What do you think about the decison of John Howard and what do you think the right answer was.

Please, you first- tell us what is your take on the issue.

It has been debated here this thread may have pushed the existing one of of the page.

Australians should go to Zimbabwe, head bowed and full of apology.
We should make a declaration of contrition as follows:

"We deeply regret the crimes of history which our kind did to your kind, how we took 90% of the good land, for our 10% of the population, how we herded you africans to the worst 10% of the land, while we reaped the unending rewards of the land we took from you.
We come here now, in solidarity with you, and vow to seek ways of acheiving reconciliation and justice"

and no, I don't plan to win any popularity contests with the above.

Nice thought, Boaz, but we could do exactly the same without leaving our shores, simply substitute the word "australian" for "african".

>>Australians should go to Zimbabwe, head bowed and full of apology.
We should make a declaration of contrition as follows: "We deeply regret the crimes of history which our kind did to your kind, how we took 90% of the good land, for our 10% of the population, how we herded you africans to the worst 10% of the land, while we reaped the unending rewards of the land we took from you"<<

It's the "first stone" view of history - is it fair that we excoriate others for sins that we have committed, and continue to commit? Or even for sins we used to commit (industrial pollution) and that we now want everyone else to stop?

We can be shown to be hypocritical in this and so many other postures that we adopt in the world of "human rights". If ever there was a "make it up as you go" mentality, this is it.

Howard made - as he always does - a politically expedient decision. It was not based on morality or principle. He made an assessment whether keeping quiet was more expensive in terms of votes than speaking up, and performed accordingly.

Anyone who believes he made it out of care and concern for his African Brothers In Chains Under The Mugabe Jackboot is simply delusional.