Peter Mandelson and the Lockerbie Bomber

Tuesday, 18th August 2009

No, there's no connection. Liberal Vision's Angela Harbutt has some fun suggesting that the Prince of Darkness has been on manoeuvres again, this time plotting to spring the Lockerbie bomber from his cell in Greenock prison. It runs like this: Peter Mandelson was on Corfu again this summer and there he met Colonel Gaddafi's son. Just days later reports surfaced that Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi might be released. Coincidence? Surely not! Indeed, certainly not!

Now Miss Harbutt is, I assume, not being entirely serious. And nor, I trust, is Tory Bear when he leaps aboard this bandwagon. But doubtless this is the sort of thing that plenty of people are quite happy, even keen, to believe.

So it's worth pointing out that it's nonsense. Just to be on the safe side, you understand. Nonsense, because Mandelson has no power to determine whether Megrahi is released or not. Nor does any politician at Westminster. Equally, the idea that the Lockerbie bomber could be released on compassionate grounds has been around for some time now. Ever since it was determined tht his prostate cancer is terminal, in fact. So Mandelson's discussions on Corfu are entirely irrelevant.

But Megrahi could not be released, even on compassionate grounds, while he was appealling his conviction. He's subsequently dropped that appeal, clearing the way for him to be released on account of his cancer. If you want to find conspiracy theory in any of this then here it is: the Scottish political and legal authorities are happy to release Megrahi on account of his cancer because they feared what might happen if his appeal went ahead and was upheld.

No, I don't suppose this is the real truth either. But, for all that he adds to the political and media classes political entertainment, there are limits to what even Lord Mandelson can achieve behind the scenes.

UPDATE: Magnus Linklater has a scathing assessment of the SNP's handling of the matter.

Filed under: Conspiracy theories (6 more articles) , Mandelson (11 more articles) , Scotland (499 more articles) , Terrorism (298 more articles)

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Dougthedug

August 19th, 2009 12:41pm Report this comment

The problem for the "deal" and "conspiracy" theorists is that for a deal to work both sides have to gain. Though both Westminster and Labour might have an interest in the revenue the British Government would accrue from British arms deals and oil exploration in Libya, Holyrood and the SNP have nothing to gain from releasing Megrahi. In addition to that, the SNP and Labour hate each other in Scotland.

There seems to be a lot of confusion in the press about the difference between Holyrood, Westminster, Labour and the SNP and it often seems that the commentators think the SNP is in some way linked to the Westminster Government.

As far as Magnus Linklater's article goes it's the usual mess of prejudice and received wisdom presented as facts.

Kenny MacAskill has said nothing to the press about whether he's "minded", as Magnus puts it, to do anything apart from making a decision by the end of the month.

The media storm has been whipped up by the Conservatives, Lib-Dems and Labour in Scotland who are shamelessly using the deaths over and in Lockerbie to try and gain some political capital out of the affair.

Ben

August 19th, 2009 7:48pm Report this comment

Dear Alex, a few points:

1. I am a medic. I see plenty of patients with prostate cancer. They may be theoretically terminal, but the reality may be that they survive for many months, or even years. It's not like lung cancer, say. Given the gravity and the controversy of thsi situation, some sort of proof of th medical seriousness is essential. I also live in Scotland, the situation is embarassing for the nation who had to deal with Lockerbie.

2. Terminal illness is not a reason for release/transfer per se. Look elsewhere in British jails. The motive is undoubtedly political

3. You must be kidding if you expect anyone to believe that Mandelson has no influence here. He my be overrated, but it's exactly his style.

4. This, and the pathetic impotent whining about the Scottish budget allocation, are rapidly taking fat Eck's credibilty apart. I've almost forgotten what the normally publicity-hungry boy looks like, I mean, Kenny Macaskill is our international face on this???

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