Ian, Austin,TX, USA says:

"Forget the rest of the planet, focus on your people and give them the change they peacefully asked for."

Ian, how can he focus when the West keeps on meddling. Why don't you just lay off? The Zimbabweans will find their own way out of this impasse.

190408

Lim, Johor Bahru, Malaysia

I am no defender of Robert Mugabe - far from it, but I was a little uncomfortable with Gordon Brown's recent comment about a stolen election.

Remind me just how GB became PM. Did he not more or less force out Tony Blair and get himself elected by a couple of hundred votes from a population of 60 million. I challenge his legitimacy to claim he his democratically elected.

I make the comparisonn only over how politicians gain and hold power, not the effects of their leadership.

Brian Gordon, Lydney, Gloucestershire

Depressingly, all black african leaders seem to be corrupt going back to Idi Amin et al

I wonder how much money this man has taken out of the country and stashed away in a foreign bank account?

How will rid us of this turbulent man?

Martin , Rotherham , South Yorkshire

Graham, Brive la Gaillarde, France

If the war in in Iraq was to exploit and plunder it's oil then could you please tell me why the hell I'm paying £4.91 per gallon?

Phill, Cheshire, England

Bring back Rhodesia.

Andrew, Phoenix, Arizona, USA

Why is the pursuit of "oil" supposed to be so ignoble? There is not yet any credible alternative. Without it we starve and end up back in a medieval forest. Via of course lots of terrible violence.
The UK has double its sustainable population. If we are not supposed to care about oil then no immigration at all, instant chucking out of illegals and oh yes one child all round.
We only can pursue "right" things when we have strategic
interests to consider as well.

Findlay, Arbroath, UK

The simple facts under white rule were that the black population was fed, had shelter, had medical aid and were living longer and longer each year under Ian Smith. 28 years under the jackboot of Mugabe, tens of thousands are desperately trying to escape Zimbabwe every year, all except Mugabes hench men are starving to death and there are no medical services. Life expectancy is now less than 40 years and half the population is suffering from Aids. So much for democracy and one man one vote. Perhaps all those old Labour guards that ousted Ian Smith are satisfied that they have reduced Southern Rhodesia to a basket case run by a vicious dictator that has killed thousands of his people. Maybe New Labour should canvass their electorate and remind them they have a vote thanks to Harold Wilson and have self determination even whilst they are beaten or starved to death.

Mike, Alicante, Spain

Mugabe proved that the British gov't are not capable of removing him from power. I feel sorry for this old man Mugabe.
He should look at his angry and deprived people who continue to suffer under his lawless and incompetent gov't.
Mugabe lost the election and must go away for good!

Mahdi , Washington, DC,

So whats new? Zimbabwe weeps, Mugabe smirks and the rest of the world goes to lunch.

Duncan, Cape Town,

I have once been known to support Mbeki.

Mea culpa, mea maxima culpa.

Maurits Kalff, Cape town, South Africa

Graham,

Britain (by which I presume you mean the British government) was keen to restore democracy to Iraq and to remove a tyrant by illegal means. But one does NOT have to ask therefore, why there is no such action in Zimbabwe. These are two unrelated things. Iraq was clearly illegal at the start of the invasion (though arguably it became legal later on but that is a separate issue). It would be wrong for the British to intervene in Zimbabwe simply because it would play straight into Mugabe's hand. What would he say if the British went in?! The British 'antecedent responcibility' is no more than a history and while what it happening in Zimbabwe is absolutely monstrous, it would be totally wrong and very colonialistic for the UK to intervene. An African or UN responce would be much more appropriate.

Paul, Cambridge,

I would suggest you people read the Lancaster Agreement which Britain and USA agreed to pay the white farmers for their land, which they failed to do. Mugabe gave them 20 years to do so, when in the agreement it stated 10 years. This is another case of imperialistic countries not honoring their agreements, and when the other side does something they don't like they embark sanctions upon them.

Perhaps if Africa raised the price on their natural resources, the west will finally wake up. People have a mis-conceptions that Africa is a poor continent, it is by far the riches on the planet, only through manipulations of the IMF and World Bank it has been deceived and tricked and allowed to keep despots in power, doing the bidding of the west and keeping the prices of their resources low.

Ken, Plainfield, NJ, USA

Graham, Brive la Gaillarde

Blair answered this before. "I would intervene if I could, but we've only limited resources."

And what jon livesey said.

If the US wanted Iraq's oil, they could have appeased Saddam rather than overthrowing him.

ja, London,

Zimbabwe is a lost cause. I hope no British taxpayers' money is used to prop up this failed state. It is Africa's problem. Zimbabwe was left in working order twenty odd years ago. It had an effective economy and all the instittutions a country must have and democracy. It has been ruined by corruption and incompetence. Please, please identify sub- Saharan African states that are are managed with competence and integrity and have sufficent resources to make a go of it. Put aid dollars into them, give them access to US and EU markets. Eventually, they will rescue what is left of Zimbabwe. The odd $100 million chucked into the debacle now is not enough to change things but is about right for a shopping trip to New York for a few wives of a Zanu politicians.

Geoff, Sydney,

"Antecedent responsibility"?

Would that be like when Belgium went back into Rwanda and was lambasted from all sides?

Sam Roberts, London,

Mr. Mugabe, why will you not release the results of the election. You can try, with your populist rhetoric, to blame Great Britain, but it is clear to the rest of the world this is only a smoke screen for you to hold on to power. If you won fair and square you should have nothing to fear by releasing the results.

If you love your country as much as you claim, and care about the good and great people of Zimbabwe then respect their votes. Free and fair elections mean legitimacy for rulers. Forget the rest of the planet, focus on your people and give them the change they peacefully asked for. Your time is past, you had your chance and you nearly ruined your country. It's far too late to be attempting to blame Britain.

In response to Graham, I have been liking the French more lately with Pres Sarkozy, however you are in no position to cast moral aspersions on the Brits.Your track record is abysmal when it comes to liberating people. At least Britain has tried.

Ian, Austin,TX, USA

Mugabe says we are paying the population to turn against him so we can take Zimbabwe back over. Surely if we wanted it that much we'd simply invade (which we should have done years ago anyway). Mugabe is kidding himself if he thinks he could stop us.

So why haven't we intervened yet?

Nick Goffin, Loughborough,

Instead of stealing it, couldn't we just buy it back?

Zimbabwe can't be worth more than about a grand based on their current inflation rate...

Andy Coxon, NYC, USA

For heaven's sake! Please lock the man away in a nice, white, padded room already where he can't hurt anymore people...

Louise, London,

Graham, Brive la Gaillarde, France asks "why has there been no equally urgent miitary intervention into Zimbabwe".

It's because people like you would denounce it in a milli-second if we did intervene.

jon livesey, Sunnyvale, CA/US

Graham from France

Perhaps you should focus on France's horrendous involvement in the oil-for-food program, which undermined the UN and emboldened Saddam to continue his murderous ways.

Mary Catherine, Elmhurst, USA/IL

Predictable.
Mugabe seems to have only the one cracked record.

Chris, Ashford, Middx, UK

So, in other words, Mugabe is going to fight on for his office, legal or illegal. Perhaps he's afraid that nobody will welcome him should he decide to leave?

Brett, Salt Lake City, USA

Mugabe has been saying ever since he took power--more than a quarter of a century ago--that Britain was plotting his overthrow and the recolonisation of Zimbabwe. Well, Britain is no longer a first-rate power but certainly enough of one to destabilise such a country. The answer to Mugabe's mad invective is: If he's right Britain has proved totally incompetent; alternatively, Mugabe is totally inadequate to deal with Britain's hegemony. Either way please get rid of this man!.

Michael Phoenix, The Dalles, Oregon, USA

Britain was keen to help restore "democracy" in Iraq and to remove a tyrant by, as some of us believe, indecent and illegal means in a country having no connection with Britain. One has to ask, therefore, that if the refined morality of the British is so committed to the liberation of an oppressed people, why has there been no equally urgent miitary intervention into Zimbabwe, where the UK has some antecedent responsibility?

Could it, just possibly, be because they have no oil?

Graham, Brive la Gaillarde, France

Let us just hope the British are "paying the population" in dollars or sterling.

Not wheel-barrows full of the local currency..

Alan Henderson, Whitley Bay, England

The people of Zimbabwe were probably much better off under UK sovereinty than independent. This would appear the case with many now independent countries, they exploit their own people and have no idea how to benefit their own country and consequently their own people and in fact run the country into the ground when they have all the resources for improvement but are too corrupt and have the nerve to criticise former UK rule.

M. Brown, Amsterdam, Netherlands