The United Kingdom is dead, killed by the government.
Why? Because this report demonstrates that the UK government has a Saddam Hussein style fondness for crushing dissent, and by using the ultimate sanction - murder. On the basis of one informant alone there are definite links to 10 murders. And strong pointers to 5 more. And that's not counting the other crimes included in the report : Armed robbery, bombings (that's right folks, terrorism) and numerous other activities. The police were also involved in the systematic, procedural destruction of evidence, meaning the true scale of the collusion will never be known.
When a government is involved in killing it's own subjects, it renders itself obsolete. It gives itself pariah status and can never again be relied on unless the entire apparatus of government is dismantled and started afresh. This can only happen with the breakup of the "United" Kingdom. Only the repeal of the Act of Settlement (1701) and Acts of Union (1707) and the return of independent governance to Scotland (and possibly the birth of a new nation state in Northern Ireland?) will begin to heal these sores.
I also hold out the forlorn hope that the question of prosecution (on war crimes charges?) would be pursued. Starting with Mrs Thatcher and finishing with arch hawk Blair. Justice is justice and must be seen to be served equally amongst our society.
Why you might ask do I want prosecutions at the top end? Because the government is, ultimately, responsible for the police services and provision of such. The government isn't just the nominal head of the police, but is responsible for the laws that are policed and indeed the employment of each and every police officer. We should remember that the buck stops with them. The UK government knew for years that the RUC/PNSI was corrupt yet did nothing. In fact, by the government allowing the police service to continue unaltered it actually gave tacit approval to them. Years of intransigence and failure to act on the problem we all knew existed cost people their lives. And allowed the police service to continue as a force for evil, killing the tax payers that funded them.
The US Senate committee have asked the UK to to host a full independent inquiry into the murder of Pat Finucane. That should set the cat amongst the pigeons - Although the US are hardly a paragon of virtue on the subject of human rights.
Maybe it's not so much of a worry though - if we continue our slide into totalitarian rule, our right to dissent will be removed anyway and state sponsored killing will become the norm throughout the "UK".
Labels: Human rights, Politics