In his conference speech, David Cameron said the decision to release the only man convicted of the Lockerbie bombing "undermined" the UK's global standing. It was "wrong" and "nothing like that must ever happen again" he insisted.
The release of al-Megrahi has nothing whatsoever to do with David Cameron or the Westminster Government. The matter was dealt with by Scots law which is completely outwith Westminster control.
Of course Mr Cameron was playing to the gallery. A gallery probably minus two tories. One, the tory candidate for Glasgow Maryhill and Springburn, Ivor Tiefenbrun, resigned after it was reported he accused the Scots of "being so thick for hating Margaret Thatcher". The second, the candidate for Clydesdale, Colin McGavigan, posted on Twitter 'kids in care: why do the carers look like the great unwashed? They're supposed to be carers not warders.' The comments were made in response to a BBC documentary broadcast on Tuesday night, focusing on children in care.
Has Mr McGavigan resigned? No. The Scottish tories are set to allow him to continue as the party's Clydesdale candidate on the grounds that they believe he has no case to answer.
The fashion seems to be for Scots-bashing at the moment, but that doesn't concern me in the least. What does concern me is Cameron's lack of knowledge concerning the al-Megrahi release. He could do worse than read this.
As for the UK's global standing: the al-Megrahi issue fades into insignificance when Westminster leaders have taken us into two unnecessary wars, reduced education to a farcical level, (the ex blogger 'To Miss With Love'), and allowed banks to run riot with our savings - just a few of the actions which certainly do affect the UK's global standing.
Posts
29 comments:
It's unarguable that the release of Megrahi affected our reputation - particularly in the US.
I don't think people really care what the law says. Megrahi was no ordinary murderer - he should have been left to stew and mount as many legal challenges as he wanted until he croaked it. No-one would have minded this. The nation could have rejoiced.
I see Peter Tobin's looking no well. Wonder if he'll back on the streets soon.
Does he actually want to gain any votes in Scotland then ?
Is free speech dead? The Prime Minister of The UK is not entitled to an opinion? Oh, dear. Megrahi was released in exchange for Bliar and his lot to benefit. They got a lot more for the release than Scotland. If you develop that line it is arguable Cameron is speaking up for The UK and the Scottish people in particular. Then, I am a Unionist!
I am curious, very curious, as to why David Cameron choose such a high profile speech as this Conservative party conference speech, as the PM in office, to condemn the actions of a sovereign devolved government over which he has absolutely no jurisdiction.
Why was there no such level of condemnation when he was leader of the opposition?
Why, as the Prime Minister, has there been no such level of condemnation before this speech?
Was this merely a cynical gesture to please the Tory masses or is there a greater and more devious scheme afoot?
All he appears to have achieved is to win the support of a couple of obscure US senators, whilst managing to antagonise the entire Scots nation.
Respect! - don’t make me laugh.
JRB, Holyrood derives its authority from Westminster - not the other way around. Westminster can withdraw that authority at any time.
Cameron has criticised the Megrahi release many times both as Leader of the Opposition and as Prime Minister.
@Oldrightie: he's certainly entitled to his own opinion, but not his own facts. And as JRB points out, where was that opinion at the time of release?
William has answered with greater knowledge than I, AP. However, this link supports William's words.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/blog/2009/aug/20/lockerbie-cameron-salmond-scotland
You miss the point here William, he can criticise the decision if he wants, but slating Scotland will cost him votes every time.
The tories have 1 MP in the country and he is under investigation......
So go ahead and tell us how Westminster can withdraw permission for the Scottish govenrment existing.
Just don't hold your breath waiting for it to happen.
Sandy, I said they could withdraw authority, not that they would.
At the last General Election, the SNP only polled 79,000 more than the Conservatives. Criticising the Megrahi decision does not seem to be costing the Conservatives anything. In my experience, the decision was only ever popular in the nationalist cult. Certainly, no right-thinking Conservative would ever approve of the release of a mass murderer.
I would agree with you there William. At present when people think about Scotland that's what will pop into their minds.
I'm between the devil and the deep here because I think Megrahi's just the fall guy in this. That's why I'm not as against the release as perhaps I would be.
Auch Sandy, he's not interested in Scotland - just the oil which pours out of it.
Of course it's not OR but who does he think he is criticising an action and saying it won't happen again when he has no control over it. It's a bit like criticising the likes of Italy don't you think.
He's certainly not speaking up for me - not with that attitude.
John, always far more succinct than my posts. He was playing to the gallery and needed an 'I'm in charge' example as he was playing to the audience.
Mind you, now you've introduced a little suspicion in my mind.
William, he can withdraw elements of devolution, but he has no influence whatsoever over Scots law. The Westminster government never has done.
Still all this noise over the compassionate release ,after an investigation and court case spanning almost two decades. With American and British governments witholding evidence, and the many anomalies and questions surrounding this whole business, there are many people who doubt his guilt, and also think the American government and/or its agencies could tell a lot more than they have up to now.
The thing is, though, SR, the SNP Executive never doubted Megrahi's guilt and made it clear that the legitimacy of the verdict stood.
Alex Salmond likes to bump his gums about matters that aren't always in his domain so I don't think anyone can complain when he gets a taste of his own medicine every now and then.
OR, Cameron is entitled to criticise the Scottish government as much as he likes, but to say something like that will never happen again while he's in 'control' is just nonsense. He has no authority whatsoever with the Scots legal system.
I would have thought that Holyrood derived its power from the people of Scotland seeing as it was they that voted for it in a referendum. Therefore, even if David Cameron repealed the Scotland Act he would not be able to take the powers vested in Holyrood back to the Westminster Assembly. The attempt would put him on a collision course with all the Scots of a Unionist or a Nationalist stripe and would probably be ruled illegal by the European Court seeing as it was directive from the Council of Europe that said that indigenous populations should have regional representation that caused devolution in the first place. So this nonsense that Holyrood derives its power from Westminster is just arrant rubbish, even talking about it as such is simply a waste of typing. David Cameron ought to know that if as he says he wants to be PM of the entire UK and has any notion of “respect” for the devolved nations. The fact of the matter is he was aiming for another cheap clap in a speech redolent with sound-bites intended to massage the egos of his own party who are unhappy about the coalition. Oh and of course the usual toadying to the USA, that is after all what he really means when he says “international”.
I agree with Munguin.
The powers given to the Edinburgh government were given after a referendum. I don't see how they could be taken away without another referendum.
You can add to them without a referendum, but you cannot take away that which was agreed by the referendum without a further referendum.
Cameron should, and probably does, know that.
This was a cheap throwaway comment designed to get a big clap from the overwhelmingly English audience.
He's just shown he's a PR man Munguin and not an intellectual. But we knew that didn't we?
Exactly Tris, exactly.
So the howls continue at the release of this mass murderer, at least he was convicted as such but then so were some chaps in Birmingham and Guildford, total 10. Now if we were like America and killed these people there would have been no redress, death is like that, final.
The activities of the CIA and the documents not allowed to be seen all add to the rancid smell of corruption that will never depart, yet no one will look at the Elephant in the room.
However what I find offensive as an ex soldier who lost comrades to the IRA,is the smug acceptance of the release of hundreds of convicted terrorists for the Good Friday Agreement from prison. These people were responsible for over 3,000 deaths over the period of the troubles, during some of the most revolting crimes ever seen in the name of religion/ freedom/ Britain/ Ireland/?. Yet the British Nationalists can over look that as they sit in pious judgement of the SNP. What sickening hypocrisy, and political posturing. Gray says if he was FM he would have refused to let him free, what a revolting two faced creature he surely is.
Cameron appears more and more each day to be wading out away beyond his depth and seems to be as cheap as Gray.
and do you know what KBW - a lot of these people you mention, including the current mob howling about Al- Megrahi, would imagine that they were Christians.
"Forgive them father, they know not what they do"
People have short memories KBW and many on this island really have little interest in N Ireland - because it's not on their doorstep.
Cameron seems to prefer being the front man. He's no intellectual heavyweight. None of them is.
There's nothing like using religion in an effort to look Righteous Dram. Plenty people around like that. They know best they think.
KBW, I agree. The people of NI have been asked to accept too much in the name of 'peace' (which isn't peace at all as they're discovering) which includes the release of people who should still be behind bars.
This doesn't make the Megrahi release alright.
The fact of the matter is the release of Megrahi has nothing at all to do with David Cameron, he can have an opinion anybody can, but thats it there is nothing he can do to stop it happening again, so its just as well there is only one eh! he will never have to follow through on his empty threat. And in my opinion the man is a total twat (sorry SR) for making such a foolish statement.
It was a foolish statement Munguin and it could well come back to haunt him.
I'd suggest he should get better researchers.
Post a Comment