Saturday, February 26, 2011

Lib Dem Voice let me write for them on Nick Clegg's letter to Gary McKinnon's mother.

Regular readers will know that I've taken quite an interest in the case of Gary McKinnon, the man with Asperger's Syndrome under threat of extradition to the US on computer hacking charges.

Nick Clegg strongly supported Gary's case, but has now written to Gary's mother turning down her request for a meeting with him.

So, how do I feel about that? Well, those nice people at Liberal Democrat Voice have let me write this article for them on the subject, so please go and take a look. 

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

I read your article and found it to be the usual craven sycophancy. To stand by the guys *mother* and pledge support then to run a mile is pretty much the lowest, most despicable thing Clegg could possibly do. Have you no sense of decency?

Scottish student said...

Pretty devastating opinion you wrote Caron.
Basically 'get lost Gary'.
It's hard to believe that a UK Deputy PM is powerless against a foreign country who wants one of our citizens. Especially when the procedure isn't mutual. Can you imagine the USA sending a prisoner over here ?
But I accept that you have given up on our citizens.
Please don't expect me to vote LibDem ever again.

KelvinKid said...

I really cannot take you seriously on this Caron. Why all this breast beating about a computer hacker that got caught and not a cheep about the half-million unemployed that will be created by coalition cuts.

KelvinKid said...

Caron, you seem to lack all sense of proportion. All this breast-beating for one self-confessed hacker who got caught and not a cheep from you about the half million likely to lose their jobs because of coalition cuts.

Unknown said...

He's not "running a mile". There are options open to private individuals that are not open to Government ministers - that doesn't mean to say that their views have changed.

Did you actually read what I wrote? What Nick said is that he's been advised because of live legal proceedings that he as a minister should not meet someone connected with a participant in those proceedings. That seems to me to be quite reasonable. Even as a non legal person, I, who am a resolute supporter of Gary's cause, would have advised caution.

Saying they can't meet at the mo is not the same as "running a mile".

I want to see Gary free from the threat of extradition and I hope very much that that will happen - and I will certainly do what I can as an individual to campaign on his behalf.

Anonymous said...

@Caron

Oh come on, were you born yesterday or something?

Anonymous said...

"Even as a non legal person, I, who am a resolute supporter of Gary's cause, would have advised caution."

If you really were a resolute supporter of Gary's cause you wouldn't be writing nauseating apology pieces for Cleggs revolting behaviour.

Try and put tribal party allegiance to one side for 5 minutes.

Dan Falchikov said...

Caron is right (as is Nick Clegg). And the various anonymous (and anonymousish) posters are talking rot.

It's really quite simple - the Daily Mail is wrong on everything, so it's a bit of a surprise that the Labour trolls are so keen to back it.

Let's see what the outcome is - I suspect Gary MacKinnon's Ma is more likely to be pleased with the outcome than the various posters on here - who simply want to play politics with a vulnerable person's life.

Unknown said...

Thanks, Dan.

Various anonymouses, there was a big stooshie earlier in the year when David Cameron had dinner with Rebekah Wade of Murdoch's enterprises when Govt was deciding on the BSkyB merger - something which would have been much better decided by Vince Cable, but never mind. He got away with it by saying she was a constituent. Will have to ask my friend who lives in Witney to see if she can get him to come to dinner at her house.

It does not look good when ministers get involved in cases which other ministers will have to make quasi-judicial decisions or on which there are live legal proceedings.

Let's just wait and see what happens with Gary's case. I am hopeful that everything will be done for him that's possible. Not meeting Janis at this stage is a part of that.

Anonymous said...

I'll be back to discuss this if and when Clegg's grand plan is finally revealed. However, if his plan is nothing more than the previous governments plan, i.e. simply that Gary serves any sentence in the UK, I won't be impressed.

@Dan

"who simply want to play politics with a vulnerable person's life."

Hmmmm. Lets think about that for a minute, out of me and Nick Clegg which one of us stood beside Gary's *mother* and promised to stop him being sent to America if in government. You libdem tribal f*ckheads have NO shame.

LinkWithin

Related Posts with Thumbnails