MacAskill defends decision as rivals fail to land blows

[This is the headline over the principal report in Tuesday's edition of The Herald on the Scottish Parliament's sitting to hear the Justice Secretary's statement on his decision to grant Abdelbaset Megahi compassionate release. The following are excerpts.]

Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill claimed yesterday that a child killer had been among prisoners freed on compassionate grounds by the previous Holyrood administration, as he defended his handling of the Megrahi decision under pressure from MSPs.

He told the emergency session of parliament that Libya had reneged on a promise to keep the arrival of Megrahi a low-key affair, but he made a pledge to MSPs that he was looking to publish as much correspondence and documents about the affair as possible - including notes of his controversial meeting with Megrahi in Greenock Prison.

He also revealed that in advising him against moving Megrahi from prison to a residence outside, the police had said the security implications would be severe, requiring the use of 48 officers.

While few blows were landed on Mr MacAskill during questions from opponents, Labour did suffer a blow of their own when former minister Malcolm Chisholm undermined his leader Iain Gray by coming resolutely to the defence of last week's decision.

Mr Chisholm said: "Can I regret the politicisation of what is a quasi-judicial decision, and for my part commend the Justice Secretary for a courageous decision, which is entirely consistent with both the principles of Scots Law and Christian morality, as evidenced by the widespread support of churches across Scotland."

He added that, although the scenes that greeted Megrahi's return had caused "revulsion", there was nothing that anyone here could have done to stop that and it was irrelevant to the original decision. (...)

Conservative leader Annabel Goldie told MSPs: "If Mr Megrahi's condition is so severe that keeping him in prison is inhumane, why could he not have been released to a secure house or a hospice or a hospital in Scotland?

"Is this SNP government seriously suggesting that our Scottish Police who coped so admirably with security for G8 leaders could not adequately protect Mr Megrahi?

"I know he said in his statement that it would take 48 police officers to look after Mr Megrahi in Scotland. That is a small price to pay for just a few weeks. Scotland's reputation on the world stage is worth far more."

But Mr MacAskill pointed to advice from the police that "the security implications of such a move would be severe" and he added that it was a "ludicrous idea to suggest we could send Mr Megrahi to a hospice and turn that into a travelling circus."

He later replied to a similar question from Labour's Karen Gillon, saying: "I was not prepared to foist the encumbrance of Mr al Megrahi on any hospice in Scotland requiring to deal with the terminally ill in their last moments. That would be unfair on any of them. I and I alone - ruled that out."

Tory justice spokesman Bill Aitken accused Scottish ministers of naivety and inexperience in international affairs, resulting in them becoming pawns in a bigger game, while Patrick Harvie of the Greens argued that in the long run it was vital that questions were answered about the safety of the Lockerbie conviction, the way it was obtained, and the process behind the release.

While he welcomed Mr MacAskill's pledge to release as much material as possible, he said it was unacceptable that the UK Government was not prepared to promise the same stance.

[Another article in the same newspaper, headlined "Only the French have faced so much wrath from the US" contains the following:

'The furore caused by his decision to show clemency to Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed al Megrahi left Scotland's Justice Secretary facing worldwide scrutiny and, from the United States, a level of criticism seldom directed towards its allies.

'Only the "cheese-eating surrender monkeys", as Groundskeeper Willie in The Simpsons once labelled the French for refusing to join the US coaliton in Iraq, have come anywhere close in recent years to receiving the level of abuse being hurled at Kenny MacAskill.

'But as he faced his domestic critics in the Scottish Parliament yesterday, it was as much a test of them as Mr MacAskill himself.

'Iain Gray, Annabel Goldie and Tavish Scott have never had to make - and are never likely to have to make - such a judgment.

'For the past few days, they've been able to have a free go at him. Yesterday, posturing had to be replaced by sharp questions if their criticisms of him were to remain credible.

'What passes for forensic interrogation in the Scottish Parliament did not rise above its usual standard, though the format of one question and no opportunity for a follow-up did not help.'

A further article under the headline "Brown under fire over ‘cowardly silence’" deals with the growing criticism of the Prime Minister's silence on the issue.]