Is Kay Burley there yet!!

Be intersting to see what happens to the RSA over the net few years. Hope it does't descend into chaos.

A truly great man. RIP.

What a great and magnanimous man.

Was he a patron of the RSA?

the next couple of weeks are going to be a nightmare with non stop fawning over him in the press and on the news.everyone will be fighting to get their mugs in the limelight to say how they were his number one fan........

Let's be honest here, this gentleman helped change the way a lot of people think and believed

Well quite. I mean, when Cameron was in the Young Conservatives, they produced a poster advocating his execution. And now, Cameron doesn't support the reintroduction of capital punishment. So... y'know...

Gorbachev was far more important and influential in how the modern world has changed.

It's entertaining watching @LouiseMensch trying to spin her way out of bother on twitter

One would hope Dewani has a taxi waiting for her at the airport.

Not a great morning for our dear leader

What has she said ? Must be something not very nice.

The two-faced piece of .... but it really is no surprise.

Politicians will always get bitten on their arrses by their statements until the day they learn to say "sorry I was wrong and now I've changed my mind" realising that such an admission is not a sign of weakness, like the rest of us do as further analysis of anything brings different realisations later on.

I won't hold my breath for politicians to understand this though.

Shouldn't she be on "menschn" instead?

There ain't not no menschn no longer

In the interests of accuracy, Cameron himself was not involved in the poster.

He did, however, go on an all-expenses paid junket to apartheid South Africa to 'see for himself'. It was funded by a firm that lobbied on behalf of the apartheid state. [url=http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/camerons-freebie-to-apartheid-south-africa-1674367.htmlStory[/url

And as has already been said, people can change their minds.

Mandela wasn't great he was human.
It's all about the individual.
If I'd have been born on the Falls Road, Belfast, I'd have been killing British soldiers.
If I'd have been born in Fallujah, I'd have beeen killing American soldiers.
If anybody comes into the town I live with intent to harm people I love and know, I'll be killing them.

To me, t's simple arithmetic.

The greatness comes in subsequently deciding not to seek retribution once in power, but reconciliation. Many don't or would not.

Mandela was a great man, by most people's definition. He is one of the iconic and revolutionary figures of the 20th century whose personal impact was felt across the world. What has to happen to achieve "greatness", in your definition?

The overwhelming majority of the people who lived on the Falls Road during the Troubles never killed anybody.

One who did change his mind was Michael Howard. He was pro capital-punishment until as Home Secretary he was in office when convictions were quashed for IRA bombings, the Birmingham-six ones I think. He had the sense to admit all the people now proved innocent would have been most likely dead had is previous pro-capital punishment view prevailed.

The fact they were convicted the way they were probably had something to do with it as it no doubt proved to him the execution of justice (no pun intended) could be far from perfect. Just because jury convicts doesn't mean they were not seriously misled.

Why he couldn't work this out before the Birmingham-six were freed I don't know as potentially topping the innocent is the most obvious flaw with capital punishment but he least he did change his view eventually.

It was just Mensch being Mensch.

It all kicked off when someone reminded her of a tweet of hers in April after Thatcher's death:

Louise Mensch ‏@LouiseMensch 8 Apr

[iPygmies of the left so predictably embarrassing yourselves, know this: not a one of your leaders will ever be globally mourned like her.[/i

She then replied that she didn't consider Mandela to be "of the left"

This was swiftly followed by reminders of the ANC's political affiliations and support for trades unions etc.

More waffle from Mensch and then she went unusually quiet after someone posted a couple of photographs:

I think you will find it is in chaos already.

A young black South African girl who worked in a clients office told me that the reason she and her family left was because of the violence, corruption and (still) the lack of prospects for a black kid from a poor background. One evil regime has been replaced by another, the difference was that the former regime was white and treat blacks appallingly, while the new is mainly blacks shafting their own.

This.......everyone expected him to retaliate,even some of his cabinet but he refused too.Didn't Clinton once say that when Mandela spoke you listenend as he had earns that right,the world has lost a great man.