Torture versus terror: A tale of two resignations

Newsflash, mid-August 2016

Amidst the continuing political convulsions arising from first Scotland’s then England’s declaration of independence earlier this year, London this morning was hit by one large terrorist explosion and Edinburgh by two separate large explosions. In London over 40 people are thought dead after a bomb exploded in Oxford Street during the rush-hour. In Edinburgh the toll is much higher: at least 30 people were killed in the first explosion but maybe as many as 90 in the second, both at Edinburgh Festival events. Hundreds of people have been injured in both capitals, many seriously. The devastation is enormous.

An extremist Islamist group has claimed responsibility for all three explosions. In England police raided several houses in the South-East earlier today and arrested a number of suspected terrorists with bomb-making devises and explosives.

This evening the Scottish and English Prime Ministers addressed their respective nations in parallel broadcasts. Here is what they said after expressing their sincerest condolences to the victims of these bombings and their determination that those responsible be brought to justice.

Prime Minister of England

I wish to address the English people tonight on an issue of the highest principle. Earlier this week we received from a foreign intelligence agency specific information about possible explosions in England and Scotland. We were given clear leads as to who might be planning these attacks. We immediately shared this top secret intelligence with our Scottish counterparts.

We urgently checked out these leads, and early today managed to intercept and arrest a group of suspected terrorists poised to move into action. We then found indications that another group was about to explode a bomb. Our police did a fine job at great haste, but we could not trace and intercept them in time. We now know that this latter group planted the bomb in London with terrible murderous effect.

The point is this. When we received that information from the foreign intelligence agency we had good reason to believe that it had been extracted by the use of violent interrogation techniques overseas – in a word, by torture. This placed me in a terrible dilemma. Should I use such information from a tainted source?

I decided to do so. This led directly to the arrest of one of the evil groups planning these bombings. Dozens of lives of citizens were thereby saved.

It is now established that under the relevant international conventions to accept and rely on information reasonably believed to have been extracted by torture amounts to complicity in that torture.

I believe that in the extreme circumstances I faced, I acted – as I was elected to do - in the national interest, by accepting that information and acting on it. Torture is despicable. We work tirelessly at the United Nations and elsewhere to stamp it out. But I believe that it cannot be right to avoid any action to thwart murderers and so save innocent lives. The relatives and friends of all the victims of the bombings today in London and Edinburgh will be tortured by their grief from this disaster every day for the rest of their lives.

This situation creates appalling policy and ethical dilemmas for us all. Indeed, I myself might be open to prosecution for what I did. If this happens I will plead not guilty but enter no defence and leave it to the jury to decide.

I do not wish to continue to serve as Prime Minister without a clear mandate from voters as to how I should respond in such circumstances.

I hereby resign my seat in Parliament with immediate effect. A by-election will be called in the shortest possible time. I will stand for re-election but not campaign for it. My statement here tonight represents my only policy position and my only public statement in that campaign.

To be quite clear. If this situation arose again, I would act in exactly the same way. I think that as Prime Minister I hold a sacred trust to protect the English public from terrorist murderers. And if that means going against high principles as now enshrined in international law, so be it.

I should add that the Prime Minister of Scotland is also addressing his nation to announce that he is resigning his seat immediately as I have done. Faced with a similar situation he took a different position. I respect his honesty in declaring so.

Thank you.

Prime Minister of Scotland

I wish to address the Scottish people tonight on an issue of the highest principle. Earlier this week we received from our colleagues in England specific information from a foreign intelligence agency about possible explosions in Scotland and England. We were given clear leads as to who might be planning these attacks.

The point is this. When we received that information from the foreign intelligence agency we had good reason to believe that it almost certainly had been extracted by the use of violent interrogation techniques overseas – in a word, by torture. This placed me in a terrible dilemma. Should I use such information from a tainted source?

It is now established that under the relevant international conventions to accept and rely on information reasonably believed to have been extracted by torture amounts to complicity in that torture. I decided that Scotland and its people, proud and at last independent as they are, must take a stand and stick to the highest principles. I ordered our police and intelligence services not to follow any leads arising from this information, and indeed to destroy it.

It has now emerged from computers found when English police acted on the information in England earlier today that, had we pursued the leads given in this foreign information, we might well have been able to intercept at least one of the two cells of terrorists who planted those bombs in Edinburgh today. It is fair to assume that dozens of lives would have been saved.

Despite this carnage in our beloved capital, I believe that in the extreme circumstances I faced I acted in the national interest to refuse to accept that information and then pursue it.

We Scots, of all people on earth, know from our history that to stand firm on issues of high principle may mean – and does mean – making sacrifices. We made one such terrible sacrifice today, so that we can show the world that we unreservedly respect international law, and show evil regimes everywhere that their torture will be of no avail.

In solemnly remembering our fellow citizens who died today in Edinburgh, and in our anger at how they died, let us not forget the far greater numbers of victims of torture round the world as well. Dare we live at their expense?

I know that this situation creates appalling, unfathomable policy and ethical dilemmas for us all. I do not wish to continue to serve as Prime Minister without a clear mandate from voters as to how I should respond in such circumstances.

I hereby resign my seat in Parliament with immediate effect. A by-election will be called in the shortest possible time. I will stand for re-election but not campaign to achieve it. My statement here tonight represents my only policy position and my only public statement in that campaign.

To be quite clear. If this situation arose again, I would act in exactly the same way. I think that as Prime Minister of Scotland I hold a sacred trust to show that our country leads the world in accepting the highest standards of international law. And if that means Scotland and Scotland’s people make sacrifices of the fearsome sort we have witnessed today, so be it.

I should add that the Prime Minister of England is also addressing his nation tonight to announce that he is resigning his seat immediately as I have done. Faced with a similar situation he took a different position. I respect his honesty in declaring so.

Two Questions:

** Who did the right thing?

** Who will be re-elected?

Charles Crawford was British Ambassador in Sarajevo, Belgrade and Warsaw. He is now a private consultant and writer:www.charlescrawford.biz. He tweets @charlescrawford