Julian Assange was arrested this morning. The Ecuadorians finally got rid of the house guest from hell, who they invited in for dinner in 2012 and overstayed his welcome by 7 years. He’d claimed ‘sanctu-ary’, the first person to do so since Quasimodo invoked the same privilege in Notre Dame all those years ago, as voiced by Charles Laughton. Mainly because Quasi was French and would’a said it differently. The parallels run deep. Quasimodo was uglier than sin and so is Assange. Except the silver haired Aussie keeps his grotesqueness on the inside. But we all know that the portrait he keeps in his attic is now The Hunchback!

Assange ran to Ecuador’s embassy back then because he was wanted for arrest. By the Swedes for alleged rape and by the Americans for publishing state secrets. So rather than ‘man up’ and face his detractors across all these continents, Julian decided to wimp out and abuse another nation’s diplomatic immunity. Even though, guess what? He was ‘innocent of all charges’ and it was just a way for America to get revenge.

The rape case has subsequently been dropped by the Swedes. Not because they no longer think he did it but because it time-expired in their legal system. But the Americans are dead keen on extradition. And although we can only extradite to somewhere that has no risk of death penalty or torture, I kind’a hope they make an exception for Assange.

In case you think this is uncharacteristically impartial, somewhat benefit-of-the-doubtish of me, and ‘innocent-until-proven-Australian’, let me just step off my ‘fence’ for a moment for a minor declaration. I fucking hate Julian Assange. I find him smug, arrogant, cocky, dogmatic, annoying and I’d like to punch him. Leaking national secrets is all well and good and ‘transparent’ and for the good of all, but when that involves the names and addresses of operatives of a very sensitive nature, he’s actually imperilling their lives.

Yet the irony is sweet. Assange finally left because someone threatened to publish videos of his time in the embassy. Mildly incriminating, bit naughty, not very nice videos. Which would have caused him some form of embarrassment or disgrace. Which is precisely how he makes his living.

Happy Thursday

A xxxx