Eight Balls

Daveybloke, the Cuddly Conservative, has been doing his statesman thing again. Since Churchill apparently didn't do much in any year ending in an 8, Daveybloke has roped in the Czech prime minister as co-author of a bit of Torygraph huffery-puffery about the Prague Spring. As in 1968, Russia has invaded a sovereign nation; and, as in 1968, the year ends in an 8; therefore, as always, the lessons of history must be learned. Georgia's actions in trying to crush a nascent independence movement, whatever their wisdom compared to the actions of Serbia in 1998, do not justify the invasion of a sovereign country by a powerful neighbour. The invasion of Iraq, which Daveybloke's party enthusiastically supported, is presumably justified on the grounds that the powerful countries which took part were not neighbours of Saddam Hussein, except in the Good Samaritan sense of helpers and supporters in time of need. Daveybloke and his co-author observe that the West's "morally ambivalent approach" to the crushing of socialism with a human face was countered as early as 1988 by an "inspiring message of solidarity" from General Pinochet's friend Margaret Thatcher. This is relevant today because "one cannot grant people only a part of their freedom and draw a line and forbid them to trespass across it", as when Iraqis are permitted to elect only US-approved governments; a morally ambivalent dodge to say the least, which Thatcher and Daveybloke no doubt oppose with virtually every fibre of their being.