Wheels of Shame....

The annual inhuman feat of the Tour (Im hooked: highlights every night on ITV4...), has again been brought into disrepute with a series of revelations about athletes using performance-enhancing drugs, leading to two whole teams being withdrawn and the unprecedented booting out of the yellow jersey.

It shouldnt need explaining why doping is wrong. Once one athlete is doing it, with blind eyes turned or excuses made, the ban is ruined. This is the connection with rendition flights - we have a complete international ban on torture, and law that says any suspect should be brought to a fair trial if suspected of an offence, to protect everyone. If one then two then more countries break these rules, the whole human rights framework is chipped away at

I hope theres no more drug scandals to come. My hopes now are on the heroic Colombian Soler, a true King of the Mountains.

On another matter if you want something compelling to read and take action   on, dont miss todays Independents  front page special on the human rights crisis in Burma.