2/DIPLOMATIC IMMUNITY
DIPLOMATIC IMMUMITY.//
I recently heard a programme on BBC Radio4 about abuses of diplomatic immunity. Reportedly some foreign diplomats in Britain have been abusing their servants in ways that contravene British employment laws.//
Martin Salter, who recently stepped down as a Reading MP, was said to have introduced a parliamentary bill to try to sort the matter out. I assume the bill was unsuccessful, and Martin Salter said on the programme that initiating changes to diplomatic immunity ‘was beyond his pay grade.’//
I don’t see the thing that way. It is just a matter of coming up with a workable idea. As I listened to the programme I thought to myself what exactly is happening here, and what should be happening. I mention this as a thought process because an idea occurred to me, which might at first seem to be little more than a facile play on words.//
WE SHOULD REPLACE DIPLOMATIC IMMUNITY WITH DIPLOMATIC IMPUNITY.//
I don’t know the origins of the term diplomatic immunity. I assume that there has always been, as far as all this is concerned, some confusion between immunity and impunity. At the moment we have diplomatic immunity, immunity from prosecution. This should be replaced with diplomatic impunity. That is, exemption from punishment.//
As I understand it, the police at the moment investigate possible criminality but once they see that a diplomat is involved the investigation is dropped, more or less because continuing would seem like a waste of public money. Changing from diplomatic immunity to diplomatic impunity would mean that the police could continue investigating and if they uncovered enough evidence they could initiate prosecutions.//
The accused diplomat could get automatic bail and automatic legal aid, if he or she did not want to pay for personally chosen legal representation. If found guilty, the diplomat could then say that he or she wanted to use his or her diplomatic impunity.//
It would make clear to diplomats from countries with particularly hierarchical societies, that in Britain they could not abuse their servants in ways which might seem reasonable in their home countries, but unreasonable here.//
REMEMBER, A BACKGROUND TO ALL THIS IS THAT MOST IMMIGRANTS TO BRITAIN COME HERE TO ESCAPE CULTURES OF BULLYING IN THEIR HOME COUNTRIES.//
I suppose an immunity to impunity parliamentary bill would be easy to draft as no new procedures would be involved. And, although such a bill would be likely to get government support, it would be a suitable bill to be introduced by a backbencher as a Private Members Bill.//
WE SHOULD REPLACE DIPLOMATIC IMMUNITY WITH DIPLOMATIC IMPUNITY.//
Tom Smith, Thursday, 24th June 2010.//
I recently heard a programme on BBC Radio4 about abuses of diplomatic immunity. Reportedly some foreign diplomats in Britain have been abusing their servants in ways that contravene British employment laws.//
Martin Salter, who recently stepped down as a Reading MP, was said to have introduced a parliamentary bill to try to sort the matter out. I assume the bill was unsuccessful, and Martin Salter said on the programme that initiating changes to diplomatic immunity ‘was beyond his pay grade.’//
I don’t see the thing that way. It is just a matter of coming up with a workable idea. As I listened to the programme I thought to myself what exactly is happening here, and what should be happening. I mention this as a thought process because an idea occurred to me, which might at first seem to be little more than a facile play on words.//
WE SHOULD REPLACE DIPLOMATIC IMMUNITY WITH DIPLOMATIC IMPUNITY.//
I don’t know the origins of the term diplomatic immunity. I assume that there has always been, as far as all this is concerned, some confusion between immunity and impunity. At the moment we have diplomatic immunity, immunity from prosecution. This should be replaced with diplomatic impunity. That is, exemption from punishment.//
As I understand it, the police at the moment investigate possible criminality but once they see that a diplomat is involved the investigation is dropped, more or less because continuing would seem like a waste of public money. Changing from diplomatic immunity to diplomatic impunity would mean that the police could continue investigating and if they uncovered enough evidence they could initiate prosecutions.//
The accused diplomat could get automatic bail and automatic legal aid, if he or she did not want to pay for personally chosen legal representation. If found guilty, the diplomat could then say that he or she wanted to use his or her diplomatic impunity.//
It would make clear to diplomats from countries with particularly hierarchical societies, that in Britain they could not abuse their servants in ways which might seem reasonable in their home countries, but unreasonable here.//
REMEMBER, A BACKGROUND TO ALL THIS IS THAT MOST IMMIGRANTS TO BRITAIN COME HERE TO ESCAPE CULTURES OF BULLYING IN THEIR HOME COUNTRIES.//
I suppose an immunity to impunity parliamentary bill would be easy to draft as no new procedures would be involved. And, although such a bill would be likely to get government support, it would be a suitable bill to be introduced by a backbencher as a Private Members Bill.//
WE SHOULD REPLACE DIPLOMATIC IMMUNITY WITH DIPLOMATIC IMPUNITY.//
Tom Smith, Thursday, 24th June 2010.//
posted by Rowan Alder # 12:11 
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