Julian Assange: the balcony defence (Guardian editorial)

[cprise]

37. "There's no evidence that the UK is a lawless state,"

Honestly? They are at the core of the neoliberal experiment just like the USA (or worse, since their only major export is financial services anymore) and when it comes to large scale banking fraud, war-mongering or matters such as this, the UK courts evidently do not amount to a hill of beans.

As much as you'd like to make of UK courts, they are not driving this crisis. The Swedish police (executive branch, not judicial) are driving it under advisement from Karl Rove. Wow, how did he get mixed up in this?

What kooky, serendipitous, yet innocent power brokers this world has. And here we have the Swedish police, claiming that the US is not influencing them, that they couldn't accept Assange's request for an interview in the UK (they actually do interview suspects abroad, and their rejection in this case is a matter of preference), telling the media Assange would be at no risk of rendition to the US (and then refusing to offer assurance when the Ecuadoran embassy questioned them).

Those poor, kooky police.. having their honor questioned merely for talking out both sides of their mouth. What is supposed to happen when the prosecutor changes their story?