- It was always fairly obvious that dark-skinned bearded types (especially those with hooks for hands) wouldn't find much sympathy when getting extradited to the US on terror charges. But since those bankers got done by the not even slightly reciprocal Extradition Treaty a few weeks back the pressure from middle England is mounting.
"Gareth Hardwick, a director of Staffordshire-based Grafton International, said: 'I am outraged at the predicament UK executives find themselves in as a result of the extradition agreement the UK has with the US but the US does not have with the UK.Don't threaten the white middle classes with your terror laws, Tony - they don't like it up 'em, and are rather more inclined to vote than the usual targets...
"'It makes me fearful of any legislation connected with terrorism. The Government needs to act swiftly to protect those UK citizens already in the system.'"
3 Comments:
The bankers:
a) are British citizens,
b) committed their "crime" against a British organisation,
c) on British soil.
Indeed, so heinous was their crime that the organisation in question did not even press for charges to be brought.
It happens that their dealings touch, tangentially, on the Enron trial. That is the only US connection.
The real scandal is, as Boris outlined, the lack of reciprocity.
There have been a number of articles about the Extradition Act 2003 in that frightful, right-wing Spectator (including one which protested about the Act at the time it ws introduced). One cannot accuse Boris of double-standards on this issue, at least...
DK
The quicksands of tyranny are encroaching upon the respectable and now the middle classes are squealing like little girls but it's too late. In the storm that's coming, even people like Mr Kitchen will sink.
There would be all hell in the Murdoch press if the other country was France or Germany.
BTW - Thanks for reminding me to post about the Sarbanes-Oxley Act.
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