Why does the world only stand back and "tutt".........

[Gwenick]

when thing like this are happening in poorer countries?

It makes me so and

Sudan - huge humanitarian crisis, America called in Genocide the says "oh isn't it terrible"

If this was happening in Germany, France or Japan there'd be outrage

Gwenick, Mugabe is a madman and it's outrageous that the world is letting him get away with it - especially S Africa which is the key country in a position to lead on this.

You mention Sudan - do you know any way we can put pressure on government/donate to aid agencies to help women in Sudan (I say women because they are being targetted with their children)? I think all the agencies pulled out because it just wasn't safe for their workers - even the head of Medicins sans Frontiers was 'arrested' - so I don't know what I can do to help. Can't get one news story out of my mind - troops snatched this poor woman's toddler who was trying to cling to her skirts and threw him on a fire, FFS. and .
But I've no idea what I could do to help - anything I could do would be miniscule obviously but I'd like to put some pressure on somewhere to help stop this unspeakable genocide.

Message withdrawn

hi cod how you? have got broadband back after THREE MONTHS battling, would you believe, so I'm back!
did you ever get the copy of P&b for which I interviewed you? if not, I'll email them for you but you will have to remind me of your address - my new email is firstnamelastname at yahoo.co.uk (no dot between names).

Hi Gwenick - I was going to see if you were around the other night because of this. DH is angry in particular about Umbeki and his total failure to do anything about Mugabe. There was also a UN official (forget his name) who recently attributed Zim's food problems to everything apart from Mugabe - when, as you point out, they are pretty much entirely down to him. He's ruined the country. Personally I don't understand. SA doesn't need him? so why do they seem to be so beholden to him? And why on earth does some UN bureaucrat feel afraid to speak the truth. I work for an organisation that is writing specifically on the UN business as we were particularly outraged by it. I have also spent a large part of my working days in the last 18 months or so working on Sudan. I also feel guilty cos I do my bit through work, but not in my spare time - unlike you. I'd better go coz dd is making a right old fuss

I've signed petition on Zimbabwe Vigil Coalition website Gwenick.

I also feel guilty cos I do my bit through work, but not in my spare time - unlike you.

Doesn't matter whether you do it through work, or spare time (and TBH it doesn't take up much time for me - especially the 'awareness' part - DH is Zimbabwean, my children have Zimbabwean names, and I lived out there for 2 1/2yrs - so invariably Zimbabwe comes up in the conversations quite often).......not to mention I practically live on MN so starting a thread (such as this one ) is pretty quick.

thanks Helsi

gwenick, i don't think that the tutting will go on for much longer. we are living in a globalised (pardon the marketing nonsense speak) world and these things are going to affect us more and more and more. some people are beginning to wake up and smell the coffee that you ain't gonna have if you don't do something about fairtrade and stability in the countries that grow it.

it depresses the living sh*t out of me. but equally, i feel that the tide is turning and the days of living a comfortable life in an affluent first world country and not giving a toss about what is happening down your street much less on the other side of the globe are over. capitalism is on the verge of eating itself, trust me.

in the meantime, mosschops, perhaps a sense of perspective. human suffering is everywhere, but scale does matter and i don't see anything on this scale happening in europe much less in this country. i hope it was a throw away comment...

btw. i'm in a dilemma. there is a fantastic zimbabwean sculpture exhibition on at the moment near me, and i'm sorely tempted by some of the pieces. my thinking is that i'm supporting artists that live in a virtual police state...but do you agree that buying something would be a good thing to do????

sophable - buy it!!!! I think at the moment, more than anything else, Zimbabweans need supporting - it's not them that's stuffed the country up (although I guess there's always the possibility that they support Zanu-PF - although unlikely most 'artists' tend not to support them, especially those that have 'links' outside the country).

thing is gwenick...i want the lot

i think i will actually take dh along this w/e and make us buy something small