Salmond hits the nail on the head

Should British politicians testify to US senators about the mistaken but possibly prudent release of the alleged Lockerbie bomber? No.

Alex Salmond told the BBC he was happy to offer a visiting US senator "the courtesy of a meeting".

But he said there was "no way on Earth" Scottish ministers would formally give evidence to a committee hearing of a foreign legislature, even if it was held in the UK.

"It's a point of principle that you're not responsible to the committee of another parliament," he said.

I don't think there is a recorded case in history of a serving American secretary going to another jurisdiction to give evidence to a committee of another parliament. That applies to the Chilcot Committee, it applies to coroners' inquests in England, it applies to extraordinary rendition and all the other controversies the US has been involved in.

You shouldn't ask other people to do things that your own government would never dream of.

Bang on!