To continue the Jake Thackray theme, I found this clip on You Tube of Jasper Carrott singing "The Bantam Cock".

 

Looking at the amount of hair on Jasper's head this must be a quite a few years old.................

 

I won't have a chance to watch the test match on TV today and accordingly will be trying to avoid seing the score until the highlights on SKY tonight.

 

It feels a little bit like the episode of "The Likely Lads" where the boys were trying to avoid seeing a football score.................

 

Can the Aussie's really break every record in the book and score 546 to win the match?

 

I try to spend a few minutes on Sunday morning looking at the on line editions of various newspapers.

 

The following articles caught my interest today:

 

The Mail has a classic silly season article about the Environment Secretary failing to recycle his household waste properly.

 

A couple of things struck me about this - firstly Mr Benn effectively blames his wife and (adult) children and secondly it's a pretty sad situation that a newspaper is paying somebody to go through his dustbins......

 

The Times leads on a leaked report, allegedly suppressed by ministers, that the Ministry of Defence is failing to supply our soldiers with the equipment they need.

 

The Torygraph continues to dig into the release of the Lockerbie mass murderer - the link to trade deals and Lord Mandelson looks like a story that will run for some time.

 

Finally, The Independent reopens the old class warfare "chestnut" about hunting with dogs.

Now the BBC is reporting that Al-Megrahi's release may be linked to trade deals.

 

The claims come from Colonel Gaddafi's son and should perhaps be treated with caution.

 

However does the immediacy and strength of the Foreign Office denials make one "smell a rodent"? 

The world and its wife has commented on this man's early release from prison so I guess I will put my "two pennorth" in........

 

I don't agree with the decision to release him on compassionate grounds - not because that I disagree with the principle of compassion playing a role in the justice system but because of the blatant cynicism behind the decision.

 

Abdelbaset Ali Al-Megrahi's release was nothing to do with justice or compassion, rather it is a classic case of "real-politik" - specifically demonstrating the strength and importance of the oil business.

 

The Times has presented a compelling article to support this argument.

 

Al-Megrahi is a convicted mass murderer of 270 people - although I accept that there are doubts about the safety of his conviction.

 

However, as a convicted murderer he should only have been released following a successful appeal of his case - not on the spurious compassionate grounds presented.

 

I don't accept the view presented in much of the government supporting press that the release shows that we are a compassionate civilised society - this is pure spin.

 

It is also a mark of a civilised society on how the victims of crime and their families are supported.

 

I fully understand the outrage shown by so many of the families of the Lockerbie dead - in particular the American relations -  who clearly feel badly let down by the Scottish justice system.

 

Final couple of thoughts:

 

Doesn't it seem peculiar that the decision to release Al-Megrahi was taken by a glorified Councillor (sorry, Scottish Justice Secretary).

 

Surely a decision that is so important to UK as a whole should have been taken by the Westminster Government?

 

Perhaps an unforeseen consequence of Blairs headlong rush into devolution?

 

Also the stance of the United States government seems slightly hypocritical.

 

I understand that they will take a position that sits well with their domestic audience but they also have a chequered past on supporting mass murderers as well (Noriega, Marcos, Somoza etc etc...........)

 

Finally, what is the point of the Scottish Parliament being recalled to discuss the release when it is a "fait accompli"?