His term was also marked by particular lows.
Washington and London fell out badly over extradition cases. The previous government’s willingness to send Abdelbaset al-Megrahi, the Lockerbie bomber, back to Libya still rankles, as does Theresa May’s decision to block the extradition of the hacker Gary McKinnon.
Mr Susman declines to offer a view of the Home Secretary, but it is fair to say that were she to become Tory leader and prime minister, the relationship is likely to be somewhat less special. “I’ve learnt that, close allies as we are, we’re not going to agree on everything, which is probably healthy.
“The Megrahi situation was a disappointment. He was allowed to go back to Libya and was supposed to die in three weeks and took almost two years. The whole extradition issue is one that is very important to us and we hope that the Mackinnon case wasn’t symbolic of the future.”
Someone still hasn't figured out that a cancer patient who may well die in three months if kept in jail far from home and family, might then live significantly longer if returned to that home and family.
ReplyDeleteI know there are some sad souls who try to get imprisoned for board and lodgings, but I would have thought all inmates health improves on release from jail.
ReplyDeleteThis presumably would be known to the authorities and medical opinion.
Look at Ronnie Biggs who was re-imprisoned and then released on compassionate grounds to avoid Megrahi’s release looking too perverse and still lives.
Megrahi’s release was not motivated by compassion, but was a desperate move made to avoid his appeal from being heard, with USA agreement.
If genuine compassion was involved then the Authorities would have included the victims and Megrahi, long ago, by allowing his appeal to be heard.