They threw us out/ asked us to leave in the 1960s ~ almost 50 years ago so why do our politicians, who couldn't run a whelk stall let alone our own country, insist on making portentous statements about Mugabe and his cronies? It is an African problem and like so many similar problems is tribal based. Let them get on with it. OK there'll be even more blood spilled but in the end they will sort it out for themselves, just as we in the so called civilised west have sorted ourselves out. All Brown, the boy who is Foreign Secretary and co are doing is handing Mugabe yet more ammunition for his anti British ranting. It is not our fault, in fact this is exactly what we told them would happen way back when Ian Smith declared UDI. We had no solutions then and we have none now. We have only just about wormed our way out of Northern Ireland and that has gone on since before Cromwell. We are in no position to lecture anyone.
AND
Whilst we are at it let's get the fvck out of Iraq and Afghanistan. Their troubles were nothing to do with us, our interference has cost lives on both sides and made not one jot of difference. Iraq is still split along tribal lines and always will be. Afghanistan is growing and exporting more drugs than ever. The best and most honourable thing we could do would be to say "Sorry, we fvcked up the imposed arbitrary borders we imposed back in the early 1900s ~ best we leave you chaps to sort out what you really want for yourselves"
Should we worry about the oil? ~ NO! They have to sell it to someone and that someone is us. They have the choice, sell us the oil at a sensible price and enjoy the wealth or sink back into being a stoneage society. During the times of plenty (viz the past fifteen years) we could have made ourselves self sufficient in terms of energy but once again we missed the bloody boat.
We are an island FFS, pull up the drawbridge and let the buggers go hang ~ Oh dear we can't do that because we have not prepared for it, we have learned nothing from history and we are now in hock up to our necks again.
I despair.
End of rant ~ for now
