© Getty Images / PA Images; REUTERS/Simon Dawson
(L) Fermanagh and South Tyrone MP and IRA hunger striker Bobby Sands, who died in the Maze prison, Belfast, after 65 days of hunger strike. (R) WikiLeaks' founder Julian Assange
The British government allowed IRA hunger-striker Bobby Sands to starve to death in 1981. It is showing the same lack of judgment today on what is right and wrong, by callously letting another political detainee die needlessly.
Insanity is often defined as doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. On that charge, Britain is guilty.
39 years ago, on May 5, 1981, Bobby Sands died after refusing food for 66 days at Her Majesty's Prison Maze in Northern Ireland - even a visit from Pope John Paul II's personal envoy couldn't persuade him to desist.
Sands was a member of the Provisional Irish Republican Army and had been sentenced to 14 years for possession of a gun, having been arrested near the scene of an IRA bombing.
During his time in jail, Sands campaigned, along with other IRA members, to have their special category status restored. It had been removed by the British government, who had decided to no longer view them as political prisoners. They were categorised as common criminals.
Comment: Orange man so bad we must elect a possible sexual predator, because even a sexual predator is better than bad orange man.