Pauline McNeill MSP

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Dear Constituent

Events in Parliament since the return from Recess have understandably been dominated by the decision of the Cabinet Secretary for Justice to release Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi, the Libyan convicted of the Lockerbie bombing.

I had the opportunity to ask a question on the issue at the Recall of Parliament on 24th August. I believe that it is a matter of great regret that Mr al-Megrahi seemed to be of the opinion that he was faced with dropping his appeal or returning to Libya. I am not satisfied that we have got to the bottom of that.

I of course recognise that this was an incredibly difficult decision for the Justice Secretary to make and I believe that he did make that decision alone as he is required to do. However I believe that a Parliamentary Inquiry would be helpful in addressing this and other outstanding issues, especially the unprecedented decision to personally visit Mr al-Megrahi at Greenock prison.

It will be difficult for any future Justice Secretary not to follow this example when faced with a request from a prisoner for a face-to-face meeting. It will be hard to justify that the existence of Prison Transfer Agreement gives a foreign prisoner this right, but not a Scottish prisoner seeking compassionate release.

It was also of concern to me that that the promise to victims’ families that Mr Megrahi would he held in Scotland was not given enough weight and that the option of releasing Mr Megrahi not to Libya, but in Scotland was a fair and desirable option which was not properly considered. It is my view that applying compassion to a man who has been convicted of the murder of 270 people would be more balanced between the prisoner and the victims if he was released from jail, held and treated in Scotland. I can understand why it would not be desirable if he were to die in jail but we would not be doing our jobs properly as MSPs if we did not ask important questions to ensure that due process has been followed.

My first speech this session was in the debate on the Scottish Government’s programme. The decision to press ahead with the Referendum Bill, despite the fact that there is no Parliamentary majority in favour of a Referendum and recent Opinion Polls show support for Independence is at less than 30%, is regrettable at a time when the Scottish Government should be focusing on protecting and creating jobs. It is also questionable that a minority administration should be using the platform of Government to campaign for separation under the umbrella of a ‘National Conversation’.

I had a busy summer representing constituents and getting around the constituency. As part of my Culture portfolio I spoke on a platform at the fantastic Belladrum Festival in Beuley on File-Sharing, with the panel including BBC Broadcaster Tom Morton, Glenn Tilbrook and Jenny McGlone from the Scottish Arts Council. It also gave me a chance to see the brilliant Lau Traditional Scottish band and the Editors, remaining loyal to Belladrum since they were signed soon after playing there in the past.

Finally, I submitted Parliamentary Motions on work beginning on Aircraft Carriers at the Clyde Shipyards, the excellent reputation of Glasgow Caledonian University, and the concern felt in Scotland at the news that Burmese pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi had been sentenced to 18 months of house arrest, as well as a motion noting Glasgow as the top UK destination for conferences.

Thanks for stopping by.