Britain's Prime Minister Gordon Brown will be demonstrably absent from the opening ceremony of this summer's Olympic Games in Beijing. However, he emphasizes that this shouldn't be seen as a boycott, merely as a cost-saving decision. (Right; a politician worried about a flight and hotel bill.) It is, of course, a typical political ploy of trying to play the middle course. In this case, Brown is trying to minimize the new pressure created by Tibet sympathizers but still not completely alienate the Communist thugs who run China.This story in the Independent (U.K.) calls Brown's decision "a bruising snub to the Chinese government" but it isn't really. These cats don't bruise easily. They've proven impervious to the weak-kneed protests that sometimes sqeak out from the West over China's monstrous litany of human rights abuses. Gordon Brown's absence isn't going to bother them much.
When will Western leaders find conscience and will enough to substantially protest China's barbaric tyranny? Don't hold your breath.
