I rather admired Kenny MacAskill’s statement on the freeing of Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi, the Lockerbie bomber. It was to the effect that whilst Megrahi had shown no leniency to his victims, we, a higher form of life, would show mercy and that mercy would be irrespective of the heinousness of the crime.
But I didn’t believe a word of it.
Megrahi suddenly appeared before the courts eight years ago, handed over by Colonel Ghadaffi. It is inconceivable that he could have done the job without help, but his was the only name put forward by a man notorious for his instability who had suddenly decided, in the wake of Islamist uprisings threatening his dictatorship, to seek a rapprochement with the west. I found the trial a farce and I find Megrahi’s freeing a farce. If it depended just on medical certificates, why did MacAskill visit him in prison?
Whilst it has been put about that dropping his appeal was a condition of his freedom, I find it equally likely that his freedom was a condition of dropping his appeal. It is a regrettable comment on such an important person in public life, but I find that evidence of Lord Mandelson's involvement is further reason to suspect trickery.
This has been a shoddy business, best forgotten.
But I didn’t believe a word of it.
Megrahi suddenly appeared before the courts eight years ago, handed over by Colonel Ghadaffi. It is inconceivable that he could have done the job without help, but his was the only name put forward by a man notorious for his instability who had suddenly decided, in the wake of Islamist uprisings threatening his dictatorship, to seek a rapprochement with the west. I found the trial a farce and I find Megrahi’s freeing a farce. If it depended just on medical certificates, why did MacAskill visit him in prison?
Whilst it has been put about that dropping his appeal was a condition of his freedom, I find it equally likely that his freedom was a condition of dropping his appeal. It is a regrettable comment on such an important person in public life, but I find that evidence of Lord Mandelson's involvement is further reason to suspect trickery.
This has been a shoddy business, best forgotten.
No comments:
Post a Comment