If the Brits can say it why can't our government?

Today the London Independent reports that Kim Howells, the minister in charge of British middle east policy, has called for the Guantanamo Bay detention camp to be closed:

"Our alliance with America is based on shared values. If those shared values are seen by the rest of the world to be terribly flawed that actually undermines the cause of democracy. If Guantanamo is undermining those shared values then it should go, it should close."

This view is not confined to the Labour Party. William Hague, the shadow Foreign Secretary, says much the same thing:

"Reports of prisoner abuse by British and American troops - however isolated - and accounts, accurate or not, of the mistreatment of detainees at Guantanamo and extraordinary rendition flights leading to the torture of suspects, have led to a critical erosion in our moral authority. In standing up for the rule of law, we must be careful not to employ methods that undermine it."

If a British Conservative believes this can we expect to see Mr Howard or Mr Downer reviewing their positions?

I'm not expecting anything, but will keep an eye on the local media to see whether and how it reports the story.

The ABC has reported

Speaking on a visit to Britain, US Attorney-General Alberto Gonzales insists the camp is consistent with the Geneva Convention, but he questions the relevance of the Convention in today's world.

"I think it's always appropriate to look to see whether or not in this new kind of war against ... this new kind of enemy, are the conventions, are all the provisions of the conventions [relevant]," he said.