The full, appalling, cynical nature of the Labour Government's lies about their involvement with Libya, under Gordon Brown, over the Megrahi affair are now revealed. The utter hypocrisy of their public posture is stark. But the behaviour of Iain Gray and Richard Baker in the Scottish Parliament over the release, and their public statement brings hypocrisy to the state of an art..
They must have know what was going on, yet they huffed and puffed and postured shamelessly for political gain.
The behaviour of the media today, however, reveals their confusion when faced with some hard facts that vindicate Alex Salmond, Kenny McAskill and the SNP Government totally. They have desperately tried to suggest, in misleading summary after summary, that the Scottish Government tried to do a deal with the UK government over the Megrahi release. This is a patent lie, and to peddle it, they have deliberately ignored dates and years, and distorted the topics of discussion that pre-dated the medical verdict that Megrahi was terminally ill that led to his compassionate release.
We expect this from the unionist media, but even the normally impeccably accurate and objective Jon Snow on Channel Four News got sucked in. peddling the same distorted facts, and apparently immune to Alex Salmond's patient explanation of the facts, which are a matter of public record in Scotland.
As for the US - well, they don't pretend to understand the nature of Scotland within the UK, nor do they understand devolution. This will confirm their worst fears.
But Cameron, in releasing this information for political gain over Labour, may have scored an own goal in terms of the survival of the UK as a political entity. That is always assuming he cares, which I suspect he doesn't. After all, an independent England is likely to be a Tory fiefdom, isolated from Europe.
POSTSCRIPT - Midnight 7/8th February
Newsnight (despite Paxman) and Newsnight Scotland, with the sublime Isobel Fraser, went a long way to redeeming the media on this affair. But she also asked the $64,000 question - How will it play with the Scottish electorate?
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You have certainly nailed it in this post. Isobel Fraser kept Richard Baker on his toes and exposed his clear discomfort in having to try to exonerate himself and his master Iain Gray.
ReplyDelete(A sign that BBC Scotland management have taken fright at the onslaught of complaints they must be getting from us?)
As for Jeremy Paxman, well in fact I thought him unusually respectful of Alex Salmond tonight, compared with the usual diatribe we have come to expect from the EBC. Perhaps it is something to do with the fact that Jeremy is probably one of the few English broadcasters to actually understand what the devolution "thing" is all about.
And Alex of course, is simply unsurpassable, no matter what is thrown at him. Easily head and shoulders above any other possible option for First Minister either now or after May.
I don't understand the assertion (or indeed statistics) that imply that Alex Salmond is not popular among women voters.
I simply can't praise him highly enough.
Thanks, Quinie frae Angus
ReplyDeletePaxman knew he was on a loser and facing a heavyweight in AS.
But his "hokey-cokey across the desert" remark is unforgivable, even though it will play well with hard-core unionists.
Quinie - I wouldn't get your hopes up about BBC Scotland finally listening to sense and making their coverage less partisan. I think it's simply that Isobel Fraser is a far more competent interviewer than Gordon Brewer, Glenn Campbell or Raymond Buchanan. Like a proper journalist, she saw the real story here and went for the jugular. It was certainly a sight to behold.
ReplyDeleteAs for Alex and women voters, in 2007 my sister's main reason for voting SNP was apparently because "he has a happy face". Perhaps not the most intellectual reason to vote for someone, but can you imagine anyone voting for any of the other three because of their "happy faces"?!
Keep smiling, Eck.
Thanks, Doug!
ReplyDeleteYes Doug, you were right. My fledgling optimistism has been thoroughly dashed after seeing the treatment of the story by today's MSM!
ReplyDeleteBack to the drawing board....
As for your sister's excellent reason for voting for Big Eck - what better reason could there be?!
Amazing how he manages to be so across all the issues, knock spots off the opposition at Holyrood AND have a good sense of humour and a cheery smile on that wry coupon.
Especially as he is having to face such an uphill battle all the time in the face of such blatant media bias.
A true lad o' pairts.