The troubles of British Prime Minister Gordon Brown move from bad to worse. His newest problem is that the British public — not usually given to conspiracy theories — are now more convinced than ever that the release of Abdel Basset Ali Al-Megrahi, the Libyan found guilty of the 1988 bombing of Pan Am flight 103, was carried out in order to win oil and other contracts in Libya. They do not like this at all. They do not believe the government in London or the quasi- autonomous administration in Edinburgh which took the actual decision to free Al-Megrahi when both deny any such links. The fact that they choose instead to believe Seif Al-Islam, the son of Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi, who plays an active role in Libyan foreign affairs and who says that a link was discussed, speaks volumes about Brown’s credibility. Or his lack of it.
If that were not bad enough, the latest twist in the saga puts Brown in an even more unfavorable light. Following Al-Megrahi’s release there have been fresh calls from British victims of IRA terrorism for compensation from Libya. Libya allegedly armed and funded the IRA in the 1980s and 1990s.
A year ago Brown had refused to negotiate on the matter, calling it “inappropriate” even though the US and France had forced Libya to compensate their citizens. A letter from a junior Foreign Office minister at that time to a victim of IRA terrorism, stating that Brown’s decision was based in part on the need to do business with Libya, has reinforced the view among Britons that their government will do anything to win Libyan oil contracts. In a damage-limitation exercise, Brown has now performed a quick U-turn, saying he supports Libyan compensation for IRA terror victims.
The turnaround in fact makes matters worse for him, accompanied as it is by the caveat that despite government support, families should pursue compensation claims themselves. It looks like wanting to have his cake and eat it — out to curry favor with the victims and the British electorate while hoping not to anger the Libyans. It appears two-faced and it is not going to work, especially now that Seif Al-Islam has rejected any idea of compensation.
Of course, beyond the borders of the UK and Libya, a different kind of hypocrisy raises its head: The idea of Britain’s claiming compensation for IRA victims when it is not prepared to pay anything for its colonial actions will not be well received in many countries. Yet Libya has itself set a legal precedent for claiming compensation for past wrongdoings; it managed to get Italy to agree to pay $5 billion for the Italian colonial occupation of the country. But that will be small comfort to Brown as he faces charges of appeasing Libya for economic gain.
Some years ago, a senior British Labour Party figure, one time Finance Minister Denis Healey, famously advised a Conservative opponent: “When you’re in a hole, stop digging.” His advice should be acted upon by Brown. He is deep in political trouble — only a miracle will save him and the Labour Party at the next election from the most humiliating of defeats but he cannot stop digging.
