The Lockerbie Case: Ian Bell's Lockerbie-related writings

Friday 11 December 2015

I am deeply saddened to learn of the death at the age of 59 of Ian Bell, perhaps Scotland’s finest political columnist. Here, in chronological order, are links to some of his Lockerbie-related columns:

1. Trust no-one, believe nothing; 2. Justice is the casualty in this Britain of secrets; 3. The demand for truth is more than rhetoric; 4. He’s dying: does it matter where?; 5. Caught in the middle of a transatlantic storm; 6. Tales of torture prove US has no right to moral leadership; 7. What do US cops know about justice?; 8. Too much heat and not enough light on Lockerbie; 9. Why do we still cling to mythical link with US?; 10. So many questions still unanswered on Megrahi; 11. Can Ian Bell be cloned, please?; 12. Truth lies hidden beneath the blather about Megrahi; 13. Lockerbie: some shrapnel; 14. Lockerbie: Scoundrel Time; 15. Lockerbie, Guilt & Gaddafi; 16. Libya & Lockerbie: secrets for sale; 17. Lockerbie: lawyers, guns & money; 18. We need truth about absurdity of unsafe Lockerbie conviction; 19. Lockerbie and Libya: hide & seek; and 20. Contempt shown to Scotland's legal system during Lockerbie shambles.

Comments

Readers are invited to comment on blog posts. All comments require to be pre-moderated by me, and I shall reject all (a) that are not related to the Lockerbie disaster or (b) that fail to meet my -- perhaps idiosyncratic -- standards of courtesy towards other contributors. Comments will not be rejected simply because I disagree with them or because I, or other contributors, find them irritating. But comments will be rejected if they distort or misrepresent the evidence; are defamatory; or if they risk embroiling me, as publisher, in defamation proceedings. I am perfectly relaxed about being sued in respect of material which I personally have posted -- but not in respect of material that others wish to post as comments and which, in any case, I often strongly disagree with.

Particularly during my sojourns in South Africa, it may not be possible for me to perform the moderation function speedily. I regret the necessity of moderation but it has been rendered inevitable by the behaviour of a particular commentator whose contributions will always and without exception be rejected.

No correspondence will be entered into regarding moderation decisions.

3 comments:

SM11 December, 2015
Sad indeed. Such an excellent man, and so early. May he rest in peace.
Rolfe11 December, 2015
I'm very shocked, as I admired him a great deal. I had no idea he was ill (or indeed that he was younger than I am).

He seems to have been a journalistic presence as long as I can remember. I can't be absolutely certain, but I believe it was the cumulation of his articles as linked above that drew me into Lockerbie analysis.
Quincey Riddle11 December, 2015
Is it acceptable to be angry with someone for dying? Frankly, I don't know, but I reckon that no one is more miffed than he probably is right now, if you believe in that sort of stuff. All I can say is that I am deeply sorry that he has left us with such a void, and I am struggling to think of someone who might fit into 'Dead Man's Shoes'. They ought to be legion. Isn't it regrettable that one individual should be so outstanding against a background of self interest, fear, laziness, lack of basic curiosity etc, etc?