governments but extradite our own people without any British justice

Well done to Nick Clegg and the Lib Dems getting an emergency debate in the commons today on Extradition Act 2003. Iain Dale is right call it a good day for the commons. I think NuLabour is slowly being found out here. My views on this are here, here and here

But one thing occurs to me its a strange position to be in that we offer asylum to protect people from their own governments ( and some of those who don't get it can't be returned because of what those governments might do ). Yet we don't insist on a case being made before our own citizens are sent abroad. IE British is only for citizens of other countries ! How mad is that ?

(OK I know there are differences between the governments that can remove people at will from the UK ( mostly EU and US I think - the economist did an article on this quite some time ago if you want to go and look ), but it doesn't sit right does it ?)

Personally I'm opposed to any from this country without a case being presented and challenged in court.

Update:

Check out Jesse Norman's article in the Guardian's Comment is free -- spot on except as I've mentioned I'm against automatic extradition on principle, regardless of the recipocracy of the arrangement.

Also unhappy development in the case ...here

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