Libya shames us all

Libya stands at the brink of a bloody civil war, their dictatorial leader Colonel Gaddafi played both the sweetheart and the villain to Western governments. He ordered terrorist attacks, funded brutal mercenary forces such as the Lord's Resistance Army who massacred and terrorised innocent people in Sudan, Uganda and the DRC, and has ruled his oil rich country with an iron fist. 

Yet, this man is ordering his troops to shoot his own protesting people with weapons we sold him, Tony Blair pulled him into the loving embrace of the markets with all apparently forgiven over the Lockerbie bombing and the murder of Yvonne Fletcher, not mention his funding of the IRA. We educated his children and lapped up his donations while conveniently ignoring the rantings of this looney. 

The west is dithering around, convening meetings and issuing empty statements about stopping the violence, knowing full well that this man will never give up power. It isn't as if he's even denying any of this, he has no qualms about butchering his people one day and giving them free money the next. One minute everyone's on drugs, the next it's Osama Bin Laden himself causing all this bother. Clearly the man is completely sane and willing to heed the warnings of the UN.

Now David Cameron, who clearly thinks he's the dog's bollocks of the international community, is trying detract attention from his government's abysmal and shameful response to rescuing British nationals trapped in the fighting by bluffing over military intervention. It's all hot air and everyone knows it, but while he postures and primps, people are dying and we are powerless to stop it. 

The Middle East's-a-burnin'

So the Egyptian masses actually pulled it off. The western masses watched the compelling scenes of thousands of protesters refusing to leave until their president of 30 years let go of power. The western governments were watching from behind the sofa, their fingers crossed, hoping that it would all go away. 

Our governments are highly selective when it comes to democracy. They use as an excuse to depose out-of-favour leaders like Saddam, manipulate it to keep stability in troubled regions like Rwanda, where Kagame rules with an iron fist and wins "democratic" elections by 95%, or downright ignore it when it comes to allies like Mubarak. Grumbles about the Middle East Peace Process being threatened are nonsense - the only achievement so far is that Israel hasn't nuked anyone, and quite frankly that's all that will ever be achieved. A small state of Zionists surrounded by angry Muslims, some of whom have been displaced is never going to be peaceful. Suck it up.

There is a fear that Islamic extremists will take over countries like Tunisia and Egypt, but I don't think this will be the case. This generation have lived under autocratic and undemocratic governments all of their lives and groups like the Muslim Brotherhood do not offer the freedom and equality they crave. It is becoming harder and harder for regimes to cut off their populations from the outside world and control communication. Twitter and Facebook have proved instrumental in these protests and given soul to these generic fluffballs of social networking.

Protests are mounting in Yemen and Algeria, and all eyes are on who will fall next. I'm rooting for Iran and Saudi Arabia. How I would love to watch the Saudi Royal Family fall. This is one of the most exciting periods in political history in years; in a year's time the whole of the Middle East could be under new rule. 

I hope our governments will embrace these movements more, and relish the opportunities they bring, but will resist the temptation to meddle in them. These movements must be the will of the people, after decades of domination, it is finally their time. 

Hope for Sudan yet?

The current referendum on Southern Sudan breaking away from the North will change the face of Africa. I think, as most experts do, that they will vote with a resounding 'yes' and hopefully come summer they will break away from the vile presidency of Omar Bashir.

He is a man with two international arrest warrants for genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity -warrants that shamefully have not been acted on, even when he openly travels to other countries. He has vowed to impose even stricter Sharia law onto the North if the South secedes, another reason for the South to escape - they are not Muslim, to have such diabolical and backward laws must be hard enough, but to have them imposed on you in your own country when you don't even share any of the ideology must be unfathomable.

But it will come down to oil, as ever. The oil fields sit mainly in the South, the money generated largely goes to the North, and how this is negotiated will be the difference between civil war and freedom.

Sudan is very much a country of two halves, the North is a barren desert, under Sharia law and Arab dominated, the South is lusher, oil rich, black african and generally Christian. Not many countries are so obviously naturally divided.

I'm not demonising the North at all, we travelled through it and it was bustling and so much friendlier than Egypt, where we had come from. The locals were stunned and ecstatic to discover we were not aid workers, or UN but were simply tourists. I think the people crave normality, and deserve it, North and South.

Sadly, I don't think they'll get it. Not with the shadow of Darfur still lingering, not with a criminal president and not while their country splits apart. It is the right move, but turbulent times ahead will mean more suffering for this glorious country, I sincerely hope it's worth it.