The Pride of Nations

We are all disgusted when a natural disaster of horrifying scale strikes a nation and the government does not seem to bend over backwards to help its citizens, possibly due to their ethnicity.

We're troubled when they allow political differences to bar entry to much needed humanitarian assistance, despite being unable to deal with the consequences of the disaster. When a government puts "face" above the good of its people it helps us to recognise a government without a moral centre. Especially when it's leaders are relaxing elsewhere.

Many of us are concerned when we realise that there appears to be no urgency to the idea of reconstruction and allowing the poorest to suffer in the most terrible of circumstances, and the ability of the press to report is restricted.

When a belligerent government, who is despised by many in the international community, is seen to care so little for its own people that it purports to protect many are caused not a little consternation. All because of ideology, all because of national isolationism, all because of idiocy and corruption, all because they see the people as an inconvenience and an unwanted expense.

But the lessons of Hurricane Katrina, that the government's interests are often opposed to the interests of the people, seem to be ones that require repeating over and again lest that very government starts posturing and making out they have the moral authority to lecture others on how they put their own political agenda above the good of the people.