Kenny MacAskill and his decision

[tut]

Has he got 10 cylinders, thought it twas just 8.

Rich, shyster, lawers...........

tut

[campbell]

Sorry, it is just 8 right enough, was distracted by reading the EVO long term review of their latest gen RS6 which of course does have 10 pots.

You can't wrongfoot these pensioner types, can you!

[Alistair]

I think what was forgotten in the whole release/not to release debate was the inevitable reception this "hero" would get when he arrived home.

How many young, impressionable potential suicide/clandestine bombers etc are watching that thinking - "Yeah - that's for me"? I can do that and my country full of loonies will love me.

The debate of compassion for a dying man that may or may not have been responsible versus the respect for the families of those killed and affected by the bombing could rage forever.

IMO the responsibility of a politician is to look after the country and those within it going forwards - and on this occasion they have failed - miserably. One only hopes they do not have blood on their hands in the near future.

[pete]

why is the quality of MSPs so deplorably low?

and to get a red roset in kilmarnock all you had to be a mouthy union man/woman. I guess there are large parts of scotland are the same.

That'll be me then

(Spent all day being a calm and considered mouthy TU rep.)

[pete]

Have you actually read Kenny MacAskill's full statement?

Pompous and intellectually vacuous.

why is the quality of MSPs so deplorably low?

I have a theory (about virtually everything but I like this one).

So you are a wannabe politico. You are ambitious, you crave change and, despairing at the lack of change you felt you might be the one to drive it forward.
You are young, smart you get a good place at a good Uni.
You read Law, or History or Economics. You want to make a difference and now have the tools and education to support it.

Do you:-
a) Stand for local council, or parochial - makes no difference on the world stage - Scottish Parliament? or,
b) stand for Westminster.

We, in Scotland, get those whose aspirations, whose amibition, is lacking.

The smart folk go to London.

Don't kid yourself that all politicians are self serving - I've met a few and they weren't. It's not a career that gets you rich. IMHO they all* signed up to improve things and got corrupted along the way by the system, a few made it into parochial Scottish politics but the best, the cream, went to London and got corrupted by the system.


Pete

*Obviously I don't include Tories in that statement. They are all self serving, class protecting, c.unts.

[neil]

I think what was forgotten in the whole release/not to release debate was the inevitable reception this "hero" would get when he arrived home.

How many young, impressionable potential suicide/clandestine bombers etc are watching that thinking - "Yeah - that's for me"? I can do that and my country full of loonies will love me.

I think you'll find that he (if he was guilty) was fighting a different "war" to the one that's going on at the moment. I doubt many Libyans want to get involved in the current conflict somehow. Politics have changed a lot in the last 20 years and currently its not in Libyas interest to attack the West so I don't think we've got much to worry about from his release

[hendeg]

pete - thanks for brightening up my morning.

I love this place.

[tut]

Pete for Prime Minister of Scotland. Damned if I will use First Minister, poncy sounding title.

tut

[Alistair]

I think what was forgotten in the whole release/not to release debate was the inevitable reception this "hero" would get when he arrived home.

How many young, impressionable potential suicide/clandestine bombers etc are watching that thinking - "Yeah - that's for me"? I can do that and my country full of loonies will love me.

I think you'll find that he (if he was guilty) was fighting a different "war" to the one that's going on at the moment. I doubt many Libyans want to get involved in the current conflict somehow. Politics have changed a lot in the last 20 years and currently its not in Libyas interest to attack the West so I don't think we've got much to worry about from his release

I agree entirely - the problem being it is not just Libyans that will see it - that will have been broadcast all over the world and undoubtedly seen by some of the nutters we are up against at the moment. I'm sure the last thing we need to do is give them any more encouragement.

Time will tell I suppose.

[tut]

I also do not like the effect that it has had on our International relationships. The majority of the world still think Scotland is a part of England as opposed to a separate country in the UK, and although it is easy to class the USA as a bunch of yankers, they are the only Country powerful enough to be the Worlds Police Force.

If we ever get to the brink of nuclear war again, and I sat and watched the Cuban crisis on TV whilst my wife was out buying baked beans and candles, we want them on our side and able to face down the likes of Russia and China, even the rogue nuclear states that are now appearing. Britain does not have the fear factor to achieve that or be able to threaten MAD. Even under the NPT the USA still has 10,000 active warheads, Russia 7,000, China estimated at 500, France 460, Israel 200+, UK 185.

In the light of that I had better stop making jokes about Agincourt and Waterloo.

tut

[robin]

Tut, you missed an apostrophe! (I would not normally pick that sort of thing up, but I know Tut likes to keep on top of spelling and grammar). Anyway, it's not the World's Police Force, it's Team America, F*ck Yeah! (joke).

It's hard to imagine that releasing this man will encourage any suicide bombers; surely showing some compassion is more likely to make people think (if they think at all) that perhaps it's not all so black and white after all - on the flip side you cannot possibly think that letting him die in jail would make a suicide bomber think "oh crikey, if I get caught trying to kill myself and 100's of innocent civilians, they'll let me die in jail - better not do it then".

Before condemning those Libyans celebrating his release, you should try and see it from their perspective - you don't know what their media has told them - you can bet it isn't the same as what your media has told you.

Tut, from reading the book you recommended to me (Xanadu ...), you should know that if we ever face nuclear war, it won't matter whose side you are on ... all that will effect is when you die.

Cheers,
Robin

I also do not like the effect that it has had on our International relationships. The majority of the world still think Scotland is a part of England as opposed to a separate country in the UK, and although it is easy to class the USA as a bunch of yankers, they are the only Country powerful enough to be the Worlds Police Force.

If we ever get to the brink of nuclear war again, and I sat and watched the Cuban crisis on TV whilst my wife was out buying baked beans and candles, we want them on our side and able to face down the likes of Russia and China, even the rogue nuclear states that are now appearing. Britain does not have the fear factor to achieve that or be able to threaten MAD. Even under the NPT the USA still has 10,000 active warheads, Russia 7,000, China estimated at 500, France 460, Israel 200+, UK 185.

In the light of that I had better stop making jokes about Agincourt and Waterloo.

tut

[tut]

Bollocks, getting old, don't normally hit submit until I have proof read. Going to have to be more careful from now on.

Critical word there Robin is "face". If that changes to "go to" then we may as well all dash down to KH, myself at 165 on the A90, and kill each other having a great time on track. Sadly I would not get a summons for almost setting a new speeding record, and there would be no morning paper extolling the heroic demise of S_E.

tut

[tut]

"The Libyan leader Colonel Gaddafi has thanked Gordon Brown for the release of convicted Lockerbie bomber Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi."

So much for the Scottish Parliament. Gaddafi must be using George W Bush as his Political Advisor.

He also thanked the Queen and Prince Andrew (and probably Simon Cowell and Madonna).

[tenkfeet]

Heard the plane that flew him out was down at Stanstead for 3 days before hand . When was the decision actually made ?

[scott_e]

what annoyed me was Scotland getting described as "provincial" by american journalists ... at least we are on the map now.