Pathetic hyperbole from our PM.

Why so much focus on the banana republic of Zimbabwe?

There are loads of terribly run countries in the World: Burma, Angola, Iraq, Iran, Egypt, China, Venezuela, Congo, the list goes on and on.

Simon, Harrogate, UK

Unbelievable! "No crisis" says Mbeki "normal process". He is as much to blame as anyone for Zimbabwe - just what is his problem? Does he beleive the white stooge claims by Mugabe.

Democracy and Africa are obviously incompatible. A real shame

Andrew, Cambridge,

I believe the other African States do bless the Megabe regime
and encourage him with their blessing to keep hold of power.
lets be honest do you think that they want Megabe and his cronies living in any of their countries when he 'retires'.
tooo risky

Sid james, lancashire, england

It makes me wonder if what we are seeing in Zimbabwe is a pre-cursor to South Africa, say, in 10 - 15 years time. I wonder if the ANC would relinquish power in a fairly fought election if some new, popular leader appeared in future? Or would Africas premier state revert to African stereotype and follow the Mugabe route? Surely not as long as Mandela is alive, but afterwards, who knows?

I'm not surprised Mbeki is supporting Mugabe. I'm sure he personally knows right from wrong, but their mutual history of support makes it difficult for him to say so in public. In sure he did so in private however. Either way, it's really quite frustrating given that SA could turn the lights out in Zimbabwe and of Mugabe and his regime at the flick of a switch.

Robert Laundon, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire

Err Mr Brown have you seen what the Israelis are doing to the Palestinians?

John, London,

Why doesn't the world community impose sanctions on South Africa for supporting Mugabe-starting with cancelling the World Football Cup. We are quick to condemn the Chinese so what is so sacred about Africa?

George, Glasgow, UK

Sorry Neil in Gloucestershire, but I as a South African am more than fed up with hearing for the billionth time how the Europeans are always to blame for Africa's ills. True equality will only come to Zimbabwe and South Africa too, when we can look one another in the eye and hold ourselves responsible for our comments and actions irrespective of the colour of our skins. The paternalistic approach adopted particularly by the Brits in regard to African development is anachronistic, and should be regarded with suspicion as yet more closet patronage from the north. If you truly see Mugabe as an equal, then tell him to get the hell out in no uncertain terms and stop bleating about white guilt. The fact that the West in general pussyfoots around the Zimbabwe question is precisely because they are uncomfortably aware of Mugabe as an African leader, and don't know that on earth to do about the lunatic. Imagine him as an African Milosevic and act accordingly.

Julian Begg, Lenham, KENT

It was Peter Mandelson who said "we cant let democracy get in the way of the EU project"
It was Brown who felt so treacherous about signing the Treaty(constitution) he had to do it in private.
As for the manifestos of Liberals and Nu Labour regarding the right of the electorate a vote on the treaty they were not worth the paper they were written on.
Mugabes a tyrant but lets not forget our democratic right was sold for a billion pound rebate,some MEPs pensions and the presidency of europe

Andy Manning, Harpenden, Herts

"Mr Mugabe dismissed Mr Brown as "a little tiny dot" who could not speak for the world.

"If Brown is the world, sure, he will lose patience. I know Brown as a little tiny dot on this planet,” the 84-year-old Zimbabwean leader said."

The ball is in your court....Mr. Dot! Lots of talk...any action?

Garth Strong, San Diego, USA

I can't believe the invective against Gordon Brown (and I'm no Labour supporter). It's not Mr Brown who is delaying the election results (who would believe them now? How long does it take to count votes?). It's not Mr Brown who is banning political meetings. Just get your andt-Labour glasses off anti-Brownites and aim your invective where it belongs - yes, Mugabe and Mbeki. Not a crisis in Zimbabwe - no wonder the ANC voted Mbeki out. Mbeke should remember what happened to a certain Mr Callaghan who wondered where the crisis was. The African leaders are petrified of the MDC because it will show the people that they can get rid of governments - yes, even teh ANC in South Africa. As for those talking about China - well, the last time I looked inflation in China was not at 100,000% nor were people starving.

Ian Burgess, Bristol,

Gordon has spoken!! Mugabe must be shaking in his boots now! Not!!

KMacca, Stoke on T., Staffs

Well I guess Brown knows the signs of people having had enough of useless leaders!

Rob, ex Notts, Vancouver BC

Oh yea. Muagbe must be quaking in his shoes!
Does anybody really think that such a statement will have any impact - except laughter.

Chris, Ashford, Middx, UK

Please Brown may you say the same thing to Presidents Mubarak,Paul Biya,Umar Bongo,PM Zenawi to mention just a few.It may interest you to know that Paul Biya of cameroun has just made himself the life president of that African country,but little or no fuss from the west is coming on that.

Ibrahim Sambo , Abuja, Nigeria

'Little tiny dot' - He got that right!

Rollie, Plymouth, UK

Heard about Quatro? It was a camp in Angola, - lots of ANC skeletons buried in Angola.
Mugabe helped the ANC with camps in Southern Zimbabwe. I wonder how many ANC skeletons are buried in Zimbabwe? Now you can wonder why Mbeki will not say word one to Mugabe.

Pete, Calne, UK

Up until now, I didn't agree with anything that Mr Mugabe says, but to describe Gordon Brown as a "small dot in the world" is about right!

Richard Edwards, Sandy, UK

What if FW de Klerk had held back election results in South Africa in 1994, not allowing Mandela to become the country's first truly democratically elected president?

Would the OAU have said there was no crisis?
Would the OAU have agreed to wait indefinitely while the National Party fudged the results?

RogerP, Pretoria, South Africa

Of course Mbeki will support Mugabe to the end - he is all to aware that where goes ZANU-PF, there goes its fellow "liberation" movement, the ANC.

Arnold Ward, Weybridge, Surrey, UK

Will the ban on political rallies annpounced by the police apply to Zanu PF?

PMS, Southampton, UK

Oh really Mr. Brown! And when, pretty please, is the world going to lose patience with China???

JD, Liverpool,

Big deal ! Brown has a chance to do something and surprise surprise, dithers and obfuscates and finally comes up with more blah, blah, blah.
One would have a hard job to be as incompetent as Mugabe but Brown comes frighteningly close. Definitely the worst British Prime Minister ever.

Dave Reynolds, York, England

Which World Mr Brown are you talking about? Is it the same world sick of your occupation of Basra and dalliance with human rights abusers- China and Saudi Arabia?
Which world Mr. Brown? It must indeed be a weird world that watches Darfur burn and starve and yet be unhealthily obsessed with Zimbabwe!

Gilbert Phiri, Swindon, UK

JMB The operative word is "forms" (of democracy). We have the Democratic Republic of the Congo for one, and the recent "democratic" elections held in Zimbabwe.

Regrettably, the word democracy is one that African leaders hide behind - it is used as a front.

Dave, Knysna,

"Gordon Brown says he is “appalled” by new signs of intimidation ...."

Gordon Brown should stop criticising other countries and put his own house in order. As the most spied on and overregulated society in the world he has huge room for improvement. Only then can he afford to attack Mugabe, irrespective of how appalling Mugabe is.

Steve, Ruislip, Middx

Sorry Neil to blame Cecil John Rhodes for a problem in 2008 is just not credible. Mugabe wants to cling to power and his crony Mbeki is just as guilty of the vicious events now taking place. Just like Iraq most African countries do not subscrib to majority voting principles. There have always been leaders and even if you are in the majority ,what they say goes. Saddam Hussein was a perfect example of this concept.

George Townsend, Elk Grove, CA USA

It is significant that the only SADC country to criticise Mugabe openly is also the only SADC country that has managed to free itself from the rule from their own 'party of liberation'. Hence Mugabe's 'Who is Mwanawasa?" view of the post-colonial world. Opposition parties present an unecessary threat to all other SADC leaders.

There is a relatively simple way to settle the election result if SADC wanted to look for one that spared Zimabweans the ongoing rape, intimidation and violence by the state. Simply allow the 5 million disenfranchised Zimbabweans in the diaspora to cast our vote by post.

The only reason the election may be claimed as a close call to date is because 5 million of us have already had our votes covertly cast for us by the ruling party, to bolster their other key voting bloc (which has surged in recent years) - our dead relatives back home.

Mike Mhepo, Leicester / Harare,

Unfortunately, Zimbabwe, like a lot of Colonial territiories, was an artificially created country, in this case by Cecil Rhodes. His interests were purely business, profit and Empire Building. The rights, needs and interest of indigenous people didn't even come into his thinking, in fact when there land was needed by the colonists they were simply evicted.. The "country's" borders cut across tribal boundaries in a way which today makes it almost impossible to Govern as a unified and homogenous nation. Added to this are the deep tribal tensions and divisions created by the British colonists with their traditional Divide and Rule policy. Remember, Zimbabawe (or Rhodesia as it was called then) was only colonised in the latter half of the 19th century, and in the mid-10th century, when a white minority Government illegally siezed power, there were native people still alive who remembered the European colonisation and land grab. Sadly, Zimbabwe is another victim of European colonialisation

Neil, Gloucestershire, England

Mr Codner, I think that your comment that "democracy" and "Africans" do not mix is a little simplistic. I think that even the most basic of research will show you that there are states within Africa that practice forms of democracy, some that are more aligned with the West conception of democracy than others!

JMB, London, UK

@ peter codner
It is nonsense to suggest that democracy and africans do not mix. If that was so, Africans in Zimbabwe would be celebrating the Mugabe dictactorship they are living under. Instead they are voting against it, and struggling to overcome it!

Charan Muzaya, London, UK

robert hitlarbe is showing the world that democracy and africans do not mix

peter codner, devizes, england