Lord Haw - Haw remembered as UK Gubment seeks to twist the law for popular support

Harriet Harm , Fleshy Gordon and the rest who are hounding Sir Fred and his magic pension pot by the uncertain majesty of the law remind us how Governments never hesitate to twist the law to stoke public sentiment.

Wiliam Joyce "Lord Haw Haw" was tried for treason at the end of the war and hanged. Despite the fact that he was born in America, whose parents had become US citizens. He had also become a German citizen when he made his vile broadcasts from Germany and so could not possibly be tried for treason. (Although a new Actof Treason 1945 was brought in a rush, to allow only one judge to sit to put things all square)

The quite reasonable arguments of his publicly provided solicitor and QC based on the above were brushed aside and the jury and the public were happy to see him hung.

The Attorney General, Sir Hartley Shawcross,(who went on to star in more dodgy legal business at Nuremberg and hangings) convinced the jury, that Joyce's possession of a British passport, obtained fraudulently my lying about his nationality to obtain it, entitled him (until it expired) to British diplomatic protection in Germany and therefore he owed allegiance to the King at the time he commenced working for the Germans.

When Joyce appealed to the House of Lords they refused his appeal and even dissenting Lord Porter said it was matter of fact (for the jury to determine) whether this technicality afforded him protection from the court not the highest court in the land.

As Joyce had been an MI5 spy in Germany (he had been sent there in the 30's by the curious "M" or Maxwell Knight a proto - fascist and friend of Oswald Mosley who was head of section B5(b) responsible for infiltrating agents and based in Dolphin Square ). Documents released in 2001 show clearly this was something they wished to conceal they freed his wife - who had been as active as he was - to the Belgians and had indeed previously connived at letting her"escape".

In another contemporary slant Mosley defected from the Conservatives to the Labour Party in protest at the widespread and well known habit of torturing Sinn Fein prisoners by the "Gentle Black & Tans".

Judging by much public comment there are many RBS shareholders who would happily see poor old Fred tortured - or even like Joyce , well hung.

On the day when world markets slumped to record levels it does relieve Washington bound Fleshy Gordon of the worries of saving the world yet again.