Mailwatch(ed) Forum

The discussion thread on the Australian alleged journalist, Julian Assange, that we had before would seem to have perished in the Great Mailwatch Server Fire, so I thought I’d start up a new one, since the bugger seems to be back in the news, still trying to avoid the long arm of the law in the UK’s court of appeal.

I am instinctively very skeptical about Assange’s claims of political persecution. I’m hearing echoes of the similar “infamy, they’ve all got it infamy” grievances voiced by the likes of, say, Donald Trump, Boris Johnson, or even Russell Brand -none of which cut much mustard with me, either.

I certainly don’t buy the notion that Assange is a principled crusading journalist, boldly and fearlessly exposing misdeeds by the powerful wherever he may find them. I’ll freely admit that Jeremy Corbyn’s full-throated support of Assange may just colour my judgement slightly on this, but the bottom line seems to me to be that if you perpetrate actions that place the lives of American field operatives at risk, then the Americans are going to come after you -in this case in the entirely legitimate execution of a valid extradition treaty with the UK to face espionage charges.

If Assange thinks he is being “cancelled”, to use the modern popular vernacular, he really ought to look to the late Alexei Navalny, who really has been cancelled. I don’t think that Joe Biden is in any way comparable to Vladimir Putin (though Donald Trump may be).

He's the one who hid in a cupboard to avoid rape allegations, isn't he?

Same 'believing women' energy we're seeing from the hard left over this and the Hamas atrocities, I think.

He was also the guy whose mates assured us wouldn't jump bail. In retrospect, I can't remember anyone more likely to do it.

Thank goodness this ongoing saga has been resolved. Wasn’t bothered if Assange was freed or not as long as he buggered off.

Julian Assange back in Australia after leaving US court a free man https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/world-69145409

I am intrigued to know - and we may never know - what was in his plea deal. Because given how long the US have been after him and wanting to make an example of him, it seems this came out of nowhere.

Given the current court cases and the timing re: the US election, you've got to wonder whether there's a smoking gun with Trump's tiny mitts on it that he's handed over.

Albanese has been badgering the US to reach a resolution in the Assange case. An assertive call from the Whitehouse to the DoJ to get this pain-in-the-arse case into the out tray, might be all it took.