The New Argies

A year almost to the day since its unprovoked attack on the world's most vulnerable oil companies, Ecuador has taken another fateful step towards becoming the new Argies by offering political asylum to Julian Assange. The issue was apparently in doubt yesterday, as the foreign minister said that asylum had been granted only for the president to deny it. However, the situation was resoundingly disambiguated when Daveybloke's special nuncio to Belize and Minister for Wogs, Frogs and Dagoes leapt in with a bit of hobnailed diplomacy. Willem den Haag, or one of his gofers, hinted in no uncertain terms that the British might enter the embassy in London and remove Assange with or without the consent of the sovereign nation of Ecuador. It was another superb post-imperial eructation from the government which vetoed Europe; unfortunately for the Olympic spirit, an SAS raid on the embassy seems less likely than another series of drawn-out court proceedings. The British government has now de-purpled itself a little and is making noises about its "binding obligation" to extradite Assange; so whatever else he may have done, Assange can take pride in having re-awakened Whitehall's long-dormant interest in international law.