Nobel Peace Prize

Were the Norwegians, responsible for choosing the Chinese dissident, Liu Xiaobo, as this years recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize being mischievous.

See D Telegraph report by David Eimer at:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/china/8051148/China-voices-fury-over-Nobel-Peace-Prize-for-criminal.html

The Nobel Committee said Mr Liu was honoured "for his long and non-violent struggle for fundamental human rights in China". The 54-year-old activist, was sentenced last year to 11 years in prison for subversion.

In a strongly-worded citation, the committee criticised China's human rights record.

"Over the past decades, China has achieved economic advances to which history can hardly show any equal. The country now has the world's second largest economy; hundreds of millions of people have been lifted out of poverty. Scope for political participation has also broadened. China's new status must entail increased responsibility," it read.

"China is in breach of several international agreements to which it is a signatory, as well as of its own provisions concerning political rights. Article 35 of China's constitution lays down that 'Citizens of the People's Republic of China enjoy freedom of speech, of the press, of assembly, of association, of procession and of demonstration'. In practice, these freedoms have proved to be distinctly curtailed for China's citizens."

The point is that Liu Xiaobo wanted to change China and therefore its excellent economic progress giving increased prosperity for all its citizens including the poorest. WHY? The country is dragging itself out of the Communist gutter and embracing the spirit of enterprise. Liu Xiaobo has this idea that democracy is a better system; a system we know in the west is wasteful and inefficient and still not able to satisfy all of the people all of the time. Look at the UK were the last Government brought the country to the brink of bankruptcy but still, 33% of the electorate voted to re-elect them. If anything Chinese problems feeding its population are more serious than those in the developed world and therefore less in need of obstacles such as those thrown up by a no doubt well intentioned but silly man whose ambitions pay no heed to the reality. The general public in any country cannot be trusted to do the right thing because the majority of them are necessarily selfish. They do not have the nation at heart and when a politician promises them something for nothing, who can blame them if they vote Lemming.

Give China a chance. It is going to take some time, there are going to be some disappointments, probably some disasters, but in the end they may give the world a better way of Governing; one that serves the needs of increasing populations more efficiently and fairly. Surely that's what Liu Xiaobo would wish.