Wake up Britain, it's already happening

It's not often that I slip into a deep depression about something which happens in politics. I frequently get wound up. Today, for example, Alastair Darling saying that he was waiving VAT on the X Factor CD when he was doing nothing of the sort because he doesn't have the power to.

But when I heard the news that a Judge at Westminster Magistrates Court has given permission for Andrew Symeou to be extradited I felt sick and scared.

District Judge Quentin Purdy, sitting at the City of Westminster
Magistrates Court, today ordered Symeou, from Enfield, London, be sent to Greece to stand trial.

Sick because a young man is, realistically, going to be deported to a Greek prison on the grounds of evidence obtained by torture of his two friends where he may be held for up to 18 months without trial and where the likelihood of a fair trial, given how the Greek authorities have behaved so far, is unlikely.

And scared because the ruling of the judge was that despite the lack of prima facie evidence, a British court has no power to stop a British subject having to face such injustice.

As Andrew's father said:

"It's a very emotional time for him. We have conclusive evidence that proves Andrew's innocence; however under the European Arrest Warrant the requesting state does not have to provide any evidence to a British court nor is a British court concerned whether there is a case to answer.

Why isn't this headline news? How in any way is the resignation of a producer at the BBC or some tedious unfunny prank phone call more important than the possibility of someone being locked up under extremely dubious circumstances?

And where is the champion of liberty, Mr David Davis in all of this? He was told on national television and radio of this case and I personally e-mailed him with details. So come on David: you resigned your position in the Shadow Cabinet so people would think you actually cared about individual freedom and wanted to roll back the state (even though you voted for 28 days)and yet once the cameras have gone, the rhetoric stops and it's pretty fucking quiet.

Nothing to say? Not worth it when you can't grab a quick headline, eh? Bit too complicated given that your party are libertarians in the same way that I am the Queen of fucking Sheba?

This is a real person, with a real life and real hopes and real dreams and although the family will be mounting an appeal we know from the Factortame Case which secured the supremacy of EU law over UK law that a Magistrate cannot overrule EU law. EU law which MEPs, including some who are now MPs, voted for.

What has happened to the country which was supposed to champion liberty? Why are we sleepwalking into this revolting, belching totalitarian state, pushed on by politicians of most parties except two, with most people completely oblivious and uncaring so long as big brother, I'm a stupid moron, shoot me in the head or similar, is on the telly.*

As Gerard Batten said outside the courtroom:

Providing the details have been filled in properly then a British
citizen can be sent off to another EU state with as much ceremony as
posting a parcel.

Wake up Britain. Please. Because what's going on in this country right under your noses is fucking terrifying.

*I'm still collecting funds to produce my ideal 'reality' show where Big Brother etc contestants will be welcome: 'When celebrity parachutes go wrong'.