Its not just Cricket

12.00.00pm GMT Thu 25th Nov 2004

Its not just Cricket

The England cricket tour of Zimbabwe has been an extremely controversial issue, why I am not exactly sure. The English, and other, cricket teams should simply not be touring in Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe is a great country and I fell in love with it when I visited in 1999 - just before all the problems were uncovered, sadly with Mugabe in charge the tour should just not happen.

Mugabe is effectively a dictator who practices some of the worst violence any country practices against their own people, rigs elections, intimidates and threatens Opposition Leaders and MPs and is blatantly racist against the small white population. It is inconceivable that the English cricket team would even considering touring there.

The UK, the European Union and the United Nations should instead be pushing for free, fair and democratic elections as well as an end to the state-sponsored violence and discrimination. Zimbabwe has a lot to offer the world, but is not able to offer anything whilst Mugabe is in charge.