|
November 26, 2001
PCR 11-26-01 CS UK
Say Goodbye to England
By Paul
Craig Roberts
[See earlier reports from
the British Isles:
Diversity
vs. Freedom (contd.): Three Scenes From The Decline
of Britain (last act?), By James Fulford
Gun
Control, Immigration and Social Engineering - By
Paul Craig Roberts]
Anglophiles had best pop over to the Misty Isles
for a last experience of Great Britain before the
country is reduced to an oppressed province of the
European Union.
Napoleon could not conquer England, nor could Hitler,
but Socialist bureaucrats in Brussels have with
help from Tony
Blair’s New Labourand British nonchalance.
Britain is on its way back to the reign of Charles
I with its
secret courtsand imprisonment without trial
or evidence.
Once-proud Brits are suffering the indignity of
being gradually brought under European law by ministerial
edicts that bypass Parliament. Recently the British
lost their ancient
systemof weights
and measures,but now they are on the verge
of losing their legal system, the development of
which is, essentially, the history of Britain.
Although willing to be bullied along the path to
European integration, the British steadfastly have
held on to their justice system. And for good reason.
Historically, English law has been a shield of
the people, standing in stark contrast to Europe’s
Napoleonic criminal law, which does not safeguard
law against its use by government as a weapon.
English law does not permit police to arrest citizens
without evidence or to hold them more than 48 hours
without presenting charges in open court. The European
system permits police to arrest citizens on suspicion
and to detain them indefinitely while preparing
a case against them.
Moreover, the accused European has no right to
see the evidence against him, no right to a jury
trial, and no right to an open court. His case is
decided by a professional judge, whose career and
advancement is dependent on the state that brings
the case.
Under European law, there is no presumption of
innocence or protection against double jeopardy.
The accused can be subjected to repeated trials
on the same charges until the state wins a guilty
verdict.
The English fought a civil war to rid themselves
of such an oppressive “justice system,” and now
in a sweep of anti-terrorism hysteria the Blair
government is sponsoringa “terrorism bill” that signs away the English birthright.
The “Anti-Terrorism, Crime and Security Bill” (PDF
version.) currently moving through Parliament
contains a provision (109) that removes Parliament
from the decision to replace English law with Europe’s
Corpus Juris. Unless Parliament rejects this provision,
the EU Council of Ministers in Brussels, with the
concurrence of the British Home Secretary, can vote
away English legal protections and replace Habeas
Corpuswith Napoleon’s
code.
The British also face the unpleasant prospect of
being tried by European prosecutors for offenses
that are not crimes in Britain.
A few days ago Law Lord Richard Scott asked
the governmentto give more careful thought
to the European arrest warrant. The warrant does
not require evidence and would permit British citizens
to be extradited to Europe for interrogation should
they be suspected of crimes such as racism and xenophobia
(fear or hatred of foreigners). Surely this spells
the end of soccer.
Will this direct threat to British liberty cause
the Brits to confront honestly the loss of sovereignty
required by European integration? Lord Tebbit
was succinct on November 1 when he saidratification of the Nice
Treaty(European integration) “would be both
contrary to Magna Carta and a breach of the Coronation
Oath, which sprang from the settlement of 1688”
that established the accountability of law.
If the British decide to give up sovereignty, they
might try for better
terms. Why not form a European Union on the
basis of English Law? This would be a huge gain
for all of Europe by bringing English liberties
at long last to the Continent. Are the British people
so smitten by Europe that they would give up their
historic achievements and replace “law as shield”
with “law as weapon”?
The Labour government has not been honest with
the people about the implications of European Union.
Instead, Brits have been led down the path with
assurances that they can be both British and European.
Now that shopkeepers are being arrestedfor selling by the pint and pound instead of by
the liter and kilo, the British might realize that
Europe is a threat to their national character and
to their liberty.
Paul Craig Roberts is the author
(with Lawrence M. Stratton) of The
New Color
Line : How Quotas and Privilege Destroy Democracy
COPYRIGHT 2001 CREATORS SYNDICATE, INC.
|
