"THIS IS A MATTER ENTIRELY FOR THE SCOTTISH EXECUTIVE", LIED DAVID MILIBAND AND JACK STRAW

The UK government, pssinly aided by a member of their royal family, advised the Libyan government on how to deal with the Scottish government over the release of Mr Al Megrahi. Then they were economical with the truth about it so that their “friends”, the Americans (the ones that think they are pathetic), wouldn’t be cross with THEM, but with Alex Salmond instead.

Documents released by Wikileaks show how desperate Western governments were to do business with the massive oil economy of Libya. They illustrate in detail how Brit ministers and officials were determined not to let Libyan anger over Megrahi’s imprisonment get in the way of money that was there to be made from a business relationship between the countries.

Blair even went to Libya and met with Gaddafi in his desert tent, all huggy and kissy, and signed a prisoner transfer agreement, although, as the only Libyan prisoner in the UK was in Scotland, and the responsibility of the Scottish government, it’s doubtful that he had the right to do this . But why would Tony Blair ever bother with what the law said when there was money to be made?

However, in October 2008 Megrahi was diagnosed as suffering from cancer and within a week Bill Rammell, a junior Foreign Office minister, had written to his Libyan counterpart advising him on how this could be used as the grounds of securing al-Megrahi’s compassionate release from prison. You have to admit it, Labour can move pretty sharpish when there’s a buck to be made, and good taste goes right out the window when there's a sniff of cash.

The FCO immediately wrote to the Deputy First Minister of Libya giving details of the process for requesting compassionate release from a Scottish prison. The Scottish government knew about this as the FCO had had to check the details with them.

The leaked document, from the Americans says that: “Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond told Jack Straw that he will make the final decision in this case. Salmond told Straw that he would make the decision based on humanitarian grounds, not foreign policy grounds.

The Qatari government was also involved in making representations to Edinburgh, and Washington was said to be concerned that they (the Qataris), as one of the richest nations in the world, were offering financial incentives. The Qatari response was: 'That is ridiculous; it was not necessary to offer money. It was all done within Scottish law. We offered no money, investment, or payment of any kind’.

Did the Senators not have this information when they, somewhat imperiously, summond our First Minister to appear before them?

Another American document shows that Prince Andrew and even the Queen may have played a role. It reports: “He, Gaddafi went on to thank his 'friend Brown’, the British Prime Minister, his government, Queen Elizabeth, and Prince Andrew, who 'against all odds encouraged this brave decision’. Gaddafi noted that the UK efforts would positively affect 'exchange’ between the two countries.

So, all the released papers square with what Alex Salmond has said all along (except that Salmond told Straw that HE would make the decision, whilst he told everyone else that it was Kenny MacAskill who would take it).

A comment from Iain Gray would, at this point, be interesting, if not (almost undoubtedly not) helpful. Doubtless, however, if asked, Mr Gray would simply mention that it sounded like another SNP broken promise and a personal humiliation for Alex Salmond. Yawn.


Pics: Mwa mwa dahling, Gaddafi and Blair’s love in in the desert; First Minister’s story is borne out by Wikileaks; Qatari money, the cash that really talks, but we didn’t need any of it. The law was enough; Blinky Straw, the man with the moral rectitude of a tape worm.