Not Zimbabwe yet

The Independent reports that the Ministry of Defence, fresh from gagging SAS whistleblower Ben Griffin, has obtained a court order to stop the intermittent peace camp outside the Aldermaston nuclear weapons facility. The Indy criticises the move as another curtailment of the right to protest, which is true, but is that the intention? The monthly protests have attracted little attention but the story is now front page news and the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament is drumming up support for a day of action to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the first Aldermaston march.

Meanwhile the Indy has another story about how a Zimbabwean trade unionist was tortured and made to say 'Robert Mugabe is always right'. That's true big brother stuff and however obsessive and repressive Gordon Brown is becoming, we're not quite at that level yet.