The disgraceful silence of the Liberal Democrats

It looks as if Labour may be kicked out of a fair number of its seats in Scotland. Should the Liberal Democrats also be kicked out because of their silence on the Shirley McKie case?

(McKie case and Lockerbie: aangirfan: McKie case linked to Lockerbie; Scottish justice ... )

The following letter appeared in The Herald, 13 March 2006:
http://www.theherald.co.uk/features/57909-print.shtml

Disgraceful LibDem silence on McKie case

In what is becoming the longest-running political saga our justice system has experienced, the silence of our Liberal Democrat MSPs is deafening.

The lack of comment on the need, or not, for a judicial inquiry on the Shirley McKie case is nothing short of disgraceful and while their new leader, Menzies Campbell, raises questions about Scotland's legal system, his MSPs meekly toe the executive line.

If this travesty of justice had occurred elsewhere in the UK, the LibDem MPs would be demanding a full and public inquiry but in Scotland they conspire in a political cover-up to match the legal cover-up.

Their former leader, Jim Wallace, was justice minister at the time and has questions to answer. This misguided loyalty to Jim Wallace and their party stands on its head any notion that they are a party of justice and fairness and is a betrayal of what the Scottish Parliament was set up for.

Their position is a disgrace and the total opposite of the principles of fairness and justice they have always claimed to stand for.

Now, in government, they stand for concealment, intrigue and cover-up. They probably believe they can get away with this because they think the McKie scandal is not of interest to the people of Scotland – well, they are wrong.

Democracy always catches up with those politicians who put their own narrow interests first.

A substantial political shift in Scotland is taking place as huge swings against Labour take place in election after election, in the past 12 months, and with the Liberals defending their part in a failing executive they cannot claim to be the alternative.

It is time that both these parties spent time in opposition where their corrupt and selfish behaviour can do less damage.

Bob Ewen, Nairn.


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