Brexit Day

"LONDON (AP) — Britain’s long and sometimes acrimonious divorce from the European Union ended Thursday with an economic split that leaves the EU smaller and the U.K. freer but more isolated in a turbulent world. 

Britain left the European bloc’s vast single market for people, goods, and services at 11 p.m. London time, midnight in Brussels, completing the biggest single economic change the country has experienced since World War II. A different U.K.-EU trade deal will bring new restrictions and red tape, but for British Brexit supporters, it means reclaiming national independence from the EU and its web of rules."

Brexit Day

At 12 AM (midnight) CET tonight, January 31^st, 2020, the United Kingdom leaves the European Union.

In commemoration of this solemn occasion Bock MacMillan, the Much Honored Laird of Southern Charm, prince of Cascade Falls, etc, etc, has issued the following statement.

"A slim majority of Britons voted to leave the European Union in a referendum in 2016 (51,89%) and again in the general election 2019, which was to a great extent focused on the Brexit issue. The Conservative party (who supported Brexit), won 365 of the 650 seats in the Parliament, thus a very comfortable majority. 

In my opinion, it is a sad occasion which I believe the Brits will come to regret. To me, the EU has always mainly stood for a peace project. An effort to bring together "the usual suspects" (i.e. Germany, France United Kingdom, and Italy) and the smaller European countries to work on joint projects and solutions of common issues with the goal of peaceful coexistence in the longterm. 

It is unfortunate that the UK now leaves the community due to a resurgence of nationalism, populism, and isolationism. The question of whether the Brits have been misinformed or lead astray is now moot. We must accept the results of their will as it has been clearly expressed. 

I wish the Brits all the best for the future."

Love Made in SecondLife

Draxtor Despres and SecondLife have a series of documentaries (five so far, but more to come) running on YouTube about how people meet and fall in love in SecondLife and carry that love over into first life.

Imagine being 71 y.o. living comfortably in the USA and then packing everything up to move to the UK after meeting the love of your life in SecondLife. Well, they had known each other for over ten years in SecondLife so it wasn't as if they were strangers.

You can find the YouTube playlist here: Love Made in SecondLife (url) (As always like, comment and share!)

Draxtor has told me that he is still looking for couples who want to share their stories with us. If you feel like it, you should drop a notecard on his profile in-world or better yet send him an email: drax@draxtor.com. 

Political Asylum

The embassy of the Republic of Ecuador to the United Kingdom today issued the following statement:

"This afternoon Mr Julian Assange arrived at the Ecuadorian Embassy seeking political asylum from the Ecuadorian government. We have immediately passed his application on to the relevant department in Quito. While the department assesses Mr Assange's application, Mr Assange will remain at the embassy, under the protection of the Ecuadorian government. (...) The decision to consider Mr Assange's application for protective asylum should in no way be interpreted as Ecuador interfering in the judicial processes of either the United Kingdom or Sweden."

Read the full report by Beatrice Woolf of the guardian.co.uk, "Julian Assange seeking asylum in Ecuadorian embassy in London." (url)
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Another imaginative and interesting development in this case to further delay the investigation into the criminal charges complaints for rape and sexual molestation made against Assange by two Swedish women. 

LiIVE: UK Supreme Court, Part 2

Today the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom continues it´s hearing at 10.30-16.00 GMT (02.30-08.00 AM SLT) in the case of Julian Assange (Appellant) v. The Swedish Judicial Authority(Respondent) concerning his extradition to Sweden.

The issue that is to be heard is"whether a European Arrest Warrant (“EAW”) issued by a public prosecutor is a valid Part 1 EAW issued by a “judicial authority” for the purpose and within the meaning of sections 2 and 66 of the Extradition Act 2003."

You can follow the proceedings here. (Url)

For additional information see my previous post LIVE: UK Supreme Court Hears Assange

LIVE: UK Supreme Court hears Assange

On February 1 and 2, 2012, at 10.30-16.00 GMT (02.30-08.00 AM SLT) you can see the live broadcast from the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom hearing in the case of Julian Assange (Appellant) v. The Swedish Judicial Authority (Respondent) concerning his extradition to Sweden.

The issue that is to be heard is "whether a European Arrest Warrant (“EAW”) issued by a public prosecutor is a valid Part 1 EAW issued by a “judicial authority” for the purpose and within the meaning of sections 2 and 66 of the Extradition Act 2003."

You can follow the proceedings here. (Url)

Background (from the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom

"The appellant, Julian Assange, is the founder of Wikileaks. Assange is the subject of a European Arrest Warrant (EAW) issued by the Swedish Prosecution Authority, which sets out allegations of four offences of unlawful coercion and sexual misconduct, including rape. Assange surrendered himself for arrest in the UK and, following a hearing, his extradition to Sweden was ordered. Assange appealed to the Divisional Court against his extradition on four grounds. He lost on all four grounds and the order requiring his extradition was upheld.

The High Court refused Assange permission to appeal to the Supreme Court but certified one issue raised by his case as being of ‘general public importance’. The Supreme Court subsequently granted permission to appeal on this issue.

... 

In certifying this issue, the High Court made clear its view that Assange’s chances of success in the Supreme Court are ‘extraordinarily slim’. Should this appeal fail, his only further remedy is to apply to the European Court of Human Rights, which will reply within 14 days stating whether it accepts the case. If the ECtHR agrees to hear the case, Assange will remain in the UK on his current bail conditions while the matter is decided. If the ECtHR declines to hear the case, he will be extradited to Sweden to face trial."