Wednesday 15 June 2011

Why Mrs Angiolini did not deserve a damehood

[This is the headline over an article published today on the Scottish Review website by the editor, Kenneth Roy. It reads in part:]

Although it is tempting to dismiss the honours list as the ultimate exercise of human vanity – tempting because it so obviously is – the disposition of gongs at the top of the school tells us a great deal of interest about prevailing values and trends. (...)

D is for damehood. A d was awarded last weekend to the recently retired lord advocate Elish Angiolini for her 'services to the administration of justice in Scotland'. The constituency which this appointment is likely to offend includes many with a particular interest in the administration of justice in Scotland (...)

Mrs Angiolini appeals to the media because of her impeccable roots and her common touch. She is the sort of law officer who makes a great fuss of saying that some criminals should be locked up for life. The prosecution of the Sheridans – Tommy going down, Gail saved from Cornton Vale at the last minute – probably did her no harm, either. But it was her handling of the Megrahi case which earned her the greatest respect from the popular press and, perhaps, the public at large.

Her refusal to admit the possibility that a miscarriage of justice had occurred – even as the evidence piled up that an innocent man might have been sent to Greenock prison – confirmed for her media fans the stereotype of the don't-mess-with-me daughter of a Govan coal merchant, who had fought her way to the top and wasn't standing for any nonsense; far less any nuance.

In overlooked truth, it was a debacle on a grander scale than the World's End. It was epic. For one reason or another, important evidence helpful to Megrahi was not available at the trial, just as important evidence helpful to Nat Fraser was not produced at his. The appeal process dragged on, so tortuously slowly that, inevitably, suspicions were aroused that the Crown Office was employing those well-known techniques of any establishment in a tight spot, obfuscation and delaying tactics.

But again Elish Angiolini walked away with barely a mark. If anyone took the flak for the Megrahi fiasco it was the justice secretary Kenny MacAskill, whose release of the 'Lockerbie bomber' in August 2009 provoked howls of outrage (though not from this magazine). The Crown Office, meanwhile, having dragged its heels for so long, was able to blame Megrahi for abandoning a second appeal. Perfect.

6 comments:

  1. But many of her media followers remained more or less devout to the end, despite her resort to the law to depress – should that be repress? – journalists' interest in the case of Hollie Greig, two words that require to be uttered with the greatest circumspection.

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  2. It seems that Dame Elish is not destined to move seemlessly to the House of Lords, as did all of her male Lord Advocate predecessors.

    I was so looking forward to hearing Baroness Angiolini of the Crown Office singing from the same hymn sheet as Lord Boyd of Duncansby!

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  3. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  4. I found this article by Kenneth very disappointing, particularly this part...

    "But again Elish Angiolini walked away with barely a mark. If anyone took the flak for the Megrahi fiasco it was the justice secretary Kenny MacAskill, whose release of the 'Lockerbie bomber' in August 2009 provoked howls of outrage (though not from this magazine). The Crown Office, meanwhile, having dragged its heels for so long, was able to blame Megrahi for abandoning a second appeal. Perfect."

    I have no admiration for Ms Angiolini but nor would I say, "poor Kenny", either. MacAskill and Salmond could have reined Angiolini in and chose not to! They were, once upon a time, all for that appeal being heard and all for justice over Lockerbie and they washed their hands of that aim and, with her, worked with the political and judicial establishments in Scotland and the UK to do their best to keep the truth buried. MacAskill was Justice Minister: he called the shots. They ALL knew what teh SCCRC report said about Megrahi's conviction and the stain left on Scottish "justice" as a result of those findings. Nearly 300 deaths and they didn't want the truth. So, sorry, no, Angiolini has her list of charges to answer but MacAskill's own part in this national scandal should not ever be forgotten. He took personal steps to make sure the SCCRC report couldn't be published and he took further steps later in his phoney "emergency" legislation to play the dentist over the SCCRC and promptly removed all of its teeth.

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  5. When I was at University many moons ago, we were taught some simple contract law ,the Snail in the ginger ale etc

    We were left in no doubt by our lecturer that Scots law was far superior to its English counterpart.

    That may well be the case but not when those charged to running it and administering it are so flawed and so cosy with the administration.


    It is said that when the wall feel in Eastern Germany that 63 % of the population were employed by the state , in Scotland I believe it is 62% a,Kenny and Alec seem to be happy to continue the comparison, how long before we have secret police , Kenny's Stazi?


    I agree wholeheartedly with Mr Taylors comments .

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