Now I am the first to admit that I was never a contender for Mother of the Year (or should that be Gold Medal for Mothering Skills). So when events like the School Eisteddfod croppped up, I did my level-best to dissuade my daughters from putting up their hands to participate. (It worked by the way – they went for the slightly less tortuous Tournament of Minds (bad, but not as bad).)
All that pouncing around the stage to loud pop music, dressed in costumes that no doubt required parental input and often seemed to involve significant metrage of aluminium foil and, worse of all, sending some sort of message to the audience, such as the evils of war, capitalism or climate change, or in the worst or best of cases depending on your point-of-view, all three.
Let’s face it, it was never going to be my cup of tea. Sadly, one of my daughter’s best friends was heavily involved in many of these Eisteddfod events (buggered if I know what eisteddfod even means) – she was actually a lovely ballerina – so I attended them every year.
So when my eye was inevitably drawn to bits of the Opening Ceremony of the XXX Olympiad (what is this spirit of Olympism? – new term to me), I seemed to be reliving all those Eisteddfods I had endured, although this gig was definitely on steroids, courtesy of the NHS, I guess (see later).
Seriously, one can only imagine the decision-making process that led to this boring, crass and pointless exhibition of people waving their arms, jumping on beds, endlessly beating drums and generally making complete gits of themselves. (You know the one – you don’t have to have feathers to be a goose.)
Meeting upon meeting would throw up suggestions. What about the industrial revolution? Didn’t that start in England? – yes, let’s use that as a theme. (According to our Eddie [Eddie, Eddie, Eddie], the industrial revolution actually started on a particular day, although he didn’t give us the time of that day.)
The NHS – that’s unique to the UK – let’s use that as a theme and get all the doctors and nurses to dance to some rock n’ roll music. That makes sense.
Oh and the trade unions must get a look-in; after all, they are the good guys, softening the harsh face of capitalism (we can use men in top hats smoking cigars to represent the evils of capitalism).
I could go on, although I have to admit that my attention was straying. What was that bit with all those Mary Poppins falling down from the sky? And those gigantic monsters frightening the kiddies who had been happily jumping on those NHS beds?
And as for the behaviour of the Australian team. Perhaps I am old and grumpy but they sure looked like a pack of ill-disciplined, self-centred louts who had no idea how to behave and had clearly not been given any instruction on how to.
Any good bits? Mr Bean, although it did go on for a while. The deaf – am I allowed to say that? – kids singing and signing the National Anthem. The Queen. The spoof on James Bond. And the lighting of the flame, but how PC to have a team rather than an individual do so. Group-hugs and singing Kumbaya are clearly now universal.
And here’s my prediction – Australian’s medal count will be poor and all the rent-seekers will loudly proclaim that the government (ie. the taxpayer) must fork out even more money to make sure this never happens again.
Another thought: What about Mohammed Ali? He looked like an extra from Weekend at Bernie’s. They must have wound his clock in his back for the evening. Oh and by the way, he is not BRITISH.
Over at The Age, their writer gushes about the ceremony and quotes the creator of the ceremony, Chief Git Danny Boyle, as describing the ceremony as “gracious and generous.” Seriously? Gauche and tasteless, more like it.
What a warning to the rest of us of the cancerous effects of the welfare state on a once great societies.
Token
28 Jul 12 at 4:24 pm
Speech to announce the opening of the 1948 London Olympics:
Lucky those giants are dead now mental pygmies live in their once great city.
Token
28 Jul 12 at 4:28 pm
Yes and there will be no golds, silver or bronzes. Instead, each athlete will receive a participation trophy for each event. How PC.
Gab
28 Jul 12 at 4:31 pm
professional competitions in arts and sports these days leads teengers on to compete in superstars markets where most do not win the massive first prize.
risk adverse parents, wise in the ways of the world, should wisely steer their chidlrten to safer careers. there are many other rewarding careers out there.
If in doubt, watch for the TV documentaries on athletes that just, only just missed out on going to the Olympics. Years of wasted competition in a Tullock style auction.
The counter-factual on silver and bronze medals is instructive.
• The silver medallist is miserable – thinking for the rest of their lives only of how they just missed out on the gold and only their mum will remember that they won a silver medal
• The bronze medallist is happy as Larry because their counter-factual is all those losers that did not get a medal at all.
Jim Rose
28 Jul 12 at 4:35 pm
My daughter is seriously into dance. Three (expensive) nights a week, although she would live there if she could. Fortunately, while there are formal (expensive) exams, rather than attend Eisteddfods, the dance academy puts on a mid year (expensive) concert of their own, and also do the dance back up for Brisbane’s carols by candlelight. They also perform at Disneyland (ruinously expensive) every other year.
entropy
28 Jul 12 at 4:39 pm
London’s school show was similar to Sydney’s for silliness. Sydney’s was only saved by the marvellous lone horseman whipcrack at the beginning, which was pretty thrilling. I guess Londoners too will each have some piece of saving grace they’ll become fond of.
For sheer spectacle, drama, professionalism, hubris and excitement that conveyed a sense of cultural history, I don’t think you can go past the Beijing performance, even though it also displayed a type of totalitarian regimentation. Some disliked the fact that the little singer was not considered visually interesting enough to be the front person for her song, but that’s show business I reckon.
Elizabeth (Lizzie) B.
28 Jul 12 at 4:43 pm
Oh – and Sydney had Cathy Freeman’s heart-stopping moment of concern that the whole system would fail as she tried to light the flame – but then it worked!
Elizabeth (Lizzie) B.
28 Jul 12 at 4:44 pm
the worst bit was the non-sportsfogeys dressed in pallid white walking the olympic flag.
If they are going to go that PC, they should have had Bob Geldof lighting the flame.
entropy
28 Jul 12 at 4:49 pm
oh, and the crassest bit? Send in your dead!
entropy
28 Jul 12 at 4:53 pm
You know once you are glorifying the NHS you have lost all sense of perspective and pride.
jupes
28 Jul 12 at 5:06 pm
I think I would prefer to watch a few rounds of Christians v Lions at the Colosseum and maybe put an orgy on the HSU credit card afterwards.
H B Bear
28 Jul 12 at 5:08 pm
Missed it, I was asleep. Not really into all that neo-pagan torchy stuff.
coz
28 Jul 12 at 5:12 pm
The Sex Pistols were great. Hoped the Queen liked their song as I’m sure she wouldn’t like all of them.
Not sure though, that having all those boof headed monsters jumping up and down on springs that looked remarkably like the “legs” that Oscar Pistorius uses will do much to convince people that he doesn’t have an advantage over able bodied athletes.
jupes
28 Jul 12 at 5:15 pm
At least the Yank team has a nice uniform.
Nerd!
.
28 Jul 12 at 5:18 pm
Yeh but wasn’t the uniforms of the Yank team made in China which was causing a bit of stink back in the great United States.
Judith Sloan
28 Jul 12 at 5:21 pm
ar
28 Jul 12 at 5:22 pm
OK. Read my lips. When I win the election, I’ll scrap ALL sports-related funding on that very night. And I’ll throw out arts funding as a bonus. I have no idea how that’ll improve the budget bottom line. I don’t care. It’s the principle.
Hugh
28 Jul 12 at 5:23 pm
I thought the lighting in the stadium was the highlight. Kept surprising me with the visual treat.
McCartney sucked as did his sound system.
nice touch the 204 bowls making the torch and each country cna take them home – may be our only gold for the cabinet!
pete m
28 Jul 12 at 5:44 pm
True, Judith. Did you see Sen. Reid’s brain-snap when he suggested they should throw those uniforms away and wear sheets or some-such with USA scribbled on them? Wonder where his suits are made?
dover_beach
28 Jul 12 at 5:54 pm
Hugh, would you believe Team USA receives no federal funding?
dover_beach
28 Jul 12 at 5:56 pm
Missed most of it because too busy polishing boat bits in the cold, cold morning between sips of rum&coke. I did happen to hear old Sir Paul belting out a bit of “Hey Jude,” what was that about?
mareeS
28 Jul 12 at 5:56 pm
I thought they were actually begging bowls. The poorer countries like Greece and Spain should have done an extra lap around the stadium and caught a few zlotnicks thrown out by the sympathetic crowd
Splatacrobat
28 Jul 12 at 6:02 pm
Obviously people here have checked their ability to enjoy an event at the door.
Lighten up folks. You’ve already paid for it; stop grumbling, sit back and enjoy the show.
Driftforge
28 Jul 12 at 6:07 pm
Muhammed Ali not being British is not the only reason he should not have got a part. He is also a racist. Back in the early summer of ’68 I attended a ‘peace in Vietnam’ march that ended in the large forecourt of the San town hall. Ali was a featured speaker, but rather disappointed the crowd when he deprecated the fact that there mixed (Afro/Anglo) couples in the crowd. He didn’t like the mixing.
And — he was beaten by Tony Madigan in the semi-final of the Rome Olympic light heavyweight division, though the referees said otherwise.
rafiki
28 Jul 12 at 6:14 pm
Sorry, that’s San Franciscco.
rafiki
28 Jul 12 at 6:15 pm
Thanks for taking one for the team, Judith.
A precis of your description is ‘The opening ceremony was a vile and amateurish slew of cringeworthy left-wing twaddle that truly blew chunks.’
Our TV went off yesterday and won’t be turned on for a fortnight, by the looks. Not even the kids are remotely interested.
Can we de-fund the AIS now?
Mk50 of Brisbane
28 Jul 12 at 6:21 pm
And to top it off one of the aged worthies bearing the Olympic flag had her “integrity” saluted. Don’t get me started on the PC extravaganza.
Judith I am certainly getting old and grumpy too – I got annoyed at how the so-called flag bearers waved the things around in manic fashion – only one held the flag properly upright in a holder.
The multiplicity of Olympic torches also annoyed me – sacred Olympic torches become cheaper by the dozen …..
Viva
28 Jul 12 at 6:36 pm
Bread and circuses….tomorrow it’s back to the NHS comrades.
Please remain distracted as long as possible.
Alfonso
28 Jul 12 at 6:42 pm
We had to endure half-naked Aborigines, as usual – most, judging by guttage, having been denizens of very good paddocks.
Seriously, could the Aboriginal dance troupes of the country who work full-time opening stuff go on a collective diet?
C.L.
28 Jul 12 at 6:43 pm
They tended to do that with Clay – fearing the blabbermouth grievance-monger’s reaction. There’s no doubt he should have lost to Frazier in their second bout of 1974 for his deliberate illegal clinching.
C.L.
28 Jul 12 at 6:51 pm
Yes we can!
Rabz
28 Jul 12 at 6:54 pm
Seriously, why do the interpretive dance people always get front and centre? Why couldn’t we have Jeremy Clarkson holding big sliding burnouts in an Aston Martin? I bet more people in that crowd watch top gear thanodern dance recitals.
My biggest gripe was the overt over-inclusiveness of the performers. The UK is still predominantly Anglo-Saxon, surely a couple of them passed the rehearsals? I could be wrong, happy to be told so, but it looked like affirmative action dialled to eleven.
The multi-mix music over the decades was ok, but why not more live performers? Most of them are still alive.
My verdict ( admittedly watched half of it on fast forward): C- try and be original. Beijing was much better.
Brc
28 Jul 12 at 7:01 pm
Yes, perhaps you are. You didn’t like it, yet it appears you watched the whole thing. Here’s a tip. If you don’t like it, turn it off.
SteveC
28 Jul 12 at 7:27 pm
Is that why you keep coming back to Catallaxy, Steve?
C.L.
28 Jul 12 at 7:30 pm
Don’t worry SteveC, I was doing two to three other things at the same time. Real Cats are very good at multitasking.
Judith Sloan
28 Jul 12 at 7:33 pm
Lol They all keep complaining about ‘catallaxians’ and coming back. It’s actually amusing watching their antics.
Morons.
JC
28 Jul 12 at 7:33 pm
I find Catallaxy fascinating. In particular the prolific posters who appear to have no other life
SteveC
28 Jul 12 at 7:34 pm
It’s not “prolific” to post little comments like this one, Steve. Most sentient adults can do it while doing half a dozen other things.
C.L.
28 Jul 12 at 7:37 pm
Get a grip folks, It’s entertainment, show biz.
SteveC
28 Jul 12 at 7:38 pm
It’s the frequency that fascinates me CL
SteveC
28 Jul 12 at 7:39 pm
It facinates me that you keep coming back for more SteveC. Go down to room 12 Steve there is someone who is willing to listen to your vacuous drivel.
Splatacrobat
28 Jul 12 at 7:48 pm
Sorry Troops
Saw the opening ceremony – thought it was as boring as whale shit
Uninspired bilge
Carpe Jugulum
28 Jul 12 at 7:49 pm
No. It’s not.
.
28 Jul 12 at 8:05 pm
We don’t want to turn it off, just nor forced to pay for it.
Forester
28 Jul 12 at 8:06 pm
The way it should be.
They could even have some sort of private agreement where the wealthy sporting codes are simply generous to unprofessional sports.
I don’t see why I’m paying taxes to fund guys who earn millions in endorsements and get plum, well paying jobs on tele later on.
Thorpe used to earn 2.5 mln p.a from his royalties and investments until he retired.
.
28 Jul 12 at 8:13 pm
That’s why I used to like the UFC before it was infested with wanna be celebrities (i.e the bad old days).
You basically couldn’t cheat. You simply could not eye gouge or bite. Everything else was legal so gaining an upper hand by devious means basically didn’t exist.
.
28 Jul 12 at 8:15 pm
If you don’t want to pay for the olympics on “Free to Air” TV, then you had better boycott all the advertisers.
SteveC
28 Jul 12 at 8:17 pm
You’re an idiot. Advertisers are paying for our team? Hooray! No more public funding of the AIS! Maybe I paid a bit of tax to it – maybe the advertisers can boycott my business if they are pissed about funding the AIS etc?
Our TV went off yesterday and won’t be turned on for a fortnight, by the looks. Not even the kids are remotely interested.
Can we de-fund the AIS now?
Please bugger off Steve. You are ruining our reputation by hanging around here with your level of incompetence and stupidity.
.
28 Jul 12 at 8:22 pm
The welfare state? GB just banned teaching creation even in religous classes in schools. The fascist state more like it.
Uber
28 Jul 12 at 8:23 pm
Here’s a tip for you dot, the AIS is not the AOC. Do some homework and stop ruining our reputation.
Ruining our reputation – hahahahahahaha!
SteveC
28 Jul 12 at 8:40 pm
Jupes, my old timers just kicked in.
What was that song co written by Johnny Rotten and Frank Ifield?
Jeff
28 Jul 12 at 8:42 pm
No shit, idiot.
The AIS is privately funded?
No.
The AOC has it’s own training facilities?
No.
Just fuck off dude.
.
28 Jul 12 at 8:56 pm
you need hands?
Splatacrobat
28 Jul 12 at 8:56 pm
You need hands
Splatacrobat
28 Jul 12 at 9:00 pm
feck
You need hands
Splatacrobat
28 Jul 12 at 9:01 pm
Sorry, but if people want to fund Olympic sports, as opposed to tiddlywinks or whatever, with their hard earned wealth, then good on’em. Heck, even I might do the same for some sports. But why oh why should taxpayers be forced to pay for activities they don’t give a hoot about, or art they may think is a heap of c**p (and which sometimes is, literally)? I’m sick of this. The emperor has no clothes, a pot belly, and diminishing returns below that.
Hugh
28 Jul 12 at 9:52 pm
it was nowhere as uplifting and emotional as Sydney opening ceremony a drag really
candy
28 Jul 12 at 10:47 pm
lol sez stevec at 7.30pm on a Saturday night.
Gab
28 Jul 12 at 11:47 pm
A bit close to the bone, Gab?
SteveC
28 Jul 12 at 11:51 pm
“peloton of potential”. Box head Maguire at his best.
Tiny Dancer
29 Jul 12 at 12:05 am
No thanks. Dead boring. Trivial. Don’t care.
jrm
29 Jul 12 at 12:20 am
I still can’t get over that they celebrated the NHS at the Olympics!
Sydney missed a grand opportunity to include the GST and payroll tax in their ceremony. Greece could have celebrated retiring at 53 and China could have done a delightful dance about 30 million starving after a failed 5 year plan.
Infidel Tiger
29 Jul 12 at 12:30 am
Poor Aiden, Conservative MP, cops flak for just having an opinion and telling it like it is.
Gab
29 Jul 12 at 12:32 am
Haven’t been following the games, excepting what I’ve picked up media-wise in my travels. Sounds like the Australians are doing dismally. Ahahahaha.
C.L.
29 Jul 12 at 12:40 am
Yeah, China won the first gold in shooting. The two Aussies didn’t even make it to the finals.
Gab
29 Jul 12 at 12:43 am
Good. I hope we don’t win any medals at all.
Fisky
29 Jul 12 at 12:46 am
Fisk
I’m not sure that would be a good thing. If we didn’t win a medal every sniveling rent seeker connected to sport or like to be would be pressuring this lunatic government to spend even more. Ya reckon the Slapper wouldn’t write a blank cheque in the hope of winning some votes? I don’t think so.
However I’m with you. I’d be elevated if our version of the old East German team didn’t win a thing.
JC
29 Jul 12 at 12:51 am
I just want to prick the bubble of blind jingoism in this country. And the Olympics should always be boycotted out of principle. They still won’t observe a minute’s silence for a bunch of murdered Israelis.
So no, I hope we come home totally empty-handed.
Fisky
29 Jul 12 at 12:53 am
Unless you win the Men’s 100m Final you’re just making up the numbers.
Infidel Tiger
29 Jul 12 at 1:07 am
Insty:
Quite so.
sdog
29 Jul 12 at 1:17 am
Guaranteed the IOC would insist on a remembrance ceremony (not just a minute’s silence) every Limpix™ (Tim) had it been palestians killed 40 years ago.
Gab
29 Jul 12 at 1:27 am
Yeah and so what? Why is the world kowtowing to Arabs?
Gab
29 Jul 12 at 1:29 am
This is all code.
What Rogge is saying is that Munich wasn’t memorialised (and never will be) because host countries fear being attacked by angry Muslim terrorists.
C.L.
29 Jul 12 at 1:37 am
Without a doubt.
Gab
29 Jul 12 at 1:49 am
And yet again, “Too Good to Check” meets “They Want to Believe.”
Keep up the good work, Reality-Based Community(tm)!
sdog
29 Jul 12 at 5:35 am
Normally I wonder if there will be anything worth watching on TV, or if there will be anything remotely intelligent included in any news/ morning TV.
At least for the next couple of weeks I don’t have to wonder.
Seriously how shallow is your life that you feel that need to get up in the middle of the night to watch someone you’ve never met run around in circles?
And then spend the next X number of days talking about as if you discovered a cure for Cancer?
CraigS
29 Jul 12 at 7:06 am
Some of you are a bit of a miserable lot aren’t you? What did sport ever do to you or does the usual letter-writing whining about a sportsman or woman getting an award/money instead of a budding opera singer include some of you amongst their number? Sport satisfies the wishes of millions so there you have it, I say. At least many of you seemed to watch all of the opening ceremony which is more than I did (none of it live and only when her indoors had it on this morning. However, apart from some good effects, the part that did make me sit up and pay attention was the industrial revolution part. Not only to reflect again on what started so small in that part of the world and in that society, but all the ramifications which flow from it – even the top-hatted ‘industrialists’ – and no matter how PC the intent was, there was more than that to reflect on.
That was the adaptability of capitalism and the top hat brigade merely represented that to me. Like a documentary coming on by chance, that scene gave me time to reflect a little when I least expected it and that adaptability was reinforced. You don’t have to read The Condition of the Working Class in England, or to read the proceedings of theChildren’s Employment Commission of 1842 to see what was a bleak description of the early capitalistic world of the 1840’s
M Ryutin
29 Jul 12 at 7:18 am
I was surprised they let the Scots kids sing “Flower of Scotland” . Not in keeping with Londons Unionist sentiment. I thought the opening ceremony very socialist PC. The Apparachik had had a free reign. Celebrating the NHS? Why not celebrate Littlewoods too or the Dole. Great institutions like these need recognition. Scuse me while I gag.
John
29 Jul 12 at 7:55 am
Beaudy Rootin….so we can expect the double timed, paternity leaved, leave loaded, workplace rorting, productive disaster Union movement to cease pretending its 1842 sometime soon?
Excellent.
Alfonso
29 Jul 12 at 8:36 am
The Chinese men’s gymnastics uniforms are funnier and more gay than anything in the opening ceremony.
Big Jim
29 Jul 12 at 9:09 am
eisteddfod (n): a welsh word used to describe a short period (typically a few hours) of boredom endured to improve the self esteem of others or further develop one’s appreciation of “The Arts” credentials.
Typically such events are followed by a much longer period of sycophancy.
Richard
29 Jul 12 at 9:16 am
It’s called Finlandisation, Gab. And they are in full throttle, pedal to the metal, 100% denial of it.
The next point in the political spectrum is surrender.
Winston Smith
29 Jul 12 at 9:39 am
The MSM is just as bad. I’ve heard a few references to the Munich massacre and the occasional mention that it was Palestinian who committed the murders. But no mention that it was Palestinians from Fatah and that Fatah was run by Yasser Arafat.
Arafat was a nasty terrorist who has spent his life ensuring there would be no peace in the Middle East, so naturally he became a darling of the Left.
Also, didn’t Rogge make some comment about this being the first Olympics that every country had sent at least one female athlete, without mentioning that this has come about because Saudi Arabia has finally allowed women athletes to compete? Can’t offend Middle Eastern dictators now can we.
johno
29 Jul 12 at 9:53 am
I’d distribute that NRO piece on Israel but it was more about self promotion for conservatives than slamming the pro Palestinian IOC.
Stuff like this sells better when it is subtle.
.
29 Jul 12 at 9:59 am
No.
In excel at sport unlike some of the nerds here.
I pay my way. Furthermore there are plenty of professional athletes who are not self funded, but alas, they are funded by their private sector sponsors – not the taxpayer.
Is this why Julia Gillard has been investigated for fraud, and why Zoe Thomson stands by her man?
The working class never had it so good in the 1840s. Don’t start dribbling this Blakeian horseshit about how good the middle ages were.
.
29 Jul 12 at 10:04 am
yet to see the OC, but from what I hear it could have been worse. At least they celebrated the Industrial Revolution, and din’t bow down to the anti-progress Greens.
papachango
29 Jul 12 at 10:50 am
From rafiki at 6:14pm:
Struth! I thought I was the only bloke here old enough to know of Tony Madigan, from a fabulous era in Australian boxing.
Which takes me to my point – I’ll stop to watch subbies playing park cricket if I spot them as I drive past, I reckon a game of poor rugby is way better than no rugby union at all and I can discuss endlessly, ever so earnestly, the records of Wenona Girl, Denise’s Joy and Black Caviar. I just lervs me sport, mate!
We’ve got through a couple of days without knowing anything much about the Olympics. Last night on the TV news this opening ceremony final surrender thingy popped up and Mrs Mick instinctively activated the Gizzard button on the remote.
Nonetheless I’ve enjoyed the reports and comments here about the lovely kiddies living out their lovely dream, paid for by me, as they tour nightclubs in the busted ramshackle remnants of a failed, now suicidal world power.
A personal pre-sweetness-and-global-brotherhood favourite was some quota bloke whinging that the prejudiced colonialists stole his place in the hop, step and jump or something. I recall he made a similar compo claim in the past.
I’ll switch on to watch the coverage only if I hear from you all that the fat sheila, entered in the heavyweight division swimming races, has jobbed bankrupt-king-hit-swimming-boy for pinching her bread roll at breakfast in their barracks.
Mick Gold Coast QLD
29 Jul 12 at 11:16 am
I like my 4 yearly dose of Roman Colliseum – at least the opening ceremony and the odd bit of “last few strokes” or a bigger dose of “dressage”. I think the Poms put on a pretty entertaining show – the Industrial Revolution bit was quite brilliant, and the NHS genuinely eccentric – as was the digestible dose of Mr Bean.
But what really filled my heart with overflowing pride was the sight of “Our John Coates” sitting behing the Archbishop of Canterbury who was sitting behind HM and HRH!!!! Such good fortune, such condescension from HM and the AofC.
Seriously, sport usually bores me to tears but if I’m pitchforked into viewing a live game of something, I can enjoy it.
With the Sydney Olympics we (wife and I), got 2 sets of tickets, the first being the horsey stuff, 20 miles out of Sydney. For $19 each, we got door to door transport and a day’s show – and found out how interesting watching horse/person combinations can actually be. Our other tickets were for a day of athletics heats and semis in the main stadium. The memories of past boring school athletics carnivals flooded back. This was the same but bigger.
Still, most people enjoy sport in ways I don’t and the circus keeps them happy – and give me a bit of novelty.
I think we should keep them, the Olympics, going.
Michael
29 Jul 12 at 1:48 pm
My husband and I both have the flu, so it was okay to prop our groggy heads up and watch a bit of the opening.
What struck us the most was the cultural regression. What we appreciated the most was the Brits ability to laugh at themselves. All the PC stuff was expected.
I like to imagine what they could have said about the wonderful British Empire, the superior cultural achievements, the worthy values etc. that used to make them great. But you’re not even allowed to think that now are you?
Ellen of Tasmania
29 Jul 12 at 4:25 pm
Has this crap ended yet?
Mk50 of Brisbane
29 Jul 12 at 5:40 pm
The only people who would have thought the London Opening ceremony was up to par or better are the same people that proclaim the talents of reality Tv show singers. People over the last 15 years have been recieving lower standard entertainment. That’s why there are half wits here protecting the Ceremony. It was rubbish fullstop. Looked last minute and very ameture.Absolutly appaulling.
Simon Q
30 Jul 12 at 7:07 pm