At Least the MPs are Embarrassed

THE triumphant scenes in Tripoli which greeted the return of Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed al-Megrahi's return, with Libyan crowds waving Saltires [Flag of Scotland], were last night condemned as "sickening".

Russell Brown, Labour MP for Dumfries, described the scenes as "stomach churning", adding: "I have never been ashamed to see my country's flag waved before, but to see it misused to celebrate mass murder is outrageous. This man is convicted of murdering 270 people in my part of Scotland and that conviction stands.

"This adds further pressure to the SNP [Scottish National Party] to explain why they have freed a man who showed no remorse for the crimes he committed. The SNP are damaging Scotland's reputation and have put our flag in a position where it can be abused like this."

Tory MP David Mundell, whose constituency includes Lockerbie, said: "This is as we feared and why we said that Mr Megrahi should be kept in Scotland. Alex Salmond's government has made a mistake of international proportions. These reports (of the flag being waved] are sickening."

Lockerbie widow Stephanie Bernstein nails it:

"MacAskill talks about showing compassion and mercy. This is weakness. This is how it will be seen by Gaddafi. This is how it will be played within Libya and this is how it will be seen by every single person that wants to do harm to people all over the world."

The Scotsman has more, here and here.