I confess to being a bit of an armchair politician - in the same way that I am an armchair referee, coach, commentator and so on - but I couldn't have stayed in my armchair, even if I had been in it, when I heard about Robert Mugabe attending the UN food summit in Rome, despite the fact that he is banned from Europe. It's like some kind of sick joke and it shouldn't happen. On a broader note, though, it makes me think about how Christians should face conflict. Too often we take the easy route and avoid confronting someone even when they are clearly wrong. We have adopted the idea that this is what Jesus would want us to do, despite the fact that we see him provoking leaders, turning over tables in the place that was like a cross between Parliament and St Paul's Cathedral, calling his best friend 'Satan', condemning a pig-farmer's livelihood to a lake and so on. Jesus didn't seem to mind offending people if it served a greater purpose. I have no questions about the fact the the international community should stand up to Robert Mugabe, and even if I don't always like it, it seems to me that we should be prepared to be those who stand up for right more often than we do. It seems to me that this is what Jesus would do...