Ecuador at war?

Aside from the knowledge that it lies on the Equator, the only thoughts I have ever had about Ecuador have been that it seems a nice place, home to lots of turtles, which has got to be a good thing. Its constitution is the only one, I think I am correct, which recognises the 'rights of Nature'.

So it seems improbable that it would get into a row, almost a war, with a major military nation whose capital is a 15 hour flight from Guayaquil. But that's what seems to be happening.

The other nation is the United Kingdom.

Our story concerns the extraordinary life of Julian Assange, he of Wikileaks fame.

Assange is an Australian, currently resident in Britain (although both sides to the argument would rather he weren't). He is wanted in the USA for publishing a lot of 'secrets' which had already been disseminated to 3 million people. And he is wanted in Sweden under their extraordinary sexual laws, where unless you are using a condom with a spare in your sock, and have signed a prenuptial agreement, what you get up to with your girlfriend is rape.

He is not, as far as I know, wanted for any crime committed in the UK.

The UK wanted to extradite Mr. Assange to Sweden but he, apparently fearing that the Swedes would send him on to the USA, has taken refuge in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London.

Now the Ecuadorian Foreign Minister has said that he has received an official note from Britain saying the host country would storm the Embassy if they didn't release Assange to the Police.

Now I find this hard to believe, even from such a bunch of idiots as the Foreign Office (I have said before that it ought to be closed down in the public interest). But just in case this is what is on their minds, let me say this:

Stop it, you fools. Violating the sovereignty of a friendly nation to get hold of a weak minded self-publicist who didn't buy a condom in Sweden is utter, utter madness.