The aftermath of the Lockerbie outrage.The release yesterday (20th August 2009) of the convicted Lockerbie plane bomber, Ali Mohmed al Megrahi, has resulted in all sorts of turmoil, not least in the mind of this blogger.
Megrahi was released from his 27 year prison sentence on grounds of compassion, he is, we are told, a man dying of cancer with only weeks to live. Yet there are many anomalies with this case. Why should a man who was proven guilty in a court of law for the murder of 270 innocent people be released so easily, when train Robber Ronnie Biggs who is old and decrepit, had to go through a far lengthier process to be released also on compassionate grounds of ill health? After all, the crime Biggs took part in was responsible for only one death and Biggs was not the person who struck the blow which resulted in the death of the train driver. When comparing those two crimes there seems to be little fairness in the times taken to reach these decisions
Then there is the other question, why on earth did the Scottish administration go ahead with this release when so many were against it, especially the American’s? Why too were our own Government and our Scottish Prime Minister so quiet about this whole affair? From all accounts the US President, Barrack Obama, is not at all happy about this, nor are the families of those Americans that died on that fateful flight in 1988.
One American lady who lost a loved one has accused the British authorities of doing a deal to ensure Shell and BP receive Libyan oil supplies – you have to admit she has a very valid point which ties in with the silence of Mr Brown and his Cabinet cohorts. But what of the Scottish people themselves – especially those in Lockerbie whose town was torn apart by the falling wreckage? There seems to be little comment about their feelings.
Then we have the issue of Megrahi’s guilt, was he a victim himself? He has claimed innocence all through, after leaving Scottish soil he made a statement yesterday expressing his innocence and gave his sympathy to the families of the dead. Dr Jim Swire whose daughter was one of the Lockerbie victims is convinced that Megrahi was innocent. There is much to confuse about all this for those of simple minds like this blogger.
If Megrahi was innocent and new evidence had come to light, why not an appeal? As someone who hates injustice and cares for liberty the thought of an innocent man being imprisoned for a crime he did not commit is as upsetting as the outrage itself. Some are convinced of his guilt on the basis that Megrahi was known to transport detonators – but being convicted for one crime does not automatically mean that person is guilty of another offence. This is where the principle of not giving details of past offences to a jury is so important – it prevents them from pre-judging that person and means they only try the defendant on the case in hand – not on all the naughty things they may have got up to in the past. Sadly, like so many other principles of British justice this rule is under threat as our EU supine Government is gradually changing our system of law to that of the European corpus juris system.
How also, has the Scottish executive, run by the SNP, been given the power to make a decision that undermines our long standing alliance with the USA? Tiny little Scotland which generally has no power or influence in the world has, in effect, stuck two fingers up to the most powerful nation on the planet in a case of the Mc mouse that roared. Is the very reason for Megrahi’s release down to devolution? The majority of British people at the time of devolution were opposed but denied a say in the break up of the nation, all once again to comply with the EU’s dictate to create a ‘Europe of the Regions’. The English, who were also part of the union, were not given a say, or a referendum on this break up, only the Scots and Welsh had a vote. Despite this we could all suffer the fallout from what could be a flawed decision by a handful of minor politicians – we could all be the victims of EU inspired devolution.
6 comments:
I suspect you think Norway and Switzerland are tiny too.
It never ceases to amaze me the number of other countries who think they should have had a vote on Scottish devolution.
Of course the English would have voted for it, let's be fair. Many want rid of us because they see us as a parasite.
I agree the only reason Scotland has devolution is because of EU rulings but I would prefer we were independent of the remainder of the UK. Time will tell.
Subrosa, who produces an excellent blog, asks if I think Norway and Switzerland are tiny too.
The answer is no, they are independent nations which, fortunately for the people of those two countries, are not trapped in the EU as we are and are not having to break their nations into regions. Unlike us here in what was once the United Kingdom.
I have always been proud to be British and of the union we had of Scotland, Northern Ireland, England and Wales which is mostly based on one land mass. Sadly, EU enforced devolution is splitting us up and is creating the threat of dividing us into weak little EU ruled units. We are seeing the deliberate destruction of a once strong union.
That union saw us as a powerful nation, I have always been as proud of Scotland and its achievements as part of the UK as I have those of the English.
Living in the Midlands we were once a powerful manufactoring centre - growing up in Birmingham my dear old dad used to tell me that whatever you wanted it was made in Birmingahm - it's all gone now and twee little houses sit on the land where industry once forged our wealth - the same applies in Scotland.
I grew up not only being proud of the achievements of my city, of England but what I saw of my country which included Scotland too. I have a surge of pride in the knowledge that steam engines built in Glasgow are still working over a century later in parts of South America.
The United Kingdom of all its parts was strong and prosperous, we lived together, proud of each other, faught and died alongside each other in wars and shaped the world. Now we are divided, bickering and disapearing into a few insignificant regions of a new state in the making, the European Union, that is all that Scotland is - a Euro region - nothing more until we leave the EU and become as one again as friends and compatriots.
You're too kind about my blog Derek but thank you.
Yes indeed Norway isn't trapped within the EU but it fought hard for independence along with the other Scandanavian countries. I know the present SNP government say they will stay with the EU but I really doubt the people want that. I think many Scots want a similar setup to Norway and Switzerland with friendship with the EU without horrendous ties.
Scandanavia is one land mass, although much larger than Britain of course. They work well as independent countries and I can't see why a similar situation can't happen here. After all, Scotland has a similar population to Norway.
The Union is finished Derek, we've had our time.
Personally I think many Scots of my generation have always felt England oppressed us in a way but they were content to go along with it because it was the best solution after WW2. Many now see no reason for the control from London and in another 10-15 years I can see Scotland on the last leg of gaining independence.
Your last paragraph is only the last 300 years, before that we butchered each other. :)
I've never had a problem with England, many of my friends are there and I've spent quite a bit of my life there too, but I agree with you, the bickering is not doing England much good. If only one of the unionist parties listened to what the people want here. It's because they refuse and continue to play the oppressor that people are moving in droves to the SNP.
Now you know I'm not a member of the SNP as I prefer to be 'free lance' so I'm just giving my honest opinion.
Just a wee detail Derek, on all the maps I've seen about the split in EU regions, Scotland is always marked as Scotland, it's England which seems to lose any identity. Maybe I'm looking at the wrong maps!
Subrosa, if you want a truly independent Scotland it will have to be one that is free of EU membership. Although Scotland may be on the EU maps as 'Scotland', as far as the EU is concerned Scotland, like Wales and Northern Ireland, are just mere regions as is the region of the West Midlands where I live.
Whatever the good people of Scotland decide, true independence comes outside the EU - not in it.
I would agree with you Derek. As I said I'd prefer Scotland to have an arrangement similar to Switzerland and the Scandanavian countries.
Scottish law has been devolved for over 300 years, it was in the Act of Union. Scottish Parliament or not, the Scots would have been able to release him. The only difference is whether it was a Scottish justice minister in Holyrood or a Scottish Secretary in Westminster.
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