It’s a federal system, stupid

Lord McCluskey, former Scottish High Court judge

James Kirkup in the Daily Telegraph politics blog today describes very well the background to the decision to release the Lockerbie bomber, Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi. Specifically, he explains why the UK system of government means that David Cameron is not to blame.

“What’s really odd is that this misunderstanding is taking place in country that has a federal system. How can US politicians steeped in the concept of states’ rights and the limits to federal authority not grasp the concept of Scottish devolution?

“Devolution means power over – and legal responsibility for – certain issues rests in Edinburgh with the administration elected by the people of Scotland. And not, repeat not, with the Government in London. One of those issues was the release of Megrahi. That’s because Scotland has its own legal system, quite distinct from that of England, and over which ministers in London have precisely no influence.”

Read the whole article here.

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Scroll to Top