Awol Posted August 20, 2009 Share Posted August 20, 2009 Hopefully, this won't be the end of it in terms of finding out the truth. Afraid not, the appeals had to be dropped to enable compassionate release. Case closed. He would never have lived to see an appeal through anyway. True but they could legally have continued despite the appellants death in order to clear his name. Not anymore. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisp65 Posted August 20, 2009 Share Posted August 20, 2009 Good going Scotland. The sooner England goes it alone the better. I was sat in the car listening to the MSP do his thang, thought it was quite reasoned (though admittedly not the quick adrenalin fix of talent show in or out vote). What i thought was interesting was his point that the victims relatives were prepared to work with the MSP, the USA was prepared to work with the MSP but the 'english' politicos wouldn't engage and wouldn't divulge what promises had clearly been made separately and secretly outside of the official court case. That for me, sums up the fact that someone somewhere has been doing deals and therefore any conviction was unsound anyway. Sorry, not saying he was inncoent or right or anything, just saying the water was muddied by our government's craving for secrecy and power. Stinks. Justice has not been the driving force in this for a number of years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paddy Posted August 20, 2009 Share Posted August 20, 2009 It depends not only on what they did but the circumstances too. Biggs would be free by now if he hadn't escaped. In which case it's his own fault so should be kept in prison (imo). I'd let this bloke go free though (mainly because it's not exactly been proved it was him). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rendelc Posted August 20, 2009 Share Posted August 20, 2009 I and embarassed and ashamed by this decision. I am sorry USA. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Awol Posted August 20, 2009 Share Posted August 20, 2009 I and embarassed and ashamed by this decision. I am sorry USA. It's realpolitik mate, Libya has unexploited fossil fuels worth a mint and we're now in the driving seat to mine/drill them. Blair set the scene for this in 2004 and we've been working towards it ever since. The idea that we are showing mercy to the alleged perpetrator of the biggest terrorist attack on British soil is laughable. We need natural gas in massive quantities if we are to avoid getting blackmailed by Russia as Europe has during most recent winters. Along with Qatar (which is already tied into a long term deal with us) Libyan exports will form a large part of our national energy strategy. It might sound harsh but I think the main reason the US Administration is so pissed off is because we got in there first. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dundeevilla Posted August 20, 2009 Share Posted August 20, 2009 Someone wise once said that a society can be judged by the way it treats its criminals. We should have a system for appealing for release on compassionate grounds, and they should be considered on a case-by-case basis. In the Lockerbie case I think there is enough doubt over the validity of his conviction to give him the benefit of the doubt, and allow him to see his family again before he dies. If I was sure he was guilty, I would probably say keep him locked up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thetrees Posted August 20, 2009 Share Posted August 20, 2009 In the Lockerbie case I think there is enough doubt over the validity of his conviction to give him the benefit of the doubt, and allow him to see his family again before he dies. If I was sure he was guilty, I would probably say keep him locked up. I suppose the opposite of this is hanging someone because they might be guilty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snowychap Posted August 20, 2009 Share Posted August 20, 2009 Someone wise once said that a society can be judged by the way it treats its criminals. There are various versions of the saying that a society can be judged by how it treats its weakest members. Then there is the apocryphal saying attributed to Dostoyevsky: The degree of civilization in a society can be judged by entering its prisons. I'd go with the sentiment at the heart of both of these whether they were said by apparently wise people, Russian novelists or greetings card writers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrissmith921 Posted August 21, 2009 Share Posted August 21, 2009 Well - there you have it, the guy is released, despite killing over 100 people. Nicely done, yoghurt crew. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LondonLax Posted August 21, 2009 Share Posted August 21, 2009 Well - there you have it, the guy is released, despite killing over 100 people. Nicely done, yoghurt crew. But we now have access oil and gas reserves without having to be reliant on Russia. There was an article in the Economist just last week about what Britain is going to do about its power supply. The north sea reserves peaked 10 years ago and are rapidly diminishing. At some point in the next 10 years we will have to negotiate with Russia for a bigger share of their new gas and oil reserves they have claimed in the arctic but it wouldn't come cheap and Russia would have us over a barrel so to speak, much like they do with the Ukraine. This deal comes at quite a convenient time I should think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wedge Posted August 21, 2009 Share Posted August 21, 2009 Depends. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrissmith921 Posted August 21, 2009 Share Posted August 21, 2009 Hmm, trustworthy those lot, aint they. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bickster Posted August 21, 2009 Moderator Share Posted August 21, 2009 Well - there you have it, the guy is released, despite killing over 100 people. Nicely done, yoghurt crew. Yep some guy convicted because a Maltese Shirt saleman said he bought a shirt in his shop It was never the safest of convictions Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrissmith921 Posted August 21, 2009 Share Posted August 21, 2009 Well - there you have it, the guy is released, despite killing over 100 people. Nicely done, yoghurt crew. Yep some guy convicted because a Maltese Shirt saleman said he bought a shirt in his shop It was never the safest of convictions Maybe, but letting him out now will just stir it up again, as shown by the trimuphant return home. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
myb Posted August 21, 2009 Share Posted August 21, 2009 Well - there you have it, the guy is released, despite killing over 100 people. Nicely done, yoghurt crew. Yep some guy convicted because a Maltese Shirt saleman said he bought a shirt in his shop It was never the safest of convictions Maybe, but letting him out now will just stir it up again, as shown by the trimuphant return home. I'm not entirely up to speed with this case, but that comment is entirely absurd. We keep a 'potentially' innocent man locked up on the basis that there maybe political fallout if we free him. The double standards are alarming. We have the ablity to be as corrupt in this country as we make out the rest of the world are. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clarry Posted August 21, 2009 Share Posted August 21, 2009 Well - there you have it, the guy is released, despite killing over 100 people. Nicely done, yoghurt crew. The yoghurt crew didn't release him. By waiving his appeal to his conviction, the government have "rewarded" him with release on compassionate grounds. And avoided possible embarrassing repercussions for the UK and US coming out in the appeal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrissmith921 Posted August 21, 2009 Share Posted August 21, 2009 or you just leave him locked up Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clarry Posted August 21, 2009 Share Posted August 21, 2009 or you just leave him locked up But then he would have appealed. Can an appeal go ahead if the defendant is dead? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrissmith921 Posted August 21, 2009 Share Posted August 21, 2009 he could well struggle to appeal when hes dead. perhaps they should do what the judge in texas did and just forget to process it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LondonLax Posted August 21, 2009 Share Posted August 21, 2009 he could well struggle to appeal when hes dead. perhaps they should do what the judge in texas did and just forget to process it. His lawyers can still appeal to clear his name after he is dead... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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