New Big Chum

The director of Human Rights Watch, who apparently has been living in blessed ignorance of the doings of New Labour, Chris Graybeing and Theresa May, has urged Britain's Head Boy to do something about, of all things, human rights in Kazakhstan. The former Soviet republic has some oil reserves, but these will be of little concern to the bloke in charge of the greenest government ever, particularly when ethical matters such as business deals are involved. Nevertheless, Daveybloke is toddling off on a sales trip to a country in which Human Rights Watch has documented "credible allegations of torture, the imprisonment of government critics, tight controls over the media and freedom of expression and association, limits in religious freedom, and continuing violation of workers' rights". It is possible that Daveybloke may take exception to controls over the media which are not exerted by his chums at News International; but since the rest amounts to little more than a wish list for the British Home Office, he may experience some difficulty in persuading the Kazakhstan government of any moral concerns he may have.