ONE of the immutable truths of politics is that the home affairs brief is the most perilous one for a minister.
In other departments of government a mistake might cost money or waste time; when you are in charge of the criminal justice system, a slip-up can have far more serious – and sometimes tragic – consequences. Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill has been
left in no doubt about this. The furore about violent prisoners absconding from open prisons has left a serious question mark over his judgment. And this weekend it also represents the most serious crisis to engulf Alex Salmond, the First Minister, in his two years in power.
It is now clear that MacAskill misjudged his reaction to the appalling case last year in which a 16-year-old girl was raped by prisoner Robert Foy, who had absconded from Castle Huntly open prison, near Dundee. MacAskill met the justifiable public outrage with a populist gesture – an apparent promise to change the system to stop this happening again. What that response failed to take account of was the reality of what open prisons are there for – to assist in making prisoners who are nearing the end of their sentences ready for release into the wider community. All agencies involved in criminal justice accept the truth that this is better – and ultimately safer to the public – than simply decanting people from high-security jails straight onto the street.
Having nailed his colours to the mast, instead of accepting that a complex problem needs a complex answer, MacAskill had set himself up for a fall – especially if an absconder commits another offence while at large. In those circumstances, having taken such a personal interest in this area, the minister would have to resign. Of that there can be no doubt.
The problem facing Salmond is, if anything, more serious, on two counts. In an attempt to take the heat off MacAskill, the First Minister has warned that any attempt to remove the Justice Minister by a vote of no confidence would have dramatic consequences. Salmond promised that if MacAskill was removed, he himself would resign and force an election. It is a trick Salmond has pulled off once before, over the Scottish budget, and it is based on the justifiable belief that the opposition would not dare risk an election just now.
Such a strategy is, however, high-risk, and again reveals Salmond as a politician with a taste for a gamble. If an absconded prisoner was to harm a member of the public, would Salmond prevent MacAskill from doing the decent thing? The stance of "if he goes, I go" could come back to haunt the First Minister.
More immediately, Salmond has to defend himself from the serious charge of hiding facts from parliament. Salmond knew of the latest absconder – John Burt Brown – 20 hours before he stood up at First Minister's Questions to take questions on the issue of open prisons. And yet the first the opposition party leaders knew of Brown was when a press release was issued by Tayside Police later that afternoon. Salmond's office makes the defence that the First Minister would never try to interfere with police operational matters. Yet the obvious question for Salmond is this: why didn't he simply call together the other party leaders for an off-the-record briefing, explain the circumstances about Brown and win their agreement that the inevitable political rammy could wait until Tayside Police had made their official announcement? The operational integrity of the police would have been intact and – crucially – Salmond would have avoided being seen as being deliberately evasive to meet his political ends.
It is easy to imagine how bloody First Minister's Questions would have been last week if the news about Brown has been in the public domain, and how potentially damaging for both Salmond and MacAskill. The price of avoiding that discomfort may turn out to be a high one for the First Minister's reputation. Salmond seems to have set his face against taking a consensual approach to the business of governing Scotland. There are times when that will work and provide strong government. There are times when that will fail the best interests of the country. The First Minister's judgment is now open to question.
Shameful own goalTHE deal struck on Friday between the football associations of Scotland, England, Wales and Northern Ireland is a regrettable one. They agreed the UK will be represented at the 2012 London Olympics by a team that only includes Englishmen. The paranoia and lack of confidence that lie at the heart of this decision are a poor reflection on Scottish sport and Scottish politics.
Ever since London won the games in 2005 there has been an acrimonious row over whether the United Kingdom would field a united team in the football competition. Immediately, the Scottish Football Association took the view that such a move would be the thin end of the wedge. They feared it would result in the world football authority, Fifa, scrapping the individual teams of the home nations. Although there are some officials in the football hierarchy who would indeed like to see this outcome, political opposition would have made it impossible. And then the fears of the Tartan Army were stoked by the SNP.
The pity is that the Nationalists could not judge this issue rationally on its merits. It seems they believe a UK solution to any problem is, by its very nature and definition, wrong. Most Scots do not share this view. While fiercely proud of Scottish sporting talent, they were happy to cheer Team GB in Beijing, they support the Lions in South Africa and would have been glad to get behind a midfield that boasted the heirs of Ryan Giggs, Darren Fletcher and Steven Gerrard. Sadly, such a team will never now take the field.
Wha's like us... Mark BeaumontIF YOU had recently become the fastest man to cycle around the world, you'd think you'd maybe like to take it easy for a decade or two. But not Mark Beaumont, 26, from Fife.
Last week he set off on a new challenge – an eight-month mission to cycle the American Cordillera, a mountain range that stretches from Alaska to the Andes, from sub-zero snow plains to sweltering deserts.
Scotland has rapidly become a nation known for its cyclists, across a range of disciplines – from Olympic hero Chris Hoy to champion road racer David Millar to YouTube sensation Danny MacAskill.
But what Beaumont brings to two wheels – apart from impressive stamina – is a spirit of adventure that is second to none. Last year he secured his place in the record books by circumnavigating the globe by bike in 194 days and 17 hours. His new expedition will cover 15,000 miles and see him tackle the highest peaks in North and South America – Mount McKinley in Alaska and Aconcagua in Argentina. We wish him well.
