Following its third straight defeat, earlier this year, the UK Conservative Party is choosing a new leader.

The Conservative members of the House of Commons ballot, with the last placed candidate being eliminated, until there are two candidates left.

The whole dues paying membership of the party then votes for which of the two candidates becomes the leader.

Result of the First Ballot of MP's - 18th October 2005

David Davis (centre-right of party)        62

David Cameron (centre-left of party)       56

Dr Liam Fox (right of party -
 social conservative by UK standards)      42

Ken Clarke (left of party -
only candidate the public has heard of)    38 (eliminated)

Some British soldiers have been charged with war crimes for mistreating detainees in Iraq. The military are very unhappy.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,2763,1532223,00.html

"Three British soldiers are - for the first time - to stand trial for war crimes against Iraqi detainees under the jurisdiction of the international criminal court (ICC), the attorney general, Lord Goldsmith, said last night.
In an unprecedented move that top military commanders have feared since the ICC Act's introduction in 2001, British soldiers face prosecution for the war crime of inhuman treatment of detainees, although the men will face court martial in this country rather than being tried in The Hague.
Eleven servicemen face a range of charges in two separate cases arising from alleged incidents in the southern Iraqi city of Basra in September 2003.
...
One of the detainees, Baha Da'oud Salim Musa, was allegedly inhumanely treated and killed by one of those charged, Corporal Donald Payne, 34, of the Queen's Lancashire Regiment".

More below the fold.

Following my diary yesterday reporting on the delivery of a letter of claim to 10 Downing Street the event has now been reported in the British press. Remember tomorrow is voting day in the UK. One of the relatives of British servicemen killed in Iraq, who is bringing the claim is Reg Keys. Mr Keys is the Independent candidate opposing Tony Blair in his Sedgefield constituency.

Cross posted from New European Times

The first step has been taken which will almost certainly lead to a court action relating to the war, as a first step to holding the Prime Minister and others to account for their actions.

A letter of claim has been delivered to 10 Downing Street. This is a formal document, required by the pre-action protocols regulating civil proceedings in England & Wales, setting out details of the Claimants and their case. It is intended to promote negotiated settlements, wherever possible.

The families would like a full enquiry into the war. If the Prime Minister, presumably Tony Blair, does not agree within the next 14 days the families will start Judicial Review proceedings.

More after the fold.

This is my first diary. Yesterday lorraine hinted that I should do a diary on Zimbabwe. It seems that having read a few books on Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) and having a Zimbabwean sister-in-law makes me an 'expert' on the country. I apologise to anyone who does know something about the subject.

Zimbabwe may have some relevance to American politics. Many people on this site take the view that President Bush is out to increase the power and wealth of himself, his family and his supporters at whatever cost to the American people. The strategy, of self interest against the national interest, is exactly the one President Mugabe of Zimbabwe has followed. It has been taken far further in Zimbabwe than in the United States. The only difference is that a less powerful country can only do major damage to itself, so the international community is less concerned.

There is so much that could be said but the hot news from Zimbabwe is that there is a Parliamentary election tomorrow. I will discuss this further after the fold.