Today’s big Scottish news is that of a mysterious man offering us a parade of treats if we’ve been good boys or girls. No, not Santa Claus but rather the figure of Colonel Gaddafi. Thankfully, no-one took the man up on his selection pack offer in return for sitting on his lap, as the latest Wikileaks cables show.

There has been much anticipation over what these leaks would say regarding the Megrahi debacle, a debacle that has caused much heat and light since the Justice Secretary decided to release the man on compassionate grounds. However, today’s news is something of an anti-climax for those hoping for a dramatic twist in the tale.

The Scottish Government was offered goodies by the Libyan leader but these were clearly rebuffed and the situation was played with “a straight bat” by the SNP.

Perhaps the most interesting quote from the US is this:

“It is clear that the Scottish Government underestimated the blowback it would receive in response to Megrahi’s release and is now trying to paint itself as the victim. The Scottish Government severely underestimated both US government and UK public reaction to its decision… Alex Salmond has privately indicated that he was ‘shocked’.”

It would be a shame if there was to be confusion between being shocked at an overblown reaction and admission that the Government got it wrong. I was certainly surprised at a reaction that dragged on at a Scottish level, UK level and international level. That surprise was exacerbated once the situation moved past the point where most people had agreed that the decision was taken in good faith and that Kenny MacAskill was the right person to make that decision, whether one disagreed with the decision itself or not.

I’ve not read that much about the latest revelations but first impressions are that Scotland comes out of this latest Wikileaks instalment looking robust in its dealings and, as much as one would like to keep discussing the Megrahi chapter in Scotland’s history, is there really much else left to say? Particularly if even Wikileaks can’t fashion a meaningful talking point around this story other than Gaddafi’s unwelcome offers that most people had suspected all along?