h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

The UK and the Libyan Governments were pursuing a re-normalisation of diplomatic arrangements - a continuation of the process that commenced with the Camp Zeist trial and the payment of compensation by Libya for the Lockerbie bombing. The rapprochement process had kicked off in the late 1990s but got derailed post 11/9 and the Bush/Blair wars of aggression. Anyhow, the UK wanted a deal and Libya wanted a deal, which was to include a Prisoner Transfer Agreement, which Blair &c agreed to even though - in the specific context of Al Megrahi - it encroached upon a devolved power of the Scottish Executive. BP wanted the deal to go ahead, for obvious reasons, and said so in writing.

Separately Al Megrahi was pursuing a further appeal against is sentence. He was also diagnosed with terminal cancer. The Scottish justice minister had a meeting with Al Megrahi in gaol following which (the appeal was withdrawn, and (2) Al Megrahi was returned home to die, which he has since cruelly failed to do. The return was presented by the Scottish Executive as a purely-Scottish decision, on purely compassionate grounds, the equitable exercise by the Scottish justice minister of one of his powers.

Some Americans kicked up a stink and there was a boycott Scotland campaign, co-inciding with the Year of Homecoming, a piece of nationalist kitsch which nevertheless went down big with the Campbells of Nebraska and the McDonalds on Maine &c &c. Edinburgh's streets hoached, as per normal, with US tourists.

Then American contractors working for a British company made a mess in the Bay of Mexico, and kicking BP became a national sport in the USA. A link was made between the Al Megrahi release and BP and a Senate Committee got in on the act. The senators are looking for some Brit to give a kicking to. No-one comes out of this well at all.

The UK Government were probably pleased with the circumstances of the repatriation as it allowed them to pursue UK economic interests while being able to blame the Scottish Executive for an unpopular act.

The Scottish Executive got a hot potato off its hands and derailed a potentially highly embarrassing appeal - the case against Al Megrahi was always tenuous to say the least; seeming to depend wholly on circumstantial evidence and with some very dodgy witnesses.

The US government and Senate have been able to indulge in a bit of Brit-bashing, handily shifting some attention from their own woes. Any British witness going into a hearing on the Al Megrahi repatriation would be going into a lynching.

No-one has acted honourably. It is like a box of scorpions sitting on a low heat, every one stinging another again and again and again.

We should look at what Blair &c did and simply say 'never again'.

We should look at the actions of the Scottish Executive, the First Minister and the Scottish Justice Minister and simply say 'amateurs'.

We should consider the American president and government, its senate &c and reflect upon how little removed that nation is from McCarthyism, lynching and gunboat diplomacy. We should remember that this state feels free to command that our citizens should attend upon it but that an equivalent courtesy does not operate in the opposite direction.

Who comes out of this well? OK, BP wrote a letter and probably did some lobbying and their motivation for doing so was £££s, but which big company doesn't. Al Megrahi's biggest fault is probably his failure to die to order, but I wonder what would happen if he was to say to the Alex Salmond and Kenny McAskill - "I have said goodbye to my family and am now prepared to return to Barlinnie, but the price of this is that my appeal should be reinstated and heard in the next month with full access to the proceedings to be given to an independent impartial international group of observers. You have a week to communicate your decision to me."

That'd be fun.

News:

Caius has landed a law lecturer gig at AU Law School. He starts in September.

We had a bar meal with him last night to celebrate.

As a present to himself, he bought a 28 volume set of Patristic writings – at least, I think that was what it was. Some religious stuff.

It cost him a fair few bob.

I, on the same day, spent more than twice as much on a set of Morison’s Dictionary, 25 volumes, edition of 1811. I also bought a 1909 Rankine’s Land Law.

I had my cawffee and scone this morning and bought two CDs for a tenner – the 2010 remasters of Hergest Ridge and Ommadawn.

Miah is out. Susan is at work.

A gammon joint for tea. Some bottles of good beer. Two more X Files. Yes, I am really warming to Agent Doggett even tho’ I had not expected to.

Gammon and spinnadge (spinach) – that’s Victorian street slang for “I’m not fooled by what you’re saying.” I wonder of spin, in the modern political sense, comes from spinnadge. Vell, that’s a wery wery interesting kvestion.

25 Volumes of Morison’s. Hmmmm… I felt a little queasy after completing the order.

I was down at the Uni. yesterday staking a claim on a desk there. I won't use it much but I will definitely be using it in the coming year. I may even resume my opera nights.


Douglas

Hi Douglas.

Next time you see A tell him Hi from me. Tell him to take the Fathers with a pinch of salt. Tell him theology needs rethinking from the foundations up. In fact tell him theology needs new foundations. And give him my love in Jesus (he'll know what that means).

Tell him that so far all theology has been in bondage to philosophy. Tell him theology is prior to philosophy. Tell him we have greater and more reliable ontological, phenomenological and epistemological foundations than the Greeks had.

PS I am assuming he's passed his PhD. I've got him a present (well it's on order from Amazon). I've lost his email (changed computers) so not sure how to get it to him.

He has seen your messages.

The best way to get anything to him would be via the Law Office at the Uni. They can put it in his room.

The PhD is being submitted in the coming month. All signs are ver' ver' positive.

Cheers



Douglas

As I remember, from my time in the US, the term "spin doctor" comes from baseball. He was the guy who corrected the pitcher's spinning action if he was off form. I think, in the political domain, the derivation is from a curve ball: one that goes off in an unexpected direction (i.e. with spin). The political spin doctor tries to make the media reporters tell a different story from the one that might have been expected from the speech, debate etc...

Once, when playing pool in the US, I was accused of using "reverse English" on the ball: i.e. a bit of bottom spin. My pleas of being, in fact, Scottish, fell on deaf ears.

PJ's OH