Walter Humes

Worst of 2008

The failure of the international community to do anything effective about the situation in Zimbabwe must rank as one of the most depressing features of 2008. I suppose it is understandable that Western countries, with their dubious record of colonialism, have been reluctant to intervene directly, but their response to Mugabe's arrogant taunts has been hopelessly weak. Brief soundbites aside, I have not heard any British politician offer a proper analysis of the tyranny Mugabe has wrought upon his own people. He has employed all the familiar techniques of oppression: fear and intimidation; divide and rule; bribery and corruption; jerrymandering of elections; abuse of the legal system; silencing of the press; torture and murder. In the wake of his destruction of the country's economic system, we now have the horror of a cholera epidemic. We have had to witness on television the obscene spectacle of him denying that there is a problem and being applauded by his supporters.
     As for African countries, their record is not much better. They have preferred the 'diplomatic' route, despite the repeated evidence that Mugabe has nothing but contempt for their efforts. Of course, part of the reason for their feebleness is the realisation by their leaders that their own democratic credentials are, in many cases, less than convincing. If they were to remove Mugabe by force, their turn could be next. Meanwhile, the poor people of Zimbabwe can only pray for the demise of their president by one means or another.

Best of 2008

I had no great hopes of the Bejing Olympics, having been cheesed off by the usual excessive hype of the BBC in advance of the event. The British athletics team duly obliged by failing to live up to expectations. But there were several pleasant surprises in sports that do not usually get much attention – swimming, sailing and cycling. Scotland's Chris Hoy proved a wonderful ambassador for his country by not only winning three gold medals but also coming across as personable and modest in interviews. He paid handsome tribute to the support he had received from his family, his team mates and all those behind-the-scenes staff who had made success possible. In this he contrasted markedly with that licensed buffoon, Boris Johnson, the Mayor of London, whose speech of acceptance for the 2012 games in London was an embarrassment. The public clearly shared my appreciation of Hoy's achievement, and the manner in which he conducted himself, by voting for him in large numbers as BBC Sports Personality of the Year.

Book of 2008

The book that made the most impact on me during 2008 was Maggie Fergusson's splendid biography of the Orcadian writer George Mackay Brown. I picked it up in a bookshop in Stromness while on a brief visit to Orkney. It captivated me from beginning to end. Not only is it a scrupulously researched study of the man and his work, it is a wonderful evocation of the landscape that inspired so many of Brown's poems and stories. We gain a vivid sense of his struggles – against poverty, depression and ill-health – but also of his courage and creativity in transforming the material of a restricted life into words that express many of the eternal truths of the human condition.

Walter Humes is research professor in education at the University of the West of Scotland

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