Wise words. However, Article 43 adds, in effect, "we really really mean article 22, even if the ambassador has got a sex slave factory in there.". I do this work so you don't have to.

However, bear in mind that here we're talking about a dispute between the UK and Ecuador. I fancy our chances. We completely beat them at the Olympics.

To be honest I'm not worried about Ecuador specifically, more the fact that a move like this might devalue our diplomatic standing to the point that the next time some banana republic explodes into a military coup or whatever that the aggressors in question just storm our embassy with an attitude of 'fuck the UK, they demonstrably don't give a shit about diplomatic agreements anyway so why should we care about their rights here' rather than stopping to think about it for a while (which might end up saving lives). Or, to make a slightly less hysterically dramatic example, someone seeking refuge in a UK embassy overseas gets pulled out of there by the local government because we've undermined our own ability to claim that privilege with this nonsense.

From what little I know about diplomatic immunity (hey I have watched lots of American TV), its the Diplomatic Pouch that is unstoppable, so all they have to do is get a nice big 6ft pouch for him to climb into before transport?

I am a fricking genius

The answer must therefore be to promote kangaroos to be your nation's ambassadors.

I see your point, and agere with it to an extent. Bear in mind, though, that our embassies don't even give refuge to UK citizens in local trouble.

Good summary, here.

http://pme200.blogspot.co.uk/2012/08/assange.html

Excellent blog post.

Galloway's an idiot.

This is news, how?

I feel the need to reaffirm my views.

Vote for MaliA.

There's the usual grumpy leftwing twat Milne's defence of Assange and Ecuador in the Graun today. That man would support any regime as long as it hated the West.

Vote for MaliA.

There's the usual grumpy leftwing twat Milne's defence of Assange and Ecuador in the Graun today. That man would support any regime as long as it hated the West.

Vote for MaliA.

There's the usual grumpy leftwing twat Milne's defence of Assange and Ecuador in the Graun today. That man would support any regime as long as it hated the West.

wha...?

That man would support any regime as long as it hated the West.

We should really have stopped using 'The East' and 'The West' once we realised that the world was round.

Cover of this week's 'Private Eye' really goes for Assange (and I felt slightly bad about laughing once I worked out the joke)

(No spoilers)

You're the one reading Glenn Greenwald, bud.

Jesus. I need to stop reading the comments on the Guardian site. Read a couple of pages of them on that Milne article, and the latest Greenwald pro-Assange diatribe, and it's like staring into the abyss. That so many people are utter conspiracy theorist tinfoil hat-wearing loonbuckets is quite disturbing. They're as mad as a box of them hallucinogenic poison frogs wot've been dipped in heroin and spent all day licking each other.

Are we really this thick as a nation?

Then again millions of people watch X Factor, so I guess the answer's yes.

Jesus. I need to stop reading the comments on the Guardian any site.

I keep telling myself this on an almost daily basis, however I still find myself scrolling down, reading one or two by accident and looking away suddenly with a pained expression on my face - as if I've just walked in on my gran in the bath.

Heh. The only two websites I read semi-regularly are the Graun and El Reg. The Register's commenters are, by and large, not too bad. And include Chinny! But yes, in the round, I agree with you.

I agree with Kissyfur.

Loved the government's response that "of course you can have medical treatment if you come out. We're not stopping you getting treatment. It's just that we'll arrest you as well."

The "Arbitary detention" thing is ridiculous.