Britain's rendition shame

Jack Straw, who served under the previous Labour governments as Home Secretary from '97 - 2001 and Foreign Secretary from '01 - '06, has previously stated unambiguously that the British Government has neither been involved in - nor turned a blind eye to - rendition or torture of any kind.  Straw has, apparently, been forced by MI6 into a very serious admission.

It is now on the record that he personally signed the order for the extraordinary rendition of at least one individual.

The individual in question is Abdel Hakim Belhadj who was detained while seeking asylum in the UK.  After being detained he was apparently - and true to the tune of the previous Labour administrations' craven attitude toward the Bush regime - handed over to the CIA who then rendered him, with the UK's full knowledge & cooperation, to Libya.  The same Libya whose Qaddafi regime we recently had a major hand in toppling.  This is highly embarrassing as whilst it was right to take the lead with France in toppling Qaddafi in the genuine aim of protecting the Libyan people, it is much easier now for those who wish to question the government's motivation in this endeavour. Whilst it was right in the prevailing circumstances of the time for Blair to take the lead in bringing Libya in from the diplomatic & economic cold in return for renouncing her programme of WMD - in the early 2000's - it is now so much easier for those who wish to paint that pragmatic move as an exercise in cynicism.  It was, however, unambiguously wrong for the UK & US to outsource the dirty business of torture to Libya or any other insalubrious state.  Complicity, in any way whatsoever, in a practice that is both morally repugnant and against international law, is a crime, committed by a state in the name of its people.

You and I are examples of those people; I know I didn't sign up for this and I doubt you did either.

Ordinary people are serially punished for crimes ranging from the petty to the serious but 'the rule of law', something the UK is supposed to be at the vanguard of, is there to ensure those who occupy the highest positions in the land are subject to the same laws as those they rule over.  Moreover, those who make, interpret and implement the law must be scrupulously, and be seen to be so, held to account for their actions.  This essence of the 'rule of law' is the water that separates an inherently civilised polity from one a bit more primitive and it is the enforcers who must strive to be spotless and must be held fully to account if they are found wanting.  

Why should any citizen respect the law if those who make, interpret & enforce it are not seen to be held accountable to the very highest standards?  It is encouraging, therefore, that Scotland Yard has apparently launched an investigation into Jack Straw.  Clearly that investigation should be extended to every member of the cabinet of the period in question.  The UK is ruled by the concept of 'collective ministerial responsibility' meaning that every policy is endorsed by the cabinet in its entirety.  This concept was diluted during the Blair years but still applies to any government of any particular flavour.  

At a dinner with friends in Belgrade some years ago when the issue of Kosovan independence was at fever pitch, the subject of our behaviour in Iraq was raised.  These particular Serbs were understanding, albeit reluctantly, of the reality and inevitability of the situation; that Serbia would lose Kosovo.  They didn't like it but at the same time rejoining the community of civilised nations was even more important than the totemic issue of Kosovo.  The fact that we bombed Serbia because of Bosnia - the right thing to do - and  did so again because of Kosovo - also the right thing to do - was something that they had, extraordinarily, come to terms with.  What these Serbian friends couldn't accept, however, was that the enforcers - us - the UK alongside the US - were conducting a war in Iraq where its implementation was in many cases seen to be as bad, or perhaps worse, than the excesses of the Milosevic regime we had twice bombed.  

As one friend put it - "you are not the good guys anymore".

He was right.  We covered ourselves in effluent during those years.  It was a different government with very different players but the world doesn't care who was in power, the world simply remembers the UK/US and words like rendition.  

Our current administration is taking great strides in attempting to repair this image problem but the only way to convincingly purge ourselves of the guilt we should rightly feel for that period is for our representatives of that time to face justice.  

Scotland Yard is investigating Jack Straw.  A good start and whilst this is likely to sound fantastical it needs to be the thin end of the wedge.  The US is not a signatory to the ICC but the UK is, and we must practice what we preach.  It is incumbent upon every one of us to demand that, at the very least, the ICC investigates Jack Straw, Tony Blair and the rest.  Politicians lives are serially destroyed for trivial 'moments of madness'.  In this case war crimes, no less, were allegedly committed by our state and whether that allegation ultimately proves to be true or false, justice must be done and be seen to be done.