Keeping it in perspective

There's been a lot of focus on this site about economic matters of late, but whilst we worry about an X% downturn, a Y% increase in government spending, etc, we mustn't forget about pressing issues affecting people elsewhere:

• On Thursday Shadow Foreign Secretary William Hague wrote on ConservativeHome about the dangerous dithering on the part of Gordon Brown and the United Nations over Darfur. He set out five steps that needed to be taken asap. All credit to Hague for trying to keep this ongoing tragedy in the spotlight. Read his article here.
• Despite the crisis in Darfur, China still supports the Sudanese Government. China still persecutes and executes thousands of political activists, Christians, Falun Gong followers et al. Steven Spielberg may have laudably pulled out of his official role in the Olympics but no UK political party is close to representing the strong moral standpoint taken by half of the UK population that the Olympics should be boycotted. Edward Macmillan-Scott MEP has been the most prominent politician in the media calling for a boycott. He made his case on ConservativeHome recently.
• Burma is another country we are in danger of forgetting, and is ruled by another regime supported by the Chinese. Over on CentreRight Ben Rogers reminded us yesterday of the price some people pay for fighting for freedom with the news that Pado Mahn Sha, the father of Zoya Phan (who has spoken on the main stage at the last two Conservative conferences) and spokesman for the persecuted Karen people (who fought bravely on our side in WWII), has been murdered in his home. Ben provides other recent examples of leaders being violently targeted for standing up for human rights. Read his post here.

Comments

[Chris Horne]

And don't please forget Tibet!

[Martin Coxall]

China's policy of no-strings trade seems to be an alarmingly efficient way to win friends and influence people.

We really should be worried. We're far too demanding. Nobody's gonna want to be our friend, 50 years from now, when they can get a piece of the PRC action instead and have them demand nothing in return.

[Deputy Editor]

I meant to add to the above the discrepancy between Brown intervening in the cricket tour to Zimbabwe, and saying (as he said today at his press conference) that the question of boycotting the Olympics was a matter for the Olympics Commission.

[Tony Makara]

Martin Coxall, China have their eyes firmly set on turning Africa into a feeder continent. There was a good debate on this recently in the FT. Here is a link in case you missed it.

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/f820a134-c509-11dc-811a-0000779fd2ac.html

[Jennifer Wells]

I hope Ben Rogers gets to Parliament soon.

We need someone of his calibre in the Commons addressing human rights issues.

[Umbrella man]

I'm very encouraged that the party is taking these human rights issues more and more seriously. If I was oppressed in a foreign land I would hope all civilised nations would care to campaign for my freedom.

[Tony Makara]

I just received a release from the CDU which is interesting so I will translate it.

The CDU Germany emphatically demands that the Belarus government release all political prisoners. The Belarus government must allow freedom of expression and assembly and end persecution of all democratic opposition...our friends in the democratic opposition ought to know that the CDU will always stand by their side.