Lest We Forget Sudan

A Darfur town has been burned to the ground and its residents forced to flee, days after 10 African Union troops were killed there in an attack.

More than 7,000 residents of Haskanita fled into the bush or to other towns after it was torched, a spokeswoman for the U.N. said, adding a huge aid operation would be needed to bring them food, shelter and water.

The only buildings to survive were a mosque and a school.

A large armed group attacked a small African Union base in Haskanita on September 29, killing seven Nigerian peacekeepers and three other soldiers from Mali, Senegal and Botswana. [Reuters]

Other news sources add, "Yesterday rebels claimed that Haskanita had been left a smouldering wreck after being levelled by Sudanese troops, with 100 civilians dying in the process."

Is Pakistan Really Democratic?

If you are lucky enough to see any real news today (i.e. anything besides Gordon Brown's decision not to give us a general election), you might chance upon report from Pakistan that President Pervez Musharraf has won a controversial presidential vote — controversial because the country's Supreme Court has yet to decide whether the General was able to stand while still serving as the head of the army.

Although Musharraf has again given an "offer of reconciliation to all political parties," Pakistani Christians are now saying that the election commission rejected the nomination of their presidential candidate, Joseph Francis, the leader of the Pakistan Christian National Party, citing article 42 Pakistan's constitution, which bars non-Muslim candidates from running for president. At a time of heightened religious tensions, with violent attacks against churches and some Christians being threatened to convert to Islam, if the president is serious about wanting to create stability in the country and "to eliminate terrorists and eradicate extremism," he will need to work not just with his political rivals but also with the country's religious minorities. Given that Musharraf is one of the West's strongest regional allies in the New Great Game (aka what used to be called the "fight against terrorism"), one can but hope that quiet diplomatic pressure will be exerted to persuade the one-time coupe leader to include all Pakistani citizens in his "National Reconciliation Plan."

Korean Endgame

Someone contacted me via Facebook to ask what I make of the South Koreans having talks with North Korea. As often, the IHT provides an excellent analysis:

The urgency from the North Korean perspective today derives from an understanding that America's presidential alternation often wipes out diplomatic momentum, and indeed, where the last two changes in Washington were concerned, wiped the policy slate clean toward Pyongyang altogether, requiring long, costly efforts to get going again.

Kim Jong Il, who is widely believed to have serious health concerns, and also appears to be preoccupied with engineering his own dynastic succession, likely feels that now is the best time to strike a deal that would end the state of war, win badly needed economic assistance, establish diplomatic guarantees for his regime and help ensure its survival.

Clearly, there is still a long road ahead for the peninsula but, 54 years after the end of the Korean War, we can but pray that the nuclear regime gets the help that it so urgently needs from the outside.

Conviction Politics & Media Spin

Having yesterday joined the international bloggers' day of silence for Burma (and also having spent the day catching up with life after the conference), I have now caught up with some of the news and comment that I missed over the past few days. More than anything else, I am amazed how coverage of highlights from the Conservative conference contrasts with what so many experienced and were saying behind the scenes at the time. Quite clearly, if we are ever to see a return of conviction politics, spin is a problem to be addressed as much by the media as by political parties. Credit then to Daily Mail blogger Ben Brogan for his honest appraisal of the IDS speech:

Something quite extraordinary happened in the hall a short while ago. Iain Duncan Smith gave a speech, without notes, about repairing Britain's broken society with tolerance. He finished it with a heart-stopping appeal to "make it your life". The response was a huge standing ovation, and this time it was real. In fact, it just went on and on. He just stood there looking deeply moved. At one point his face started to crumple and there was a distinct glint of tears in his eyes. Was he recalling the horror of four years ago in the same hall, when 17 staged standing ovations failed to save him from the chop? And was this a case of apology by applause? A telling moment in a conference that is turning into a triumph.

What was most striking was that Iain spoke not merely "without notes" (a feat that the media made much of when Cameron more or less repeated the act) but also with such great passion — he was truly inspiring, which is why both men and women were moved to tears. As one of Brogan's commenters says, "Unfortunately unless you were at Blackpool, you won't know anything about IDS's speech. The BBC haven't covered it at all - and apparently nor have Sky. I've been reading about it on blogs and am now feeling seriously deprived. How can anyone make an informed decision in an election if the media fix the news stories like this? It just isn't right."

See also: Quentin Letts' report in The Daily Mail: "Iain Duncan Smith, the 'Quiet Man' of politics, the former Tory leader so long trashed and traduced as a loser from another age, gave an absolute scorcher of a speech. No notes. No lectern. Packed with gestures and variety and oompf."

Free Burma!

Cameron Highlights

"While our economy is getting richer, our society is in many ways getting poorer."

I'm not sure that the economy is actually getting stronger - though Gordon Brown would like to convince us that it is - but David Cameron, picking up on what Iain "The Passionate Man" Duncan Smith said yesterday, is surely right that society is getting poorer. As he noted earlier in his speech, "We've got to make families stronger and society more responsible."

Yet, somehow I have yet to hear any politician make the crucial observation that would transform our whole approach to the challenges facing our country and our world. Namely, life is all about relationships. Family relationships, community relationships, corporate relationships, international relationships - everything we treasure most and everything that determines the opportunities available to us - revolves around relationships.

Yes, Britain is broken. Society needs mending. However, I think we have yet to grasp the full extent of the problem ... and, therefore, also of the solution.

Go To Work To Save Lives

What can I say? If you weren't here or, even if you were but you missed Iain Duncan Smith, you missed what everyone is already saying will have been the best speech of the conference - or, indeed, that anyone has seen for some conferences.

"Moving" - as so many have said - is simply an understatement. As for the three-minute standing ovation - as one former MP put it: it was an ovation the likes of which we haven't seen since the days of Mrs Thatcher.

Speaking of those who work in the charity sector and help former drug addicts to turn their lives around, some of whom who we saw interviewed on video, Iain said, "Every day they go to work, they go to work to save lives." May that be the passion behind what each of us does each day. And, as he concluded, in contrast with Labour who last week told us they want power "to destroy the Conservatives," let everyone be clear that the Conservatives want power to rebuild our country - to mend our broken society.

Hague on Mugabe's Knighthood

"Zimbabwe stands as a monument to the truth that while the power of a good government to do good is not infinite, the power of a bad government to do bad knows no limits."

Repeating calls he made in yesterday's Human Rights Commission fringe meeting, William Hague has not only echoed calls for tougher sanctions against Mugabe's regime in Zimbabwe, but has just told the conference the dictator "Still enjoys an honorary knighthood from Britain. It is time it was stripped from him."

To much applause, he has also pledged that the next Conservative government will enact legislation that will require all future governments to submit any proposal for passing more powers to Europe to a national referendum.

If all these policy commitments prove sufficient to motivate those who would traditionally be inclined to support the Conservative Party to get out and vote, then Gordon Brown might find a closer fight on his hands - when he does pluck up the courage to announce a general election - than the opinion polls might presently suggest.

The Shadow Foreign Secretary has endorsed The Difference campaign, saying:

"I fully support The Difference magazine's campaign urging greater international action on Zimbabwe.

Robert Mugabe is a repulsive dictator who has brought devastation to his country for twenty-seven years and it is time for the international community to take firm and concerted measures against his regime. The European Union should apply additional European sanctions to Zimbabwe without delay: widening the scope of the EU asset freeze and travel ban to include all relatives and business associates of members of Mugabe's ZANU-PF party, and subjecting the Governor of Zimbabwe's Reserve Bank to similar sanctions would be a clear signal of our intent. Beyond the EU, Zimbabwe's neighbouring countries, in particular South Africa, must also join the rest of the international community in pursuing a clear strategy to resolve the crisis.

The Zimbabwean people deserve our full support and their misery must not be allowed to continue."

Conference Rush on Zimbabwe Petition

I had been thinking of going to the "fixing our broken society" debate at 2.30, but now realise the afternoon has flown by without my noticing - such has been the interest from people wanting to sign The Difference petition calling for tougher sanctions against Mugabe's regime in Zimbabwe! Literally hundreds have been coming forward to sign, a good number sharing their recollections of the country, one even having served for eight months in Zimbabwe's army because he didn't read the small print when he went to live there for two years!

If you haven't yet signed the petition, follow the link at Zimbabwe: Will Anybody Help? to do so online.

(Someone has just told me that the debate was excellent, with a number of contributors receiving standing ovations.)

George Hits Home

Raising the threshold for paying inheritance tax to £1000000 - now that's what the Party's been wanting to hear and was received with a huge cheer. But has it come too late?