Category Archives: David Miliband

The curious, blustering performance by David Miliband on yesterday’s Today programme – in which he referred to the return to Libya of Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi as “deeply distressing” but refused to criticise, or even comment on, the decision of the Scottish Executive to release the terrorist – has served only to highlight the mess that Labour has made of devolution in Scotland.

The former Labour Scottish Office minister, Brian Wilson, delivers a savage critique of Labour’s Scottish devolutionary settlement in today’s Telegraph.  Pointing out that the al-Megrahi affair has provided the SNP with a rare and golden opportunity to grandstand on the world stage, Wilson observes:

While the Nationalists revelled in their day in the spotlight, it should also have occurred to the architects of devolution that they have a great deal to answer for when the British Government is effectively silenced over an issue that is crucial to its standing in the world and any claim to moral leadership on issues of terrorism.

It is true that much of the Scottish role in this affair derives from the legal system, which long pre-dates political devolution. In the past, however, the Scottish law officers and the Secretary of State within the Cabinet would have worked with Whitehall to achieve an agreed line behind which the whole British government would have stood. Instead, we are in the extraordinary position of not knowing what the British Government thinks because it is petrified into silence by the sanctity of the devolution settlement.

Devolution in the wrong hands was always going to be an instrument for dividing the United Kingdom rather than maintaining it. There will not be many more cases or issues with implications on the scale of the Megrahi decision. But spectacular notice has been served of what is going on in Scotland every day of the week, with the Nationalist minority administration using every lever at its disposal to promote separateness and fray the bonds of unity and common interest.

Wilson’s analysis is correct, but only up to a point.  The devolution settlement is not of such sanctity that it should preclude Mr Miliband from setting out the British Government’s position on an issue of such importance.

The fact is that the British national interest has been deeply damaged by the al-Megrahi episode.  The people of the United States, our closest ally, are rightly appalled at the early release of a mass murderer on the ostensible ground of compassion, a commodity he so self-evidently withheld from his 270 victims.  They are also bemused that this should happen without a squeak of comment, much less disapproval, from the British Government.  So, come to that, are many of the people of Scotland and the rest of the United Kingdom.

Given that the promotion of the British national interest overseas is the direct responsibility of Mr Miliband, his protestation that the release of al-Megrahi is purely “a matter for the Scottish government” is manifestly wrong. 

It is also a matter of huge importance for the British Foreign Secretary and the British Prime Minister.  They should, therefore, speak out on the issue without further delay. 

And they should understand that their continuing, craven silence will do nothing but bring dishonour on our country.