A group of nine Afghan asylum seekers who hijacked a plane at gunpoint to get into the UK back in 2000 are to be allowed to remain here. Despite the fact that the government wanted to boot them out of the country, the courts disagreed- as this would infringe on the poor hijackers' human rights. Even though the Taliban regime they were fleeing has since been overthrown. The one upshot of this sorry tale is that David Cameron, the Tory leader, is now saying he intends to "scrap, reform or replace" the Human Rights Act.
He said that it's wrong to allow "the human rights of dangerous criminals to fly in the face of common sense".
"Being able to balance the danger they pose to the UK if they stay, with the danger to them if they are returned to their country of origin, is no longer possible."
Perhaps a little bit of common sense is returning to British politics at long last? Afterall, Britain has now indicated to the world that hijacking an airplane is now a legitimate way to enter the country.
UPDATE- Just thought I'd point this out - not only does Britain permit hijackers to stay in the UK, the courts are also okay with an enemy combatant from Gitmo getting his citizenship.
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