"Sweden’s decision to drop an investigation into a rape allegation against Julian Assange has both illuminated the situation of the WikiLeaks founder and made it more pressing," the editorial board writes.

A non-sequiter by a security state mouth piece so transparent, you know there is a totally different reason for the sudden need to be seen as caring about Assange's life and freedom. So what is it?

The obvious bet is that the UK general election on 12 December 2019 will be a big part of their calculations. So between now and then look for more overt signs that the Tory regime and their security state are well considering releasing Julian. The aim being to try and garner some favour with the electorate.

You never know, their loathing for Jeremy Corbyn is so great they may just release Julian a few days before the 12th just to deny Corbyn that pleasure as PM.