Being a Former Colonial Power does not mean that you can't object to abuses of human rights.

When you live in a country like the UK, a Former Colonial Power, where we live in a state of amnesia about our Former Colonial Past, you are very often tempted to complain about other countries' abuses of their citizens human rights, about some of their politicians' attempts rather shameless abuses of democracy. The rebuttal is predictable and swift: "Do not impose your European values on us." This sort of ad-hominem argument, alas, does not negate our charges.

Today's article by Ian Burama in the Observer makes this point beautifully: Culture is no excuse for China denying its people democracy