You know you’re fucked when you give a speech and #Ceausescu starts trending — angryyoungalex.
So Mubarak had his big speech and while everybody expected he would announce his retirement, he instead blew a giant raspberry to the Egyptian people, who are now more angry then ever. It does remind you of the last speech of Ceausescu, that moment when everybody but the great dictator himself had realised that he was toast, that repression no longer worked and compromise was no longer possible, that the question was no longer if the revolution would succeed, but when. Mubarak too had his chance to either violently repress the revolution or to step down peacefully. The first was only tried halfheartedly, largely it seems because the police and hired thugs failed while the army refused, the second was probably never on the cards for him. So tonight the chances have increased dramatically that he will end his days bungling from a lamp post or shot in the streets.