Straw did it in a low key fashion as a mere technicality, rather than a vindication of the heroic socialist minority government policies of Allende. Typical of New Labour's cynical attempt to do anything to keep their overwhelming lead in the opinion polls.
This is an unprecedented, essentially imperialist, violation of national sovereignty, that a head of state of a country could be held accountable for alleged crimes of torture years after he has left office, and happens to be travelling for medical treatment to another country. (Of course it will not do much good for the profitability of private medical clinics in London - but this is not the main consideration.)
This would appear to imply that any head of state in future might find themselves vulnerable to arrest on the grounds of crimes against humanity. Where will it end?
Clearly Straw's only motivation is to bolster imperialism by giving a veneer of respectability to the intensified exploitation of monopoly capital, in which British monopoly capital is a degenerate dwindling component part.
It is similar to his other ruling this week that police forces in Britain must impose recruitment quotas by ethnic group to make sure they reflect the ethnic composition of the area they serve. Thus the Metropolitan Police, serving London, will have to recruit another 5000 black police over the next 10 years. Again this gradualist, reformist, approach is designed to acclimatise the population of the capital to think that the police are not an occupying force but actually depend on the good will of the citizenry. It is being done so gradually that it will not spark off any revolutionary upheaval. Rather the reverse, which was of course its only motive.
Where will it all end? An incontinent General Pinochet at the age of 95 still being held under house arrest in a minor London mansion, with two black British bobbies outside the front door, hands behind their backs, saying a cheery "Evenin' All" to curious cultural tourists.
Chris Burford
London