Scotland looking at censure motion over release of mass murderer

Guardian:

Alex Salmond's Scottish government is facing an embarrassing vote of censure after the crisis over its controversial decision to free the Lockerbie bomber deepened today.

Furious opposition leaders have forced Salmond to hold a parliamentary vote next week – which his government is expected to lose heavily – over the decision to send Abdelbaset al-Megrahi home to a hero's welcome in Tripoli last Thursday.

The first minister agreed to a fresh debate on the Lockerbie affair after MSPs were recalled to the Scottish parliament today for an emergency session to hear the Scottish justice secretary, Kenny MacAskill, explain his decision to release Megrahi on compassionate grounds.

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MacAskill's discomfort grew after Gray later claimed the minister had mislead parliament by claiming he was required to meet Megrahi in person earlier this month under a prisoner transfer treaty signed by the UK and Libyan governments.

Jack Straw, the UK justice secretary, had confirmed today that this was not true, Gray said. MacAskill was only required to take written representations from Megrahi. "MacAskill has been caught out misleading parliament over his claim he was duty-bound to meet Megrahi in person," Gray added.

Annabel Goldie, the Scottish Tory leader, said the "disturbing" decision to release Megrahi because he is close to death from prostate cancer "was not done in the name of Scotland, or in the name of this parliament, or in my name."

Goldie said that keeping Megrahi in a secure house or hospice in Scotland would have served justice better "than by a convicted terrorist being feted as a hero in Libya to a backdrop of waving saltires".

Freeing Megrahi would now be the "defining image" of the Scottish National party's four years in government, said Tavish Scott, the Scottish Liberal Democrat leader. It had, he said, deeply damaged Scotland's reputation abroad.

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Is there any doubt that Tavish Scott is a Scot? He also happens to be right about what has happened to the reputation of Scotland as a result of the poor judgment of its leaders in releasing a mass murderer on grounds of "compassion." The question of why Scotland has compassion for mass murderers begs to be answered. So far all we have heard is that the US just does not understand Scottish compassion. They got that right, but it does not excuse letting this guy go.