Tony Blair

Today I heard on the radio some remarks made by Tony Blair concerning Zimbabwe.

• He pointed out that the situation in Zimbabwe is declining in economic crisis.
• He pointed out that the decline in Zimbabwe's economy is impacting the economy of South Africa by about 3% of GDP per annum in the latter.
• He pointed out that around 3 million people have been forced to leave Zimbabwe as a result of the crisis there, and that life expectancy has fallen to 37 years.
• He also pointed out that an intervensionist policy should not mean military force. The situation in Sierra Leone was of a different kind.

I take heart from his words on the subject of Zimbabwe, because they show some form of interest and engagement with the plight of ordinary people in Zimbabwe.

PCC Tonight

Tonight the PCC of St Barnabas Eltham met to discuss a motion about Zimbabwe. We aim to use the Anglican system of democracy to raise an issue for discussion at General Synod of the Church of England. The route between the parish the General Synod is long and nothing is guaranteed.

However our new PCC discussed a motion for reference to the Deanery Synod (the first step in the process) and it was passed nem con. It calls upon the Deanery Synod to discuss the situation in Zimbabwe. To refer the issue to the Southwark Diocesan Synod for further discussion and reference to the General Synod. The goal is not merely to 'study and reflect' on Zimbabwe, our feeling is that we know enough about the situation. The goal is to identify some active steps that will help to add pressure for change in Zimbabwe.

It would be appropriate if the Anglican Communion, perhaps in the shape of the Archbishops, found the courage to make an unambiguous statement about the present situation in Zimbabwe. A declaration that the present situation cannot be morally justified would be a beginning. It would send a signal to Christians in Zimbabwe, if nothing else, that the present position is unacceptable and that the wider church supports them in their plight.

I hope that it may be so over the coming months, but we will see...

First Day Blog

The purpose of this blog is to chart the progress of a pressure group - Zimbabwe Concern UK - which is based in the Anglican Parish of St Barnabas in Eltham.

In 2000 a group of about twenty people went to Zimbabwe from south east London. Over the last 5 years I have been trying to find a way of helping the people of Zimbabwe, as the situation within the country gets worse. Today in Zimbabwe inflation is out of control, the economy is in crisis, human rights violations are common place. The people are frightened of Zanu-PF and President Robert Mugabe. Robert Mugabe takes the view, that critics can 'go hang'.

About two months ago, I held a straw poll before a service of this interested in Zimbabwe at St Barnabas and put out an offering bowl. £100 was raised in one day to help towards a campaign from the congregation.

The campaign has so far accomplished two things:

1. Letters expressing support for the people of Zimbabwe have been sent to Rt Hon Margaret Beckett MP, the Foreign Secretary. About 100 people have sent letters and replies have come back from the FCO stating their position.

2. An Article was published in the Church of England Newspaper - Why diplomacy may not help Zimbabwe. Actually I think it will help Zimbabwe, but the diplomacy needs to be correctly directed. The reality is that the government of Zimbabwe are, at present, beyond reasonable persausion. The local governments (South Africa, Zambia, Botswana, Namibia) have the best chance to bring pressure to bear on Zimbabwe to end human rights violations and return to democracy. But the signs are not good.

More needs to be done to put pressure on the British government to engage with Zimbabwe. More can be done by the government in terms of symbolic actions, diplomacy and sanctions to move the situation ahead.