I've written a blog on the Guardian's Comment is Free site about the stresses on the Communist Party leadership post- OIympics. As the concern surrounding the melamine-tainted milk powder spreads, and all domestically-produced dairy products are removed from shelves, the Communist Party now faces a major food safety scandal. The World Health Organisation is now asking what the central leadership knew and when. They want to know whether the delay in taking timely action was because of a cover-up or simply because of a failure of systems. Among people I've spoken to here, no one is surprised that the Central government knew that children were getting sick way back in July but did not issue a recall for the tainted milk powder until September, and people assume that the centre covered-up because of the Olympics. Anyway, here's the link to the piece I wrote for Comment is Free, complete with comments from several people who seem to believe that no one should raise questions about anything going on in China. Try telling that to the World Health Organisation. Try also telling that to the many Chinese who are desperate for a more responsible and responsive government:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/sep/17/china.olympics2008

Free Speach is alive & well .... if you live in the waest. Boy did your comments provoke a begative responce. It is interesting that it was only last friday that the BBC started raising this as a newsworthy topic. Not so much about child welfare but because 'startbucks' were removing milk from it's shelves.....! from Wokingham - Dark, overcast and about to experance another downpour.

Hi Stephen, Sorry for the delay posting your comment. When people post comments they are hidden at first until I have activated them, so that nothing offensive is posted. Unfortunately that means people sometimes try to post comments and think they have vanished into the ether. Apologies for my delay getting to this.