I sincerely hope it's true, but Mugabe has got form here. He won't be conceding with any gracious speech.

In fact he'll be doing whatever it takes to cling to power.

The MDC (Movement for Democratic Change) believe this time they have won and that Mugabe is out on his ear.

Zimbabwe is suffering from the highest inflation rate anywhere in the world, and only 20% of the working population have a job.

The country is in ruins and the abuses that Mugabe has put upon his people over 30 years stand out as one of the worst breaches of human leadership the world has known in modern times, perhaps ever.

I desperately want to see Mugabe beaten. He's 84 – so he can't go on forever, but just one more day is too long.

We can't be sure what the MDC will bring, although it has to be an improvement.

But perhaps the most significant thing they can bring is hope. The people of Zimbabwe deserve Hope – something they haven't had in years.


Speaking about hope – here's someone who had a dream…

This week is the 40th anniversary of the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.

On April 4th 1968 MLK was gunned down whilst staying at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee.

Located at that motel now is the US Civil Rights museum. I visited the museum last Summer when I was over there. It's a great testimony to the battles that were fought at that time – and of course it's not just about MLK.

The story of Rosa Parks, the Freedom Riders, the great Marches, the sit-ins, the KKK and all the rest is explained and dramatically portrayed, giving an indication of what those times were like, in a way that is difficult to imagine today.

Bizarrely, outside the museum sits a lady who has protested against the museum every single day since the museum opened (in 1991). Her complaint is that the 10 million dollars the US government spent to open the museum, could have been better spent.

I couldn't disagree more. The whole point is about education. I was there on a fairly quiet Sunday afternoon, but even then there were dozens of schoolkids all learning about this most significant part of US history. And as we all know, if we don't learn from history, it repeats itself.

One of the things I find so astonishing (as I celebrate my 40something birthday this week) is that MLK, who achieved so much in his life, died before he even reached his 40th. Astonishing.

MLK changed history because he changed the political wind. And interestingly for a political figure, he never endorsed a political party, ever.

He got all the politicians to engage with and sign up to his agenda. There's a lesson there for today – doing what is right is more important than your party colour.


My blog
By the way, people have asked me why I have taken my blog down.

It's because I am now heavily involved with another project that demands just about all of my time – so I am focussing on that at this time.

There's nothing worse than a blog that's out of date – so I've taken it down temporarily – It'll be back in a few weeks.

Have a good week.


Ian writes his own blog at www.iloveeastbourne.co.uk