European human rights judges will decide next Wednesday (9th May) whether Abu Qatada's appeal against his deportation from Britain should be allowed to go ahead.
Why does it take so long to make such a decision? The controversy is already two weeks old.
Because I suspect the lawyers representing Qatada are enjoying living high on hog with the fees the taxpayer are paying them for lodging appeal after appeal on behalf it.
The thing I struggle to understand the most about this whole sorry, expensive, mess, is why we don't just deport him anyway. I mean what possible sanctions would we face if we just decided to tell ECHR that yes, we have taken note of your decision, but we've decided to ignore it.
I think we should deport him immediately. If the UK is "fined" for whatever reason (or by whoever is 'In Charge') it still has to be cheaper than keeping him and his clan - and all the legal hangers-on.
If it was a Brit abroad and he had to be deported from a country, his head would still be spinning from the speed of the process.
We, in Britain, are such a SOFT TOUCH, and doesn't the rest of the world know it.