forcon
Lieutenant Commander
Posts: 988
Likes: 1,739
|
Post by forcon on Jul 3, 2020 19:45:36 GMT
In large part, Britain abolished capital punishment in the 1960s. However, the death penalty was a valid sentence for treason up until the signing of the Human Rights Act in 1997. Your challenge, should you choose to accept it, is to have the death penalty used in Britain after its abolition for murder in the 1960s.
|
|
lordroel
Administrator
Posts: 64,775 
Likes: 45,894
|
Post by lordroel on Jul 3, 2020 19:57:16 GMT
In large part, Britain abolished capital punishment in the 1960s. However, the death penalty was a valid sentence for treason up until the signing of the Human Rights Act in 1997. Your challenge, should you choose to accept it, is to have the death penalty used in Britain after its abolition for murder in the 1960s. Well what would be needed, a horrible serie murder who gets life sentence but then set free due a mistake maybe. |
|
forcon
Lieutenant Commander
Posts: 988
Likes: 1,739
|
Post by forcon on Jul 3, 2020 20:00:36 GMT
In large part, Britain abolished capital punishment in the 1960s. However, the death penalty was a valid sentence for treason up until the signing of the Human Rights Act in 1997. Your challenge, should you choose to accept it, is to have the death penalty used in Britain after its abolition for murder in the 1960s. Well what would be needed, a horrible serie murder who gets life sentence but then set free due a mistake maybe. I'm not talking about the death penalty being reinstated for murder, I'm trying to find a scenario in which the penalty is imposed for treason, as was legal OTL until 1997. |
|
lordroel
Administrator
Posts: 64,775
Likes: 45,894
|
Post by lordroel on Jul 3, 2020 20:01:37 GMT
Well what would be needed, a horrible serie murder who gets life sentence but then set free due a mistake maybe. I'm not talking about the death penalty being reinstated for murder, I'm trying to find a scenario in which the penalty is imposed for treason, as was legal OTL until 1997. The person doing that must do some big treason, any examples that have happen in OTL to compare. |
|
kyng
Consul General
Posts: 1,098
Likes: 840
|
Post by kyng on Jul 4, 2020 12:29:41 GMT
I can't see it happening during peacetime, even for treason. Most people wouldn't feel the kind of direct, immediate threat that would lead to widespread support for an execution.
The only circumstances in which I can see it happening are in the midst of a major war. For example, if the Cold War gets a bit too hot, and ends up with direct fighting between the Soviets and the USA. In this scenario, the Soviets are sure to be spying on the main Western countries, including the UK. Perhaps a prominent person in UK politics turns out to be a Soviet spy, who spills critical national security secrets to the Soviets, leading to heavy losses for the UK. Under these circumstances, I would expect the spy (or spies) responsible to face the death penalty for treason.
|
|
stevep
Fleet admiral
Posts: 23,406
Likes: 12,028
|
Post by stevep on Jul 4, 2020 13:04:55 GMT
I can't see it happening during peacetime, even for treason. Most people wouldn't feel the kind of direct, immediate threat that would lead to widespread support for an execution. The only circumstances in which I can see it happening are in the midst of a major war. For example, if the Cold War gets a bit too hot, and ends up with direct fighting between the Soviets and the USA. In this scenario, the Soviets are sure to be spying on the main Western countries, including the UK. Perhaps a prominent person in UK politics turns out to be a Soviet spy, who spills critical national security secrets to the Soviets, leading to heavy losses for the UK. Under these circumstances, I would expect the spy (or spies) responsible to face the death penalty for treason.
I think something like that would be the best option for it to occur. Or possibly in the aftermath of a civil war in Britain.
Another option is that as well as treason it may have stayed in [theoretical ] force until 1997 for piracy on the high seas. Possibly more likelihood of that occurring with the rise of instability and piracy but it would need a case where either a Briton was involved or a British ship the target and where for whatever reason the British government was willing to apply the ultimate penalty. Possibly some terrorist incident in which civilians were murdered?
|
|
James G
Squadron vice admiral
Posts: 7,608
Likes: 8,817
|
Post by James G on Aug 8, 2020 16:57:00 GMT
I was recently reading the AH story If Gordon Banks Had Played and the death penalty for treason was brought back in there. That was to do with domestic terrorism and also the actions of Irish Republicans too. The Home Secretary in the story boasted that she'd rejected 1200 plus applications for last minute clemency. There were trials then hangings.
Of course, that is a work of fiction. Yet, if a horribly unstable UK domestic security situation erupted at any point, and there was the 'right sort' of government in power, combined with real public will, then it could come back. Situations such as the one outlined by Kyng about but even piracy and terrorism as Steve suggests would work too.
This is Britain though so unless the country was at war, I would think justice would be long time in coming. We'd probably end up with a situation like the US with years and years of appeals and desperate legal challenges on technicalities.
|
|
simon darkshade
Inspector-General
Member is Online
Posts: 4,582
Likes: 5,300
|
Post by simon darkshade on Aug 11, 2020 11:32:09 GMT
Similar to what has been said already, have Norn Ireland get even worse, then have the IRA make one heck of a mistake by going after the inner Royal Family.
If sentenced, I don't think there would be the delays seen in the maladministration of the penalty in the USA; the statutory timings were kept to pretty effectively up until the end of hangings for murder.
|
|
