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Sunday 27 May 2012

10 Days Away and Libya Still on the Front Pages

Wednesday, 2nd September 2009

It's not often that you take a holiday to return to the same story running nearly two weeks later.

Just before I went away, I updated my Facebook page to say that I thought the release of Megrahi would rebound on the UK government, but I had no idea it would develop into a full-blown crisis.

Bill Rammell was filmed in very unfortunate circumstances making his confession last night. But well may he sweat -- perhaps he agreed to be shot like that in sympathy for the dissidents held in Gaddafi's desert jails.

But the game is up now. Rammell, Miliband, Straw and Brown all decided that they didn't want Megrahi to die in a British jail. Why? Perhaps because they thought it was cruel to let a man dying of cancer perish in Scotland. Or perhaps not.

Another great intervention from Geoffrey Robertson QC in today's Independent. For me, Robertson expresses perfectly how a liberal should respond in these circumstances. These are the two key paragraphs:

"The Justice Secretary acted with unseemly haste, making his decision on 19 August, less than four weeks after Libya's application. It must have been blindingly obvious that the release of Megrahi would coincide with Gaddafi's 40th anniversary celebrations, where it would be hailed as a triumph. It must have been equally obvious that it would be an act of cruelty to all those who have suffered from Libya's terrorist crimes.

The decision will seriously damage the world-wide campaign to abolish the death penalty for international crimes. This relies upon the validity of assurances (such as that given by Robin Cook to Madeleine Albright) that genocidaires and torturers and terrorists will never be released. Now, such assurances cannot credibly be given by democratic governments, because Mr MacAskill's action illustrates the risk that within a few years, politicians will contrive to breach them."

I was delighted to see the piece by my friend Huda Abuzeid in this week's Spectator: a passionate argument for shunning the repulsive Libyan regime from a woman whose own father was murdered by Gaddafi's assassins on the streets of London. If you haven't read it yet, you can find it here.

Filed under: Bill Rammell (1 more articles) , David Miliband (215 more articles) , Foreign Policy (318 more articles) , Gaddafi (134 more articles) , Gordon Brown (918 more articles) , Jack Straw (33 more articles) , Libya (295 more articles) , Megrahi (17 more articles)

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Senor Frizby

September 2nd, 2009 1:26pm Report this comment

That's the problem with messing with the judiciary in this way.. the ministers involved start to resemble drunks in a casino. They are careless and can't be trusted to make honourable decisions.

Shame on them.

cuffleyburgers

September 2nd, 2009 1:55pm Report this comment

Martin - an unusual feeling being on the same side of the argument as you; you should try being right more often.. ;-)

Thanks too for the Indie link - a well informed and well argued article, which your colleague Alex thingy would do well to read.

ndm

September 2nd, 2009 5:48pm Report this comment

"a liberal should respond in these circumstances" by looking at the facts in precisely the way a conservaitve like Alex Massie has done and continues to do. Martin Bright should read Alex Massie's posts on the issue rather than parroting idiocies from Geoffrey Robertson about how the Al-Megrahi release affects death-penalty campaigns.

Reality Check

September 2nd, 2009 5:58pm Report this comment

Brown, Mandelson, Salmond, Rammel, Straw, Miliband, and MacAskill have levied war against the US and provided material support to terrorists. The US should deal with them as the would deal with any other terrorist in Iraq, Pakistan, or Afghanistan.

Chris

September 2nd, 2009 10:26pm Report this comment

The whole story is just not worth all this bother. It's being stirred up by the sort of self-styled patriot who thinks its the duty of a British government to do what the Americans want in all circumstances. (and it's showing America's taste for revenge in a very poor light) He was in Scotland's prison and Scotland decided what to do with him. Who cares?

ndm

September 2nd, 2009 11:07pm Report this comment

Chris writes:

-- The whole story is just not worth all this bother. It's being stirred up by the sort of self-styled patriot who thinks its the duty of a British government to do what the Americans want in all circumstances.

I think this is right. He continues:

--(and it's showing America's taste for revenge in a very poor light)

The initial American response, particularly that of FBI Chief Mueller, was indeed bad. However, the story has completely vanished from American media - overtaken by the Kennedy death, the kidnapping/rape case and now the LA fires. There appears to be a limit to how much coverage the tawdry cable news channels can give to any story.

arkletten

September 2nd, 2009 11:36pm Report this comment

The bizarre thing is that now he is in Libya (and has deteriorated) his family are no longer allowed near him.

'Al-Megrahi's family said earlier Wednesday that doctors informed them that their relative was moved to intensive care but they had not been allowed to visit him in the unit. They spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of government reaction.

Seyala said the family has not been allowed to visit al-Megrahi in the VIP wing to ensure his safety.'

Who knows? He might even have passed away - only Gaddafi does not want it overshadowing his party...

Bern

September 3rd, 2009 10:58am Report this comment

did Robin Cook make the "genocidaires and torturers and terrorists will never be released" pledge before Pinochet was released on compassionate grounds ?

peter

September 3rd, 2009 11:22am Report this comment

Yes because all the p**** poor right wing media pundits like you keep it there.

The way poison pen pseudo patriots like you co ordinate your messaging is frightening.

Never mind what is right or good for the country, it s all about your little agendas.

TomTom

September 4th, 2009 9:16am Report this comment

BP is a NuLabour oil company known as "Blair Petroleum" for its closeness to the regime, but even if Lord Browne is no longer flying the albatross it has succoured enough NuLabour castoffs to be able to call in a few favours....and MI6 has been especially accommodating to NuLabour so it has a hotline to backdoor deals.....start with Ecclestone and move up the scale to BP.....it seems Megrahi was a hostage after all released when the ransom had been paid....in installments by the look of things since 2001

BarBar of Oz

September 7th, 2009 5:12pm Report this comment

Oh very high minded of Geoffrey Robertson. I'm sure he's written similarly on countless previous occasions about the release of mass murdering IRA terrorists and the like.

For heavens sake, Megrahi is dying of terminal cancer and was released on compassionate grounds. Under Scottish law. Isn't that one of things we prize about our western legal systems?

As for the hypocricy of the liberals, riddle me this Martin: if Megrahi were at this moment expiring slowly in a Scottish hospital, would not the liberals led by GR himself be excoriating the UK and Scottish governments for their inhumanity?

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