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UK refuses to send witness to US Senate hearings about UK affairs

PeteEU

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BBC News - Scots will not attend US hearing on Lockerbie bomber

Scottish ministers and officials have turned down a request to attend a US Senate hearing next week over the release of the Lockerbie bomber.

Jack Straw have also declined and I doubt the BP guy will go either. Some "hearing" that will be..

Kudos to them for saying no.... I just wish that the British were a bit more forceful in rejecting the US senate hearing because frankly it is one of the most arrogant acts the US Senate has done in years.
 
Amusing.
Wow. Just wow.
The cheek to think they can call our Ministers at a whim to their Senate as if we answer to them :/
 
The news article used words like "request" and "invite" I could understand an angry rejection to a subpoena, which would be ridiculous. But a request and an invite is just that, a request... so I don't see any arrogance.
 
Amusing.
Wow. Just wow.
The cheek to think they can call our Ministers at a whim to their Senate as if we answer to them :/

Well, in all fairness, it was a request, not a summons. Clearly they were surprised at the requests being refused, but they shouldn't have been. If they want clarification on the process that took place, they should have got that information through diplomatic channels, and it appears that Alex Salmond (Scottish PM) is willing to release the documents dealing with the release. Perhaps the senators wanted to be seen to be giving the Scottish government a serious talking to, but that's clearly not their role.
 
It is clearly domestic US politics going on but still, it is shows how the US Senate yet again tries to meddle in the affairs of other nations. .

Just think if the UK Parliament "invited" people like Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeldt or other US politicians to "explain" the Iraq war....wonder how the US would react lol.
 
I think the UK is the arrogant one. BP has the nerve to devastate our Gulf Coast, their CEO in the midst of it went yacht sailing and claimed to make cleaning and containing the spill their top priority. Not only that, but the UK released a piece of wretched refuse in what may possibly be a deal for oil. BP has harmed our country severely, and the British government made a shameful move. I think they are hiding behind this "we won't give into the big dog America's ego and arrogance" claim. In reality they are scared to be held accountable for their actions. They owe it to us to come to our senate hearings, they have harmed us and quite possibly may have released a terrorist in order to obtain an oil deal.
 
BBC News - Scots will not attend US hearing on Lockerbie bomber



Jack Straw have also declined and I doubt the BP guy will go either. Some "hearing" that will be..

Kudos to them for saying no.... I just wish that the British were a bit more forceful in rejecting the US senate hearing because frankly it is one of the most arrogant acts the US Senate has done in years.

Wait a minute..

Why are WE (The U.S.) having a senate hearing over this?
 
I think the UK is the arrogant one. BP has the nerve to devastate our Gulf Coast, their CEO in the midst of it went yacht sailing and claimed to make cleaning and containing the spill their top priority. Not only that, but the UK released a piece of wretched refuse in what may possibly be a deal for oil. BP has harmed our country severely, and the British government made a shameful move. I think they are hiding behind this "we won't give into the big dog America's ego and arrogance" claim. In reality they are scared to be held accountable for their actions. They owe it to us to come to our senate hearings, they have harmed us and quite possibly may have released a terrorist in order to obtain an oil deal.

I realise this might be a little complicated, but bear with me. BP is a multinational oil company. Half of it WAS known as British Petroleum. The other half was known as AMOCO. Since the merger they are known ONLY by the initial letters "BP". One third of their shareholders are American, one third international, and one third British. They employ 30,000 Americans.Their behaviour as a company has nothing to do with Britain.
The UK government had no say in the decision to release him. Al-Megrahi was held in Scotland, under Scots law, which has always had a provision for compassionate release on the statute books. Due process was followed, and he was released. A formal committee of enquiry has been held, and has found this to be correct. Scotland has released all the relevant documents regarding the case, excepting for communications between themselves and the UK and American governments, as those governments have not consented to their release.
BP were lobbying the UK government because they were being blocked from participating in rehabilitated Libya's "oil rush", where American oil companies were gaining access denied to them. It would be naive to expect them to do otherwise. Politically, the Scottish Nationalist party in government in Scotland had recently taken power from the Labour Party which held on to power in the British parliament. the idea of cooperating is anathema to both, believe me. They are sovereign governments, they owe your Senate nothing.
 
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BBC News - Scots will not attend US hearing on Lockerbie bomber



Jack Straw have also declined and I doubt the BP guy will go either. Some "hearing" that will be..

Kudos to them for saying no.... I just wish that the British were a bit more forceful in rejecting the US senate hearing because frankly it is one of the most arrogant acts the US Senate has done in years.

Frankly, I don't blame them. Our government has become self-delusional with their own sense of importance.
 
Of course they said "request". They're not going to say, "We require your presence immediately."

I'm also wondering why the U.S. is having a hearing on it?
 
Has now been postponed and the Congressmen who wanted the hearing are of course blaming "the stonewalling" of key witness's.. Basically the morons are calling for a hearing of foriegn nationals about an issue in another country and now blaming them for not being able to hold the hearing because the Brits give a rats ass about the US Senate and their hearings .. classic..
 
Perhaps the UK should hold its own investigation into the matter.
 
The news article used words like "request" and "invite" I could understand an angry rejection to a subpoena, which would be ridiculous. But a request and an invite is just that, a request... so I don't see any arrogance.

I think the US Senate thinks it can just summon anyone it wants and they'll just turn up...

I find most of their hearings to be a load of bull**** anyway, not much constructive comes out of them, alot of the time senators waste time looking all tough especially with the hearings against Goldman Sacchs hearings.
 
I think the US Senate thinks it can just summon anyone it wants and they'll just turn up...

I find most of their hearings to be a load of bull**** anyway, not much constructive comes out of them, alot of the time senators waste time looking all tough especially with the hearings against Goldman Sacchs hearings.

Yea those hearings are just a waste of time.
99% of the politicians are there to grandstand.
 
Yea those hearings are just a waste of time.
99% of the politicians are there to grandstand.

Wow I realised just how poorly worded that post was. Grrr I don't like posting on the iPad, it messes with the words I use and grammar.
 
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