David Cameron's African mission

David Cameron has made a surprise visit to Africa and has issued an enthusiastic statement after meeting Nelson Mandela:

"Nelson Mandela is the most remarkable statesman of our age, and I found his insights into the challenges facing South Afric, the continent of Africa and the wider world hugely valuable... What struck me most were his personal qualities - his warmth, his wisdom, his sense of humour and his optimism...  Engaging in the challenges facing Africa is a key part of modern Conservatism.  I think it's vital to learn first-hand from the people and organisations working on the ground."

BBC Online carries a report of the Mandela-Cameron meeting.

Editor's note: "David Cameron's approach to Africa has been a welcome contrast to his approach to the environment.  In both cases the Tory leader is rightly attempting to broaden the appeal of the Conservative Party by emphasising issues that have been neglected by his predecessors.  In his approach to the environment he has broken ranks with other international conservative leaders and embraced the failed environmentalism of Kyoto.  Fortunately, in his approach to Africa and global poverty the Conservative leader has largely recommended authentic conservative solutions.  Recently, for example, he proposed aid vouchers as a more effective way of targeting development assistance and his development spokesman, Andrew Mitchell (pictured), has  recommended a free trade zone for Africa.  One of David Cameron's best speeches during his leadership bid was on global poverty last November.  He emphasised the importance of property rights, attacked Christian Aid's disdain for capitalism and called for a focus on 'killer diseases'.  The appointment of Peter Lilley as head of the global poverty policy group was a further reassurance for authentic conservatives.

As David Cameron continues to 'modernise' the Conservative Party, ConservativeHome will always pose two tests:

1. As we drive our tanks on to our opponents' turf - as David Cameron has been doing on the environment and on global and domestic poverty - are we fighting with distinctively conservative weapons or are we adopting the failed methods of the left?  When David Cameron spoke to the Centre for Social Justice about UK poverty in January he gave strong indications that his approach to poverty-fighting would be authentically conservative with an emphasis on the voluntary sector, welfare reform and strengthening of the family.
2. As we occupy new territory are we dangerously abandoning existing strongholds or are we broadening the party's appeal?  With David Cameron's renewed emphasis on homeland security and a more robust position on immigration from new EU member states, there have recently been welcome signs of a movement towards ConservativeHome's 'politics of and'.

PS Let us hope that while in Africa Mr Cameron makes a significant statement on Darfur.  The Tory leader made much of his commitment to this deeply troubled part of the world during his leadership bid but has been strangely silent on the situation in Sudan ever since."

Comments

[Geoff]

Ted: If your land is taken and settled by others is it right to attack the settlers?

That is an inaccurate but widely held view of the history of southern Africa. The Boers moved into empty land, and the 'native' Africans moved south afterwards. The Boers were actually there first so please spare us the incorrect "and your land taken" line.

Apartheid was an evil thing, but Ghandi promoted civil disobedience to fight his cause and Mandela became a terrorist.

My position on acts of terror against civilians is that they are wrong. I do not believe they should go unpunished

Adams and McGuiness? I believe they should be arrested and charged for terrorist activities. Considering what you have said, do you agree?

[Daniel Vince-Archer]

"If your land is taken and settled by others is it right to attack the settlers?"

Isn't that the justification that Robert Mugabe and his thugs use in Zimbabwe for their actions against white farmers?

[Ted]

Geoff

Firstly I was talking about the more recent movements of black South Africans as a result of Apartheid and land seizures resulting from the creaion of homelands not the 19th century. My family settled in South Africa prior to the British taking Cape Town and I am well aware of my fathers homeland's history. The Zulu expansions, Nguni migrations and Boer treks resulted in de-population as tribes scattered to avoid bloodshed. Much the same as the de-population of the Highlands in Kenya. Whether the lands were truly un-occupied is still a source of legal arguments over many farms today.

I agree on Adams & McGuiness - they took up arms in a democracy where civil resistance & the ballot are potent weapons.

Ghandi promoted civil disobedience but other India liberationists were not so concerned with being non-violent. It worked there because there were so few occupiers and so many Indians - not sure it would work were there are considerable populations in both sides (Palestine/Israel for example). Would like to think it would though.

DVA

The excuse but in very different circumstances. Mugabe had a democratic alternative that respected property rights and the constitutional settlement was democratically adopted so that white Zimbabweans were no longer colonial but locals. The UK and EU were willing to fund purchases and support the incoming farmers with training & loans.

Our excuse in Zimbabwe was much the same as Geoff's comments above - the Matebele invasion and subjugation of the Shona earlier in the 19th century had left much high veldt land de-populated so farms could be established without much occupation of already settled land. Sort of African version of the US eminent domain.

[Jack Stone]

We are right to give aid to Africa and personally I believe the government are right in increasing it but I fear that often it is spent on the wrong things.
I have always believed that the key to solving many of Africa`s problem is Education.Far too many on the continant grow up without a basic education.
If we educate the young properly and give them the skils they need to improve the life of there continant Africa would slowly grow out of the dark ages it is at present.
As for Christina. I am afraid her rants on this thread are simply racist. Cultures and traditions can live in harmony side by side and to say that the culture and tradions of our fellow African and Asian citizens is going to destroy the traditonal British culture is nothing more than total tripe!