Salisbury: Ah, Deo gratias for kangaroo courts

 What a surprise to hear such international provocation today for the goings on in the ancient city of my birth. How quick our leaders are to leap to conclusions. Good grief, who needs slow old justice!

And this prompt from someone sent off to prison with a longer sentence than the Lockerbie airliner bomber was serving, and in my case, it was obvious that I couldn't possibly have been guilty.

However, then - like now - there must be justification, a good reason, for establishment declarations. An alleged drugs gang was being held in prison and someone must have smuggled drugs into the country to supply them.

Of course, we Brits don't jump to conclusions without a good reason - after all our justice is the envy of the world. We joined the US in bombing hell out of Iraq because we just knew they had weapons of mass destruction.

Somebody had to be blamed

In my case, tough that I didn't sail closer to UK than 1,100 miles on my singlehanded swallowing-the-anchor voyage. But somebody had to be blamed.

And someone has to be blamed for the nasty business in Salisbury.

And what's to be gained from the hasty justice? Could it possibly be the chance - at last - to switch the conversation away from that mighty political headache, the title of which begins with the letter 'B'?

What's been the outcome of these other recent no-time-for-justice decisions? From Iraq, of course, destruction of any nasty bombs found, an appalling hanging for their leader, and just about an end to all terrorism, ahem. At least it's comforting to know that the main names on our side are now very wealthy folk, so we don't have to exercise our consciences about them.

The bomber died from cancer

The Lockerbie bomber died from cancer, and yours truly only did half the time for being civilised and a 'good' prisoner.

One side of the kangaroo court hearing for the dreadful Ruskies narks me still, especially after I came across a newspaper photo of the main character.

Character is the word to choose, too. Isn't this the fellow who sold out to his country's enemies - a traitor is the word usually applied - who as a reward for it was brought over here, rewarded and pampered. Naturally, it would be unfair to imagine that he kept on selling his own land's secrets. Of course, he wouldn't have.

Continues on the blogs for my sailing adventure story, Sailing to Purgatory, at SailingToPurgatory.com