I'm sure all the posters on this site will join me in congratulating John Howard on his principled stand in refusing to allow the Australian cricket team to tour Zimbabwe.

As the great man said ; "I have no doubt that if this tour goes ahead it will be an enormous boost to this grubby dictator."

Even the most pinko latte-sippers would see that sense has prevailed in this instance.

gw

Surprise, Surprise, the Zimbabwean dictatorship is now accusing Australia of racism.

Never mind Mugabe's treatment of white farmers. Never mind the many African refugees Australia has accepted over the years. Never mind that Australia has bent over backwards to accommodate non-European immigrants over the last several decades, even at the expense of its European-descended majority.

No, Zimbabwe has the effrontery to accuse Australia of being "one of the worst human rights violators in this whole world." Canberra should immediately cut all ties with this abhorrent regime.

In fact, all this reminds me of Dr. Mahathir's anti-Australian tirades back in the 1990s. Australia should have cut official ties with Malaysia back then, just as it should sever all ties with Zimbabwe now. Why do our governments continuously allow our country and its people to be denigrated by foreign governments?

Pinkos, and I am as opposed to them as anyone would agree we had to stop the trip.
So well done John Howard, and those black eye brows go well with the near white hair!
You however would still turn Bob Menzies in his grave.
Another question must be asked of South Africa, why can such a country with such a history betray every thing it once stood for by not acting?

Agreed,

I have South African friends all of whom are seriously worried that South Africa will go the same way. The language of the ANC government is beginning to mirror Mugabe's in some respects.

gw

South Africa will go the same way...it may take some time but it will happen. Some white South Africans are already quietly moving out while they can. Zimbabwe took time to descend into the chaos and corruption it now is.
Is there much point in responding to name calling? It is not going to change Mugabe's attitude. Nothing will change his attitude.
If there was oil in Zimbabwe then the international community might do something about it, as it is there is little that can legitimately be done.
Colonialism had many problems and many bad points but it was able to bring tribal groupings together under one government and the standard of living was better. If Mugabe was not from the ruling tribal grouping he would want assistance from the UK.
My guess is that Cricket Australia (and probably even most members of the ICC) have breathed a sigh of relief at the decision.

John Howard should be congratulated for his stand which links sport and politics. He has also been keen to distance himself from the Liberal party policies at the time of the springbok tour.

Of course then there was a conservative majority in Australia who supported both the football and the politics of apartheid. Exactly where did he stand at the time?

It is a pity that Howard still supports the coalition's discredited policies on the Vietnam war, when he said recently that he was right about the government's attitude to that war. No one asked him which part he was right about? I'd like o hea that one! Of course he is still right about the Iraq debacle as well. Now we have to stay there to try to sort out the mess he helped create.

The Prime Minister does not want to give Mugabe a propaganda victory. If Howard is looking for more than one of his own, he should consider how we can help the oppressed peoples of Burma. That will be a lot harder than stopping a cricket tour.