I’ve written three posts on football on Sent To The Stands and one post on July’s concerts in Best Seat In The House
Just four or five of the travel blog entries to sort out and
everything will be ship-shape. The writing in a ‘journal’ or a 'diary' loses its
impact if not written at the time. First impressions are contaminated by
subsequent encounters or the passage of time or a poor memory, or combinations thereof, but I have
photographs to help me remember at least some of it.
Those participating in the Olympics, and those lucky enough
to have obtained tickets, will remember the last eight days for a very long
time. Great Britain and Northern Ireland, or teamGB as it is known, has
exceeded expectations, so far, in terms of its medal haul. There are over twenty TV
channels showing wall-to-wall coverage of as many of the sports in these games
as its possible to broadcast, and I’m not near a TV or streaming media all the
time, so I’ve missed most of it, including some triumphs for GB. As I type,
Great Britain is third in the medals table with 16 Gold, 11 Silver and 10
Bronze. No one is expecting significant additions to those totals,
as we are currently relatively poor in track and field, but where there’s life,
there’s hope.
This good feeling is only temporary, though, and doesn’t mask the current Government’s victimisation of the poor, the sick, the old and the underprivileged by its systematic dismantling of the Welfare State. Politicians are queuing up to stand alongside our sporting heroes. They’re happy to live vicariously through others and bask in their glory, whilst at the same time, cutting funding for grass roots sport, selling off school playing fields, taking money from local authorities which then cut community facilities and coaching, and so on. They should be ashamed of themselves, but they won’t be.
Congratulations to all those who have won, those who came close, those who lost and all those who didn’t manage to compete. There’s something in me that runs and jumps and swims and cycles, that goes higher and faster, but it’s not my body. All I can do is watch, and admire.
This good feeling is only temporary, though, and doesn’t mask the current Government’s victimisation of the poor, the sick, the old and the underprivileged by its systematic dismantling of the Welfare State. Politicians are queuing up to stand alongside our sporting heroes. They’re happy to live vicariously through others and bask in their glory, whilst at the same time, cutting funding for grass roots sport, selling off school playing fields, taking money from local authorities which then cut community facilities and coaching, and so on. They should be ashamed of themselves, but they won’t be.
Congratulations to all those who have won, those who came close, those who lost and all those who didn’t manage to compete. There’s something in me that runs and jumps and swims and cycles, that goes higher and faster, but it’s not my body. All I can do is watch, and admire.
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