Those shared values with the Saudis?

So Kim Howells, minister at the Foreign Office, talks of shared values between the UK and Saudi Arabia, From a country ruled by a reactionary monarch; where women are second class citizens; where amputations and killings have the blessings of state and the religious police; where British citizens have been tortured and refused justice we apparently have shared values! Robin Cook must be turning in his grave! Why on earth do we find it difficult to distance ourselves from nasty regimes?  Saudi money is filthy and stinks with death and terror - we should not be doing business with this regime.

European Union betrays Zimbabwe.

One by one the unprincipled leaders of Europe have betrayed the people of Zimbabwe, now the EU has formally invited Mugabe to the EU - African Union summit.  This decision is a disgraceful  and dreadful betrayal of the Zimbabwean people. All the human rights abuses mean nothing to the EU leaders. Previous decisions against the regime were clearly meaningless window dressing. It means also the the EU leaders have still not understood the issue, their idiotic belief that the EU needs to talk to Mugabe not to isolate him, despite past experience; that dialogue with this fascist dictator is a total waste of time.  Meanwhile in the real world, British Airways has now ceased flights to Harare, Ethiopian Airlines will cease flights to Harare on November 15th, so far  18 airlines have ceased flights to Zimbabwe due to costs and difficulties in fuel supply.