According to the leaked cables British diplomats had planned dramatic and pre-emptive measures preparing for hostile demonstrations and leaving only essential staff in the embassy, were Megrahi to die in prison.
Or to put it another way, for all the UK government's pre-emptive austerity measures, on paper the fiscal position of the UK is worse than for Italy and for Spain.
Security forces across the country are "undertaking pre-emptive and precautionary measures" to ensure people's safety and protect public and private property, he said.