Never trust a man in uniform

Events in Egypt have overtaken my occasional blog, although I am disturbed to learn this morning that the Egyptian army is 'helping demonstrators dismantle their tents' in Tahrir Square.  Since when has any army in any country proven its democratic credentials?  The Egyptian army has spent the last thirty years propping up the Mubarak regime.  It stood by while the regime's thugs attempted to smash the pro-democracy movement in Tahrir Square.  The Egyptian army is not to be trusted with governance even for a limited transitional period, but then nor is any uniformed hierarchical organisation in any country, and certainly not the police. They are by nature authoritarian and anti-democratic, even in the UK where 'kettling' is the euphemism now used for forcibly preventing free speech, freedom of movement and the freedom to peacefully protest.  Can you imagine the headlines if the Egyptian army had 'kettled' protesters in Cairo, so why not similar howls of outrage when the British police do the same here?  And the role of Europe and the USA in this still unfolding story is shocking in its hypocrisy, at best pusillanimous, at worst cowardly.   Obama in particular has been a gross disappointment.  Do these people have no moral compass, no moral fibre?  Realpolitik is all very well but are there no limits to the cynicism and duplicity of politicians?  It's embarrassing to note that we are the ones who claim to live in a democratic society and yet for too long we have been giving succour and material support to tyrants and repressive regimes in the name of our 'broader, strategic interests', most especially in the Middle East.  For shame!