Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi the Lockerbie bomber and Kenny MacAskill

Like Caron says, I don't envy Kenny MacAskill this week.

I remember the Lockerbie bomb on the news back in 1988, because that is not that long after when we had looked seriously at moving to Scotland and then weirdly when I moved to Scotland last year came through Lockerbie one day on the train and found myself back that day thinking how awful that must have been for everyone living there.

These events leave their mark on different people in very different ways, I know how 9/11 affected me given the work I did over there with some of the people who tragically lost their lives and how to this day I cannot watch any coverage without losing it completely remembering the team I worked with.

So this week Scotland has been in the public eye and lobbied like never before, whether it be by relations or friends of those who tragically lost their lives in the bombing, Hillary Clinton, the US Secretary of State, the Libyan Government or every person with their own view, and let's face it, everyone does have a view on this.

The Lockerbie bombing was one of the biggest terrorist atrocities until 9/11 outside of Northern Ireland so captured a lot of people's attention, and has continued to do so over the years

One question I have though is before Kenny MacAskill even went anywhere near the prison to see Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi had the precedent been set with the Ronnie Biggs decision?

I don't know for sure, but in my mind the answer is yes. I know the cases are as alike as chalk and chips let alone cheese but I do wonder if that thought entered Kenny MacAskill's mind?

On the political aspect of who is right and who is wrong on this, there are arguments all over the place, I think it went wrong for Kenny MacAskill and the SNP when he went to the prison to visit Megrahi, I am not a lawyer and there are many far more qualified than I on this who can explain in great detail why it was wrong but one blog post that to me has a great balanced view and good arguments is here at Love and Garbage.

Over on the BBC website they are porting "The BBC understands he will be flown home to Tripoli from Glasgow this afternoon following an announcement by Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill."

When you commit a crime as bad as blowing up a plane and murdering 270 innocent people, you have to serve the time, being released on compassionate grounds is a two way thing for me and it doesn't appear that Megrahi has shown any remorse whatsoever and therefore should see his time out in Greenock prison.