Turning of the cogs - 7 days of anger

It has barely been a heart beat since Barack Obama won the election, and already I have the feeling the compromise necessary to achieve his goals will be too high a price to pay. We do not know this man, and all of us are willing to given him the benefit of the doubt so that he can prove himself.

Call me a cynic, but from what I have seen of the state of the world at the moment we have no time to give him this benefit. It breaks my heart when I see the actions of a handful of dedicated fanatics in Mumbai, the callous disregard in Zimbabwe, and the dire straits that are inflicting the British economy. What we need is not platitudes, or words, or even half a**ed actions; rather what is needed is a firm hand on the global tiller, and an assertive approach to problem solving.

The Mumbai attacks were brutal, effective, and will probably stall the Afghan process by a few years if India vents her rage. Barack Obama is impotent until the New Year, and Bush has no options open to him due to the squandering of his political capital. The best course of action will be for India to back away from a military solution, and put immense pressure on Pakistan to either extradite or try those to blame for the atrocity. If Pakistan balk at this then India will confront her with an unbreakable military will, and the world will stumble as a result.

Zimbabwe angers me in so many ways, not least because I am sick to the back teeth of the British being blamed for this calamity. It is NOT our fault, I repeat it is NOT our fault. 30 years ago we were responsible for the issues, but now it is manifestly unfair to blame us for the actions of an effective and brutal dictator. He is a bully, thug, murderer, and many other vicious epithets, and ultimately the Zimbabweans themselves need to take responsibility for him. Yes, that's right, the Zimbabwean population need to accept that they caused this horror by re-electing him, and not standing up to him seven years ago when he first started land re-distribution.
Britain did not force Mugabe from paying off his cronies, Britain did not throw the lifelong farmers off their legally owned land, and Britain did not put incompetent cronies in positions of authority. Mugabe, and Zanu PF, were given a free reign by the majority of the population while the good times rolled, and now that his dreams have soured into their nightmares they beg us for help. We offered help, but Mugabe and the Zanu PF machine spurned it. We have no moral responsibility to this country, and we have no moral obligation to send them aid. As a human being I feel sick at the suffering inflicted on the population, but unlike some I think a military intervention would destroy any hope of a lasting solution. Somalia anyone?
Ultimately only the population of Zimbabwe can save themselves, and only once they have sought their own salvation will Britain be able to help. What hope I once saw at the elections has been shredded by the inoculated indifference of the Southern African leaders. They are complicit in the slow strangulation of Zimbabwe, and let them be the ones to answer for the horrors we all see.

Finally we are faced with the destruction of the British economy due to the greed of all of us. We, the fat middle class, have borrowed vast sums to spend on the moment, and now the music has stopped we bleat like sheep for help. Our greed caused this, and now we must accept that we will face a torrid time because of this greed. Like the Mumbai fanatics we stuck dogmatically to our guns until we were spent, and like Zimbabwe we fail to act in the face of flailing leadership. I am just as complicit as the next person, and it is only with the grace of fate that I am not facing an abyssal pit of financial hardship, just yet.
No amount of bailing out or cutting rates will convince me to buy a car or house, and no amount of whining and pleas for pity will convince me that we, the British, did not make the hangman's noose that now surrounds our collective necks. Who wants to live like a pauper when we can live like a prince today? We over spent, and now, simply put, it is time to pay for the party. Are we heading the way of Iceland? Probably, but it will be a long, slow march into the abyss.

In conclusion I am angry at my importance, angry at our impotence, and angry at the collective impotence of our leaders. What is the answer to all of this? Suck it, and see? No, there are no answers, rather there is a realisation that our civilisation is facing a new dark ages unless we accept that the old way is dead, and the future is a path we tread fearfully and darkly.

Rachel
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