A busy day

To the House at 11.00, to ask a supplementary on David Chidgey's question on human rights abuses in the run-up to the recent elections in Sudan (www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld/ldtoday/01.htm#d2e29), and also Roger Roberts' question on the return of unaccompanied 16-17 year old child failed asylum seekers to Afghanistan (www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld/ldtoday/04.htm).

Then back home to cycle up to King's College Hospital with three faeces samples taken over the last three days, and to have five ampoules of blood taken as ordered by the consultant gastroeenterologist who is investigating whether my blood loss is occurring somewhere within his domain.

Then back to the House again, to speak in a 2 1/2 hour debate on Zimbabwe. Generally there are so many speakers that one is confined to just a few minutes, but this afternoon the arithmetic allowed us 12 minutes each (www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld/ldtoday/11.htm#d2e1227). While there was general agreement that the economic situation had improved, as long as the 86-year old Mugabe's grip on power remains, there can never be good governance, the rule of law and observance of human rights norms. Nor can there be a return to the country's former prosperity when the leaders of Zanu-PF and the military are bent on controlling agriculture. mineral extraction and the extraordinarily lucrative diamond fields for their own enrichment.