Interesting, indeed, all this talk about what has happened in Zimbabwe under Mugabe. Remember how he came to power? So can anyone other than Polyanna really be surprised at what has transpired since? Look at what has happened all around subSaharan Africa since the 1960s. Why should Zimbabe be noticably different?

South Africa will be next to be run into the ground. Just give it another couple of decades.

It is time for the European nations and the United States to butt out of how Africans run Africa. Most colonial powers, and particularly Britain, when they departed, left their former colonies, to one extent or another, with reasonably good infrastructure, a fair legal system, and an educated elite. Now it is long past the time to let the Africans run their countries as they see fit, and for Europeans and Americans to stop wringing their hands about, and trying to influence, the internal political affairs of the African nations.

Terry L. Walker , Ladson, SC / USA

"Britain must find it's voice in Zimbabwe" Hmmmm. Do you mean in the same way that the British found their voice in not only Zimbabwe, but also the other countries that we have left in a mess. Britain should mind it's own business unless, and only unless, it is going to help financially with no conditions.

Everything that we touch goes sour. This is because we only touch a country if we can profit from it. Young countries must be allowed to grow up, making their mistakes on the way - just like children. Old countries should not be so convinced that their way is the best way.

Feed them, build factories, certainly but don't tell them how to live their lives, or put one of our puppets in power.

Nick, Leicestershire, I understand your point of view but those days are gone. Now we just pretend to help in order to take what we want.

I only need one word to finish, "Iraq".

Marc, Paris,

It has been hard for the U.K. 'to do more' when Mugabe has had no condemnation and, in many cases, open support from neighboring countries' leaders who were either as corrupt as him, or were not, but still supported him.

Bill Atkins, Rehoboth Beach, USA

Whether a country whose electoral system has been redesigned for easy riggability should have anything to say to Zimbabwe about the conduct of its elections is another matter.

As long as the British electoral system allows me to invent dozens of non-existent flatmates and put them on the electoral roll, I think we need to keep quiet about electoral malpractice.

Antonia Harper, Slough,

We are told that the matter lies in the hands of the most senior army officers who are the only people holding the power to direct a change in this election. I would argue that those army officers can be approached on the basis of losing their international status if they continue to support such a blatantly obvious fraud. The most obvious pressure can be brought by the likes of the most senior people in Western military academies, standing up to tell these army officers, they will be shunned by their ilk outside their borders. That no individual of any military status will evermore deal with them in any way. Another idea would be for these same military institutions to deliver the final acceptance for any smaller nation's military to call themselves, for example, "General". That without such affirmation of the basic principles of justice in their nations, their military will have no status outside of their borders. It is the status of the title "General" these military hold most dear.

Chris Coles, Medstead, Alton, United Kingdom

Time for Britain to speak up? Are you kidding? It has LONG been time for Britain, and the rest of the Western world, to "speak up."

Watching the white people of Europe and America dither, temporize, and make excuses for Mugabe and his henchmen is the most shameful thing I have ever seen. They would literally rather see Mugabe kill, torture and destroy a once idyllic nation rather than admit they were wrong in agitating for the end of Rhodesia.

When the history of these times are written Ms. Maddox, it will be you and your friends in the press who will be held to account for your complicity in Mugabe's reign of terror. You are complicit because you and your lefty press brethern refused to hold Mugabe to account for his actions.

Zimbabwe is dead now, it's too late to pretend to be concerned.

-Ken

Ken, Greensboro, nc

If, and it is a big IF that Mugabe and his party are overturned at this election does not mean that Britain should pour in millions of Aid. Granted that certain help will be needed to put that country back together but the best way is to invite the farmers evicted from their farms to come back and help rebuild the agricultural sector so that the country can first feed itself. We've been down the Aid road to Africa many times over the past 40 odd years and it has been a disaster, please don't repeat the mistakes of the past whereby Swiss bank accounts are swelled while the common man begs!
It will time to call on all the old Africa hands to help with this disaster inherited by Mugabe.

Colin Hills, Stuttgart, Germany

I'm British and have never felt ashamed of our colonial past. It might have been oppressive, but almost no-one who is alive now was alive in its hey-day, so it is time for us to stop being guilty.

If I had my way we would have invaded Zimbabwe, kicked Mugabe out and set up a decent government years ago. Britain is no longer colonial and going by his human rights abuses, such a move is completely justified.

To be honest even we were still colonial, it would a justified move. British Colonialism may have been oppressive, but we did a better job of running Zimbabwe than Mugabe is doing.

Nick, Leicestershire, England

The british should never have helped a terrorrist government obtain power.Now they must speak up against it and help bring it down.Mugabe is rigging the vote,again,and he is going to get away with it.What can an unarmed starving man do against the beast that is Mugabes army.The people are broken,and any form of resistnce will be crushed immediately,the people of Zimbabwe are to afraid,do you blame them?The british need to deal with the situation immediately,the whole affair is there fault,they should not have helped the government get into power in the first place.Ian smith was doing a great job ,why did they help to get him kicked out?

Garth Bufe, Durban, South Africa

Go Gerna; that's telling them.

GK, Calgary, Canada

One question that jumps to mind is will this situation emulate what occured in Kenya Earlier this year?

Britain missed Several Opportunites to assist Zimbabwe. And President Mugabe and his pride allowed for the situation to get worse without asking for any assistance at all.

Scott Morgan, Farmville, Virginia USA

I agree 100% with Gerna Van Rooyen. Zimbabwe/Rhodesia would be a great country for all if the British under Harold Wilson had left Ian Smith in control and had, like the USA now after 9/11, condemned terrorism in all its forms for it has now been proven, as it was stated at the time, that the freedom fighters were all power grabbers without any skills except murder and propaganda. Maggie Thatcher knew this and had the guts to say so at the time. Now South Africa has to go through the same problems. My children still live in SA, but at least my eldest one can speak Chinese... And she is a hot-shot with a pistol, and essential quality in the new SA.

And we thought Marxism was dead after its many failures.

B J Deller, Marbella, Spain

I am a SA immigrating to the UK, honoured to call the UK my new country and proud of the British way of life. You were a colonial EMPIRE, STOP being ashamed of the fact. Does France and Spain still feel guilty about it? Don't think so! SA is being overrun by a tsunami of crime, corruption and injustice, affecting all races and cultures - 25% of Zim population is illegally in SA and contributing to the crime as a matter of survival. Now don't go "poor things" - that empathy goes out of the window when your wife is raped in front of you during a robbery with a cellphone the only loot, or your son being shot and killed for his old Toyota. I think your misplaced guilt over colonialism has done more damage thatn the actual act of colonialising has ever done, Understand that Mbeki is no longer ruling SA and loyalty prevented him from taking a stronger stance on ZIM. Your PC actions has left a country in ruins, with little hope of recovery and a huge impact on SA... and the UK?

Gerna van Rooyen, Pretoria , SA

The UK has never been a reliable partner in Zimbabwe. I'm a Zimbabwean, my goal - Even if Tsvangarai wins, is to keep the Britons out!!! You are increasingly not a fit in our modern Country with indegenisation aspirations. We have white Rhodesians who we have never come to like..Get out and keep out...

Zvo, Harara/Zim,