a british man in china was convicted of drug smuggling and put to death this morning.

that, in itself, is sadly not shocking in the least. china has long had a history of summarily executing people for non-violent crimes – something which the international olympic committee chose to overlook last year, and which most western countries, even those with the death penalty themselves (united states, i’m looking at you), choose to excuse in the name of global economics (or indebtedness – united states, i’m looking at you).

what i’ve found shocking is the number of britons who are either apologists for it, or chiming in with agreement.

the comments in most op ed pieces, or online polls, are truly shocking. to me, anyway.

here i thought i lived in a country which (along with the rest of the EU) had long since condemned the death penalty as a barbaric practice which has no place in modern society. and outwardly, politicians will tell you that’s true. but scratch the surface of that genteel british veneer and you find people saying stuff like:

“I’ve seen the dark side of drugs and what they do to a community. There is NO punishment too harsh to counter the evil that comes with drugs — especially heroin.”

“A dose of chinese justice would not go amiss in the treatment of drug smugglers in the UK. This execution will benefit sick chinese people who will receive vital organs transplanted from the criminal. No damage to the vital organs is ensurred by a precise shot to the back of the neck. Thus out of evil some good is obtained.”

“They should do the same thing with murderers over here in my opinion, for the same reason – it sends out a powerful message that there are some offences that are so bad that, if you commit them, you will pay the ultimate sanction.”

“the chinese made the RIGHT decision. pity the british government dont follow suit and make a dent in the uk drug problem!”

“Maybe if we had a legal system like China we’d have less problems with ferral drug addled layabouts in this country.”

“A good drug smuggler is a dead one.”

(and lest you think these comments are culled from the right-wing daily mail or sun, they’re from the guardian and bbc websites, every one of them.)

now, perhaps that’s not representative of the british public at large, but i have to say that my sense is that it’s more representative than i would like to admit. much like the backlash which has garnered the bnp so much support recently, i believe the same is happening here.

people are dissatisfied with the status quo – and expressing it in some truly ugly ways.

it’s typical, really. when we can’t figure out how to really solve a societal problem, we revert to advocating the most simplistically crude and unthinking course of action possible: killing.

it’s so discouraging – i thought that having left the u.s. (where the popular alternative of locking up drug users and dealers alike en masse is nearly as stupid and useless) i would no longer have to endure the kind of bloodthirsty and vengeful arguments for the death penalty that are so common there.

more fool i. the public are disgusted with their government. people are clamouring for change. and the pendulum will continue to swing to the far right until they have it.

* and the post title is a nautical saying to remind sailors which side to keep of the buoys, but it sprang to mind today as being alliteratively apt.

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