Normally, this is what happens when I meet an American tourist. First, I have to spend a great deal of time convincing them I'm not Irish, then they tell me how they're Scottish cause their great great granny was. Not now. Now I get told my country is soft, stupid and in league with terrorists. I wonder if people are suddenly chopping Mcs and Macs off their surnames like how anyone with a vaguely Germanic name did in the first half of the last century.

So, what do I think of the compassionate release of Megrahi? I think it was the right thing to do. I've heard myriad arguments against it but to be honest the only one that matters is the feelings of the victims' loved ones. Let me say this, I cannot imagine the agony they suffered and I have nothing but sympathy for their loss and admiration of their strength, but I still think compassionate release was right.

There is a lack of compassion in the world, and that is what's wrong with the world. The relentless to and fro of anger, attack, vengeance and hate has destroyed lives for thousands of years. It's a perpetual, self-sustaining evil. A plague on the human race. The beauty of the human spirit is torn apart, families and friendships are shattered, the very earth we live on poisoned and for what? So an elite can grow more powerful and line their pockets with gold by sending the poor to go and kill other poor people from a different country, with different beliefs or a slightly different skin colour.

Put simply, hate begets hate. The only way to stop it is to change our actions. I've read people, particularly some high ranking officials of the American Intelligence and Armed Services say that terrorists give their victims no compassion, so they should get none from us. The only way to stop people destroying the lives we lead are to prove our way of living is the better. How can we do that by resorting to the same cruelty? Whether Megrahi is guilty or not (and there are doubts even amongst the bereaved), we are dealing with a man who has less than 3 months to live. What good will keeping him do? Wielding the power of iron bars till his final death rattle won't won't bring back those who have been lost. Letting him go back to his family to die on the other hand can do much good. It can reach out across the globe and say, we have compassion. We have mercy. We recognise the humanity of everyone on the planet. It also shows that we can resist the knee jerk reaction of terror and refuse to become the 'monsters' we claim to be fighting.

There is no monster that the human race does not create itself. We've surely had enough of demons. Why not try and create a few angels? I am proud that compassion is a part of our country. I am proud that our government does not back away from showing mercy just because the American government bays for unending revenge. I agree with the compassionate release. I'm glad it was done and I hope the world will rise above condemning us as weak or foolish and take at least a small amount of compassion into their own way of lives.