THE RISING COSTS OF HANGING

As Tony Blair sets out his latest plans for deporting potential Islamic extremists from the UK, my attention has been drawn to an article in the Kuwait Times by the Arab kingdom's former oil minister Ali Ahmad Al Baghli, who is less than pleased with the quality of ropes used for judicial hangings in Kuwait.

It seems that Kuwait now imports its hanging rope from Egypt, as its former supplier, the UK, no longer makes this specific type of rope (you learn something every day..) -- and the quality is not nearly as good (good to hear favourable reports on British workmanship).

Mr Al Baghli -- or as he might be called on the letter's page of some English paper's: Concerned of Kuwait City -- says that the Kuwait Ministry of Interior signed a KD 16,000 contract (that's around 44,000 Euros) with an Egyptian company to supply new ropes for hanging, but they were not good enough for what he terms 'human use'.

He asks how it is that the expensive Egyptian rope does not do the trick (is that the Egyptian rope trick?), pointing out that some poor condemned Kuwaiti had his neck badly cut by the imported rope, while "every day, weak Asian labourers hang themselves from tree branches by ordinary Kuwaiti ropes used to dry clothes."

Now I am not saying that Tony Blair should consider bringing back hanging, but surely he might consider reintroducing the manufacture and export of hanging rope for humane reasons.