…or at least that was the tone that many of today’s newspapers struck. Including some of the Scottish based newspapers. Shame on you Daily Retard.
In one of the most left-field news stories to be announced, it’s announcement caught Isobel Fraser off guard – goodness knows what Kate/The Burd thought, the death of Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi was announced. Whether you rejoiced, or felt something for him kind of depends on whether you think he was an evil monster or the victim of (by some distance) Scotland’s biggest miscarriage of justice.
This blog has always been of the opinion that Megrahi is entirely innocent, and suspects that the issues that cropped up in this trial are symptomatic of a deeper malaise within Scottish “justice”. What is deeply distressing though is the haste which politicians from all parties are now seeking to brush this episode under the carpet. Despite Megrahi’s conviction being unsafe, and with serious questions to be asked of the Americans, Cameron, Milliband and Salmond have ruled out an inquiry into the events surrounding the bombing and the investigation into the bombing.
That’s not really true, Milliband has ruled one out while the criminal investigation was still ongoing. Of course this will be the same criminal investigation that changed horses mid stream due to the discovery of a random piece of circuitry. Salmond’s position is I think similar, though Sturgeon was at best evasive when asked about it on GMS this morning. Whatever, I think that it is incredibly disappointing that we are not going to be getting an inquiry when there are so many unanswered questions and there is so much dissatisfaction at what has gone on.
Cameron asked us to think of the victims and the families of those victims. Yet, he is doing precisely the opposite by blocking demands for an inquiry. Those people deserve the truth, after all what exactly are you all hiding.
No one in any government is ever going to tell the truth.
ReplyDeleteIf an enquiry found he had been a victim of a miscarriage of justice, everyone comes out stinking.
The Scottish Government could find itself possibly having to cough up the money that Libya paid in compensation. About $1.5 billion if I'm right. No government could defend that, hence the reason I think Salmond and Co just wish this would go away.
Westminster is being its usual defensive self as well.
I think all the senior politicians know a hell of a lot more than they are letting on.
Well said chaps, I got a bit blase about the whole Lockerbie thing a few years ago, perhaps because it seems probable that we'll never get at anything like the truth.
ReplyDeleteWhich is a bit defeatist on my part, but I suppose the intention of the politicians with such things is to effectively constantly stonewall until people get fed up.
Of course, given the magnitude of the issue this will never work as well as it does with lesser matters, but somehow I can never get too worked up about it these days.
Barbarian.
ReplyDeleteIndeed, there is even a quote from an American senitor effectively saying that his government and our government knew what went on but will not tell us what really happened.
Stuart.
You're probably right, I suspect that this is the sort of thing that will appear in about 50 years time or something - unless there's a modern day equivilent to "Spycatcher". I wait to be surprised though!