The Catholic Orangemen of Togo is a prequel to Murder in Samarkand. Catholic Orangemen is a gentle memoir of my African years, with some thoughts on African development issues and the complex and continuing ramifications of colonial rule. The best Chapter is called Almost Gabon, in which I nearly go to Gabon, but then don’t. I might stick that here somewhere as a sample chapter.

How an elegaic memoir of ten years ago can generate such heat is hard to understand. But then there is this:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/special_report/1998/05/98/arms_to_africa_row/211704.stm

I suspect that what Schillings are trying to block is the story of how Spicer escaped prosecution, the role of Number 10, and the origin of New Labour’s love affair with mercenaries. Or maybe it’s the bit about when I missed my flight to Gabon.