What is your opinion/wisdom/information about the Thatcher/Mann/Archer?/Equatorial Guinea/Zimbabwe plot? It is a fascinating story which touches on all sorts of dark and dangerous ground. The news started in March, the Guardian has a good introduction herea guide to what is going on here, and a who's who as well, it's all fascinating, sinister and weird.

Monbiot is obviously fuming...

"Mann and Thatcher (Harrow, too thick for anywhere else) belong to a class which still believes it has a God-given right to oversee the lives of the Africans. Among Lady Thatcher's friends with homes on the slopes of Table Mountain was John Aspinall (Rugby, Oxford, Royal Marines), the gambling millionaire, zoo-keeper and remnant of that species of upper-class British fascist that used to keep the Duke of Windsor company. Aspinall believed that most of the human population should be culled by means of "benign genocide". He argued that "medical research should be funded into abortion, infanticide, euthanasia and birth control" and described his third wife as "a perfect example of the primate female, ready to serve the dominant male and make his life agreeable". Aspinall worked with Mangosuthu Buthelezi to undermine the African National Congress. He argued that South Africa should be split into 30 bantustans.

"Aspers" was the hub of a circle of rightwing extremists who sought to meddle in the affairs of Europe's former colonies. Robin Birley, the son of one of his closest friends, was mauled by one of Aspinall's tigers when he was 12, but this did their relationship no harm. Birley's mother left her husband for Aspinall's chum Sir James Goldsmith, and both Aspers and Birley (who inherited Annabel's, London's poshest nightclub, from his father) stood as candidates for Goldsmith's Referendum party. Some years ago, I had a furious row with Birley after he told me that he believed he had not just a right but a duty to give help to Renamo, the South African-backed force which terrorised the people of Mozambique."

Mann is a fascinating, evil character... and has just been convicted and scentenced to ten years in Zimbabwe, the arbiter of international justice!

"Mann founded his company, Executive Outcomes, with the British businessman Tony Buckingham. Buckingham counted among his friends the privy counsellor and former leader of the Social Democrats, Lord Steel.Until 1997 when he resigned, Steel was a director of one of Buckingham's other African interests, a company called Heritage Oil and Gas. He said at the time that his resignation was due to the company's restructuring, but later reports said that he resigned because of its connections with Executive Outcomes." (executive Outcomes has a history of dodgy actions... investigations and stories are linked from this page. These incluse protecting oil instalations in Angola. I met a PR man from Chevron Texaco (who I have heard described as 'running Angola') he told me that Mann worked for Chevron Texaco in Angola a few years ago, they were also involved in Sierra Leone when the British Army was there 'peacekeeping')

Meanwhile, the Equatorial Guinean 'opposition' hide out in (ex imperial rulers) Spain in waiting

Among the cast list of mercenaries and rightwing businessmen dragged into the alleged coup affair, Severo Moto, the self-styled "president" of the Equatorial Guinea government in exile, has emerged as a pivotal figure. Well-placed South African sources said that he was flown to neighbouring Mali on the eve of the coup, in preparation for his unveiling as the country's new leader.

But Mr Moto, who has been in exile in Spain since 1999, yesterday denied any involvement with Sir Mark Thatcher or the alleged coup attempt in the former Spanish colony. "The claims are absolutely false," he told the Guardian. "I didn't even know [Lady] Thatcher had a son." However, other sources in Madrid said it was common knowledge that Mr Moto had been planning to overthrow President Teodoro Obiang Nguema .... more

Obviously this all has something to do with OIL. Loads has been discovered in recent years in West Africa, which is causing renewed instability and conflict in the region (as predicted in this page on the 16th of March.

It looks like the US and UK governments are getting dragged into the row now.

any other news? sources? opinions?