Image by Getty Images via @daylifeThe pictures across the media of Megrahi sitting at a Libyan government rally in support of Gaddafi brings home the shame Scotland has to bear every time this convicted murderer mocks the decision of MacAskill to release him on compassionate grounds. Every day over the three months he was forecast to have left to live, thanks to his supposed cancer is a day too long, and now that it is almost two years since his release, and given the situation in Libya I wonder how much guilt MacAskill is feeling. The answer is NONE I suppose as he has never been man enough to admit his error nor is he ever expected to do so. We in Scotland who never approved of Megrahi's release can only apologize to all the people who suffered and are still suffering through the evil deed he was found guilty of. It will always be Scotland's shame although it was not the wishes of the majority of the nation's people, but we elected the idiot MacAskill who would rather see murderers walk free rather than pay the price for their crimes. It saddens me to see him appear on TV without any remorse, and with his head held high by the brass neck on his shoulders. His arrogance is a stern reminder to all proud Scots not to give fools like him the chance to make stupid decisions like this again.
Kenny MacAskill MSP - Cabinet Secretary for Justice
Welcome to the official website of Kenny MacAskill. Kenny was an MSP for the Lothians Region from 1999 to 2007 and has been MSP for Edinburgh East and Musselburgh since the General Election on May 3, 2007.
Kenny is the Cabinet Secretary for Justice and his remit includes criminal law and procedure, youth justice, criminal justice social work, police, prisons and sentencing policy, legal aid, legal profession, courts and law reform, anti-social behaviour, sectarianism, human rights, fire and rescue services, community safety, civil contingencies, drugs policy and related matters, liquor licensing, vulnerable witnesses, victim support and civil law, charity law, religious and faith organisations.
Its a pity he didn't live up to his job description that you can read above, or on his website.
On the anniversary of Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed Al-Megrahi's release from a Scottish prison having been the only person to be convicted of the Lockerbie bombing and given a life sentence, I would like to take the time to congratulate Alex Salmond and Kenny MacAskill on their allegiance to Libya and terrorism everywhere.
Their kind gesture will assure a welcome in the hillside if they ever visit Tripoli but I would very much doubt if they will ever get one in America, and they certainly do not deserve one in Scotland either.
Megrahi's compassionate release on the grounds that he had only three months to live must be a real comfort to all the people who suffered through his atrocity. Now that we are being told he could live for anything up to seven years or beyond, will not only make them overjoyed at every day of freedom he now enjoys in luxury, but will also give encouragement to all the other despicable murderers in Scottish jails who, having been given deserved LIFE sentences will now be looking forward to walking our streets sometime soon with the opportunity to KILL again.
Convicted killers who have been given LIFE sentences should never be released under any circumstances and should most definitely die in jail, or why bother to call it a life sentence?
MacAskill is supposed to be the Scottish Minister for Justice and Alex Salmon is supposed to act on behalf of the Scottish people. MacAsill has failed to provide any justice here, and is an affront to Scotland, while his sidekick Salmond who backs him all the way, should stop trying to con the sensible people of Scotland into thinking he has our interests at heart, because after the Megrahi affair he has proved that the only interests he has at heart is himself and the criminal element of the world.
In releasing Megrahi they have committed a crime and should be given community service as a punishment,then be taken out of politics altogether and put somewhere where they can do no more harm.
It really infuriates me when I see these two blatantly proud of their actions and trying to include the people of Scotland as agreeing to it.
The people of Scotland are SICK AND TIRED of the leniency given to criminals here and the majority are disgusted every time we see or hear this pair on the TV, spouting their approval of this killers release.
They have no shame or they would have resigned long ago, instead they sit there stubbornly in office, being paid by the taxpayers who would gladly see the back of them.
If anyone out there doubts my words, it won't be long until I am proved correct at the looming elections.
It makes me cringe every time I see the the caption "Justice Minister for Scotland" under the name of Kenny MacAskill when he appears on our TV screens, with a smug look on his face to blatantly defend his decision to free al-Megrahi. His sense of justice, along with Alex Salmond's is sadly lacking when they decided to release the murderer of 270 people on the grounds of compassion, claiming this was their only reason for the release, giving all sorts of excuses and quoting Scottish law in their defence, also trying to make out it was the wishes of the majority of the Scottish people. They never once thought to explain why they have compassion for a mass murderer, a man who slaughtered 270 people over the skies of Lockerbie, and was the cause of so much trauma for the hundreds of people, made up of police, army and other rescue services involved in the recovery of limbs, and other body parts that were strewn around the hillsides. They stand there, no shame, no remorse, and no thought for the victims or their families, almost proud that they were part of this despicable deed, despised by the Americans, and also despised by the majority of the Scottish people who they foolishly believe agreed with their outrageous decision. The revulsion of the Scottish people will be shown in the coming election, when the Scottish National Party will be relegated to the shadows of the political back benches, their rise halted by one decision that shamed a nation. Megrahi might have gotten away with his crime but the S.N.P. will not.
In the long discussion I had with the Megrahi sympathizers in a recent post, they were denying without any doubt that oil had nothing to do with the disgusting decision to release Megrahi, also that the American people and some families of the relatives killed in the atrocity, doubted Megrahi's guilt.
It seems I was nearer to the the truth than the sympathizers who were fool enough to be conned by the unscrupulous, excuses for politicians who make the decisions in this country.
If the American people had any compassion for Megrahi, the four U.S. Senators who are calling for an investigation into B.P. and who used the term "MASS MURDERER" when referring to Megrahi (as I did in my post and was cautioned for it by the sympathizers) would not be going to the lengths they are, or have the backing of their government, to prove their case.
Kenny MacAskill had the brass neck to stand in front of a camera and state that he did no wrong and feels justified in his part in the release of Megrahi, referring to the Scottish people and their approval of this disgusting deed.
It is quite obvious that he has buried his head in the sand if he thinks he has the support of the Scottish people, as the majority of us would rather Megrahi had been imprisoned until dead, the sentence pronounced on him at his trial.
We want no association with the decision of MacAskill and would rather he stepped out of politics altogether before he embarrasses us any more.
As to the Scottish government denying excavating for oil off shore in Lybian waters had anything to do with their decision on Megrahi's release, then what else did we expect from them? None of us thought for one instant that they would be honest enough to admit it, after all the farce that has gone before.
It has yet to be proved, but if the U.S. Senators think they will get any help or truth from our lot, they are sadly mistaken. I among many, hope that if there is any truth in the matter, that it all finally comes out in the wash, whether his release be for oil rights or otherwise. Its high time the truth came out about the Lockerbie bombing, and the abhorrent release of Megrahi, who WAS convicted of "MASS MURDER" and never proved to be anything but GUILTY.
On the same subject of justice, or lack of it, that sadly crops up all to often in this country, I have to portray my disgust at the investigation into whether the Yorkshire ripper, Peter Sutcliffe, should be released from prison after being given thirteen life sentences.
Are his crimes any less horrific than at the time of his conviction?
Do the living victims of his crimes feel that he has suffered enough and its time he was walking our streets again?
Does thirteen life sentences mean you can get parole whenever the do-gooders in this country see fit to release you?
It certainly seems that way to the general public who think it is an outrage that he is even being considered for such a thing.
Once again, no thought given to the surviving victims, the relatives of the murdered, or the people in Yorkshire who were terrorized so much at the time that their whole way of living had to change.
To sum up the lack of justice in this country, I will draw your attention to a remark made by a woman politician on BBC's "Question Time" last night, in reference to our overcrowded prisons.
We don't want to treat our prisoners the way the readers of "The Daily Mail" would, by putting them in jail and throwing away the key.
This ignorant woman does not realise that the readers of the Daily Mail make up the majority of the British public, and it is these readers who want justice seen to be done, not readers of "The Financial Times like her, who are hidden away from the everyday crimes that goes on in the world, and only read about them in some small corner of their chosen newspaper, unlike the readers of the Mail who witness it almost every day.
Throwing criminals into the hotels they call prisons, then releasing them when some pathetic board, made up of people who live in a fantasy world of their own feels sorry for them, is no way to stomp out crime.
Severe punishment, punishment that fits the crime needs to be brought back, hang the murderers, castrate the rapists, decent sentences served to the full in a jail cell with NO privileges or human rights to fall back on, punishment that criminals fear, is the only answer to create space in our overcrowded prisons, not supposedly rehabilitating them in the same society that they were brought up in.
If the do-gooders want to rehabilitate them, then let the criminals walk among their society, and we will see then, if they still think the same way.
The term "LIFE SENTENCE" should be taken out of the British justice system, as it no longer has any meaning.
It seems to be in this country that no matter how many life sentences are handed out to a mass murderer they still ignore the term LIFE SENTENCE and release prisoners with the excuse that they deserve some human rights so we will let them home to spend their last days with their family.
That attitude makes a mockery of US, our judicial system, our country and the idiots who are left to make these hypocritical decisions. I strongly use the term "Hypocritical" because releasing a prisoner under any circumstances, who has been given a life sentence, is nothing short of, showing a lack of intelligence within themselves, and a distinct lack of respect for the victims of the crimes, and a complete misuse of the term "LIFE SENTENCE."
Kenny MacAskill, has brought shame and embarrassment, not only to himself but to Scotland, by being taken in by the pleas of Abdelbaset AL-Megrahi's family and countrymen to gain his release through ill health, claiming he had only three months to live, while six months later he is pictured in the newspapers looking healthier than he did on his release.
He was convicted of the Lockerbie disaster, a conviction that cost a fortune using up thousands of hours of manpower to bring him to "JUSTICE," using up hours in the courts with the original trial, and more than one appeal, where at the end of it all one idiot feels sorry for him and releases him.
MacAskill takes full responsibility for his release although we all know he was pressured into making the ludicrous decision, but then again we all know Megrahi was used as a fall guy for the bombing when others were involved too, but both men were willing to accept full responsibility for their deeds,so both men should be willing to accept their punishment. Megrahi is showing no shame or remorse for his involvement in the bombing by parading around and being treated like a hero. MacAskill is showing no remorse on releasing the convicted mass murderer, announcing he remains defiant his decision was right, which shows disdain towards the relatives of the victims.
Where does MacAskill's punishment come in, if you can call it that, but then again you cannot call Megrahi's jail term punishment for his crime.
I can only hope that in the coming elections, the people of Scotland stand defiant and vote out MacAskill and his Scottish National Party, who so nearly made it, but who by standing by MacAskill's decision has also brought shame on the country they are supposed to hold dear.
If the Megrahi incident, and the recent scandalous releases of other murderers and criminals who have re-committed crimes soon after their release, is an example of how the leaders of Scotland want to take this ONCE proud nation forward, then I among many here want no part of it.
A party with policies that favour criminals, and the police chief who thinks some criminals should not be in prison, because, on their release they re-offend immediately, are burying their heads in the sand, not facing up to the fact that these criminals are being treated far too leniently by our courts, and in prison, that is why they have no fear.
As long as parties in power, and their members like MacAskill, plus our disillusioned judges take this attitude our justice system will never hold any fear for the criminals, and it will always be a laughing stock in the eyes of the world, bringing shame on all of us.
The Labour party, although having no real agenda when campaigning here, have no need to alter their manifesto when their opposition very obligingly cuts their own throats.
Pity help the innocents of the nation when this is all the choice we have to decide who is going to run the country. If only ONE party would take a firm stand against crime it would make our choice so much easier and THEN we could feel safer when walking the streets, and maybe bring some pride honour, and respect back to our country.
The pride, honour and respect, MacAskill took away with one senseless decision, and our courts take away on a daily basis.
Exactly one week and one day after I conveyed the disgust of the majority of the Scottish nation, a poll has been published comfirming everything I wrote. The media is almost echoing the contents of my last post, word for word, even using the term of the "Saltire fluttering limply" compared to my words of "the National emblem we are so proud of, wilting." Hummm! Maybe I reach more folk than I first thought, but Alex Salmond is certainly not one of them as his pig headedness is still preventing him to admit, that he and the Scottish National Parties Minister of Justice got it wrong. After listening to the results of the polls which gave the Scottish nation an overwhelming majority in favour of Megrahi dieing in jail, Alex Salmond, Scotlands first Minister still backed McCaskill's decision to release this mass murderer. FIRST MINISTER HE MAY BE NOW, BUT NOT FOR MUCH LONGER! In trying to wheedle his way out of the situation he had the audacity to say that in the same poll the Scottish people said McCaskill should keep his job. Of course they did,why sack him now when they can vote him out soon, showing that way how much we despised his actions.
McCaskill has never been emotionally involved in this situation, and although deals have been denyed, we never expected them to admit to such a thing anyway,and any emotion McCaskill will show is when the praise he will get from the outgoing Prime Minister Gordon Brown, as his betrayal of the Scottish nation is heaped upon him for the sake of a few barrels of oil. The words "THIRTY PIECES OF SILVER" spring to mind.
Just as the S.N.P. were emerging from the shadows, with promising policies, they have let slip, in one fell blow, the fingertip grip they had on forming an unopposed government in Scotland. They are just another party who gave out false hopes, then went against the wishes of the very people who put them there.
After this international affront and betrayal, they are about to slip back into the shadowy seats of politics for a very long time. The Scottish people have been let down badly, and will show this in the ever nearing elections, sending a message to all parties that they HAVE to listen to the majority, and not do as they please, no matter what deal is put before them. As for the Saltires flying in Libya because the Libyans thought the Scottish people were civilized, well we are and would have kept Megrahi in prison until he died, it was them and McCaskill who were uncivilized betraying two nations, Scotland and America by going against their wishes.
Once again I will say, this time with proof, McCaskill, DID NOT SPEAK FOR THE SCOTTISH NATION! The Scottish nation will speak for international justice when they vote these embarassments out of office. Little justice in an unjust world.
Author based in Scotland.
After years spent at sea as a commercial fisherman I witnessed spectacular sights in the night sky while waiting for daylight to break.
After I retired I decided to write on the subject.
Image by Getty Images via @daylifeThe pictures across the media of Megrahi sitting at a Libyan government rally in support of Gaddafi brings home the shame Scotland has to bear every time this convicted murderer mocks the decision of MacAskill to release him on compassionate grounds.
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