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."

Deep Sorrow, Frustration & Anger

The horrible news from London yesterday fills me with deep sorrow, frustration and anger.

My thoughts go to the families of the innocent victims and their families. This was yet an outrageous attack on a western democratic state to create havoc and incite hatred.

Do not for a moment let yourself be lured into believing that this has anything whatsoever to do with religious beliefs or cultural norms. It has as little to do with Islam and Muslims as the Crusades once had to do with fighting for Christianity or Christians.

No, these horrendous and vile acts of terror are all orchestrated to intimidate and disrupt the people of the western democracies as a part of a struggle for power, influence and money. The puppeteers behind this unprovoked violence are more likely to be found in Moscow, Peking and Pyongyang than in Baghdad, Beirut or Tehran.

Assange: "I Do Not Forgive Or Forget"

The guardian.com today reports:

"Swedish prosecutors have dropped their preliminary investigation into an allegation of rape against the WikiLeaks founder, Julian Assange, bringing an end to a seven-year legal standoff.

The decision was taken after prosecutors concluded that “at this point, all possibilities to conduct the investigation are exhausted”, Sweden’s director of public prosecutions, Marianne Ny, said on Friday.

“In order to proceed with the case, Julian Assange would have to be formally notified of the criminal suspicions against him. We cannot expect to receive assistance from Ecuador regarding this. Therefore the investigation is discontinued.

“If he, at a later date, makes himself available, I will be able to decide to resume the investigation immediately.”

Julian Assange's response to the news was to tweet a happy picture of himself and then later another tweet saying: "Detained for 7 years without charge while my children grew up and my name was slandered. I do not forgive or forget.”

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Well, all I can say I is, that neither will I forgive or forget that Julian Assange is a suspected rapist who evaded the judicial process for seven years by holing up in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London. He has only himself to blame for the drawn out process of this case.

It is too much to hope for that he will set foot in Sweden before 2020 so that he can be brought to court to answer the serious allegations against him. 

Laird: "Prachtig Nederland!" (Updated)

The Much Honored Bock McMillan, laird of Southern Charm, prince of Cascade Falls etc., etc., today commented on the results of the Dutch elections.

"The people of the world, and especially Europe, should thank the Dutch voters for putting a stop to the growth of the Islamophobic and anti-EU populists. 

Hopefully the results of this election will break the onslaught of the growing populism in Europe, I even dare to wish that it may set a trend for the upcoming national elections in Germany and France. 

The Dutch example gives us all hope and shows the political leaders of Europe that it is possible to quell the rise of populism, even after Brexit and the American presidential election. Prachtig gedaan, Nederland!"

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Update
I found this quote by Jesse Klaver, leader of the GreenLeft party, that I cannot withhold from you. On polling day he said that the left’s answer to the far right’s rise in Europe was to stand up for its ideals. “What I would say to all my left wing friends in Europe: don’t try to fake the populace. Stand for your principles. Be straight. Be pro-refugee. Be pro-European. We’re gaining momentum in the polls. And I think that’s the message we have to send to Europe. You can stop populism.”

And the World Turns...

So... I'm utterly stunned today by the news I woke up to this morning, because I really could not imagine that a majority of the people of the United Kingdom would vote for leaving the European Union.

I have always had this vain belief that people in general are rational and will make conscious decisions that are in the best interest of their communities or - at least - in their own personal interest.

I read somewhere that the results of this referendum, caused a loss in British wealth during a few hours much exceeding what they have been paying to the EU since 1975 (not counting what they have received back from the EU). Edited 10:35PM SLT

The consequences of this referendum will cause us all much turmoil over the coming years, but especially for the Britons. The British pound is plummeting and the US dollar is soaring, which will among other things - and because this is a SecondLife blog - lead to SecondLife becoming more expensive for non-US nationals.

Thankfully the British Prime Minister David Cameron, who caused this mess by calling a referendum to try to curtail conflict within his own Conservative Party, has announced his resignation.

The Scottish Referendum

Yesterday more than 3.6 million Scots turned out to answer the question: ‘Should Scotland be an independent country?’

The much honored Bock McMillan, laird of Southern Charm, prince of Cascade Falls, Sovereign Ruler of the Commonwealth of Southern Enchantment Region and Outer Territories and finally UN appointed Protector of the Solace Island and Mount Whitney sims in SecondLife, has monitored the referendum with much interest and some anxiety. Although the laird himself was not eligible to vote in the referendum, he has had much empathy for the trials and tribulations of his distant cousins in deciding this issue.

In the days before the referendum the all three of the largest parties in the United Kingdom visited Scotland and promised a greater devolution of powers to the Scottish parliament on issues of taxation, spending and welfare if the voters voted for ‘No’. 

The votes have now been tallied and the result of the referendum is shown in the graph below.

Graph quoted from guardian.com

The ‘No's won all except four of the 32 counties, the four ‘Yes’-counties being Dundee (57,3%), West Dunbartonshire (54,0%), Glasgow (53,5%) and North Lanarkshire (51,1%).

Following the result of the Scottish referendum the largest political parties have now also promised a greater devolution of powers for England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Detention Order for Assange Remains in Place

Do you remember Julian Assange, the co-founder of Wikileaks, who after a visit to Sweden during the summer of 2010 is suspected of one count of rape, two counts of sexual molestation and one count of unlawful coercion?

Julian Assange;Photography Anthony Devlin/PA

The Stockholm District Court at the time decided to detain Assange in absentia for the suspected crimes.

Assange, who denies the allegations, has refused to come to Sweden for the investigation into the crimes and has, after the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom decided that he should be extradited from the United Kingdom to Sweden, sought refuge at the embassy of the Republic of Ecuador in Britain since June 19, 2012.

Assange's Swedish lawyer had now asked the court to repeal the order of detention arguing that Swedish prosecutors have dragged out the case for an unreasonably long period by not interviewing him at the embassy and that it has entailed an undue infringement and adverse effect on Assange's liberty (citing his two year long voluntary "house arrest" at the embassy).

The Swedish prosecution had asked that the detention order should be upheld.

The Stockholm District Court today decided that the detention order should remain in place as the reasons for it offset the infringement and any adverse effects the measure entails for Julian Assange. The court also maintained that Assange's self sought and voluntary residency at the Ecuadorian Embassy cannot be regarded as a deprivation of liberty.

Assange's lawyer has informed that the district courts decision will be appealed.

Seriously?

Reuters reports that the British Home secretary (interior minister) Theresa May yesterday said, that Britain should consider leaving the European Convention on Human Rights because it interferes with the government's ability to fight crime and control immigration,

Theresa May, Minister of the Interior

May's Conservative Party has long criticized the Strasbourg-based European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), which enforces the convention, as an encroachment on British sovereignty.

Among other things the ECHR in January 2012 overruled the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom on the issue of deporting the radical Muslim cleric Abu Qatada to Jordan, where he is wanted on terrorism charges. The ECHR held that he could not lawfully be deported because a trial in Jordan could be tainted by evidence obtained under torture.

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Call me naive and clueless but the mere fact that a statement of this enormity can be made by a top politician in Europe, let alone Britain of all countries, feels like a kick in the balls and leaves me totally flabbergasted and gasping for breath with pain and astonishment. Admittedly Mrs. May is presumably trying to draw attention to herself as a future candidate to succeed David Cameron as the leader of Britain' s Conservative Party but surely there must be limits to the stupidity?

The Court applies the European Convention on Human Rights. Its task is to ensure that States respect the rights and guarantees set out in the Convention. I for one am extremely happy and relieved that the court exists and caries out the purpose for which it was created, however irritating it may be for the various purportedly democratic nations, courts or politicians.

Shame on you Mrs May! And shame also on the Conservative Party of Britain and Britain itself for making such sentiments convenient and possible among its leading representatives. 

The Ecuadorian Farce

Rafael Correa, President of the Republic of Ecuador

The concepts of "political asylum" and "political refugee" are relatively well defined in International Law and precedence. The concepts are to be used for persons needing protection from persecution due to race, nationality, religion, political opinions and membership and/or participation in any particular social group or social activities. Sexual persecution has also come to be accepted in some countries as a legitimate category for asylum claims, when the person can prove that the state of origin is unable or unwilling to provide protection.

The Ecuadorian interpretation making Julian Assange, suspected of rape and other sexual crimes in Sweden, a human rights activist and offering him political asylum on the grounds that he would be wrongfully persecuted if he were sent to Sweden for inquiry and possible trial for his crimes is an abuse of the concepts.

It is not at all strange that this decision has now caused a diplomatic farce between Ecuador, on one hand, and Sweden, United Kingdom and Australia, on the other.

So with this decision Assange now prolongs his voluntary house arrest another few years, possibly even longer than the prison time he would have gotten if he had been tried and convicted by a Swedish court in a timely manner without all the obstructions.

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.