Mubarak went, quicker than I thought he would, and the crowds in Tahrir Sq have maintained a level of rejoicing I should not have thought possible without alcohol.
Now the hard work begins. The people, and foreign governments together, must monitor the position over the next few months to ensure the army council really does hand over power to an elected civilian assembly. One sign of warning will be if a charismatic leader emerges on the council. For the moment they all seem reassuringly old and dull. It is a pity that no one thinks elections could be held before the due date of September, but I suppose there will have to be changes to the constitution.
Mubarak and his family are believed to be in Sharm el Sheikh, just across the Gulf of Aquaba from Saudi Arabia, and I think the new regime would be wise to keep them there. One of the protesters' leaders said Mubarak had pocketed $70 billion over the years, and even if it is a fraction of that the people of Egypt will want it back.
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