Nelson Mandella is being hailed as one of the world's most iconic leaders, (quite rightly so.) In your opinion, which world leaders, (past or present,) are the most saintly or abhorrent?

People who try to do things to promote friendship among nations are high on my list of worthies. I would choose Canadian former Prime Minister Lester B Pearson as a good example. As I live in Australia I would also choose former Prime Minister Bob Hawke because while many of the things he did didn't work out well they were well intended.

At the other end of the scale George W Bush will go down in history as one of the worst US Presudents. While he is not as obviously evil as Adolf Hitler or Pol Pot he has had an extremely undesirable effect on the whole world. The Australian former Prime Minister John Howard is of the same ilk.

I also thought he would be good for his people till I saw him deny that his country had not got a problem with Aids. It happened soon after he was made the Prime Minister. I have no other that you can say that he or she was good because years later something always comes out of the wood what they did wrong. Abe Lincoln the nearest freeing the slaves.

I am a fan of his holiness the Dali Lama, I hope in his lifetime he is able to return to Tibet as it's leader, even if it is just as their spiritual leader.

I was also a great admirer of King Hussein of Jordan, his philanthropic work was not confined to his own kingdom but there are many children who he paid for an education here in the UK, it wasn't until after his death that it was made known he was doing this.

Ghandi too was a good leader too, a great ideas man and we have him to thank for such quotes as: "be the change you want to see" and "the measure of a good country and it's people is how it treats it's poor"

Ceaucescu was a revolting character. George W Bush is high on most peoples lists i think....not just cos of his mismanagement of the Gulf situation but also cos of his appalling gaffes!!