Lisa,

As a child I learned by heart these words of Lord Palmerston:

As the Roman, in days of old, held himself free from indignity when he could say Civis Romanus sum, so also a British subject, in whatever land he may be, shall feel confident that the watchful eye and the strong arm of England will protect him against injustice and wrong.

That was from Palmerston’s speech on the Don Pacifico case. That speech contains many arguments that could be made today.

I wonder if anyone in this British government has ever read it.

One is also reminded of the Abyssinian expedition.