(continued) wretched political environs.

Handling the politics of the Olympics will clearly be a matter of some delicacy. The Chinese ambassador in London may yet absent herself from today’s event. Gordon Brown and his cabinet should do likewise. The British, led by Tessa Jowell, the ensnared Olympics minister, periodically intone their “concern for civil rights in China” as if it were a Buddhist mantra. It makes no difference.

From the moment the Games were awarded to Beijing, all involved knew they risked becoming quislings to the Chinese cause.

China last week welcomed the British government as a member of something called the Olympic family. If this is a family, I hope that for the next four months it is an intensely unhappy one.

What about all the hard working, dedicated sportsmen and women who have toiled, strained and trained for so many years to become part of the Olympic Games or other international competitions and get to meet people from across the globe from widely different cultures. Times will change. They always do.

We all know and believe that politics and politicians suck. Or do we? What is the alternative?

Times will change. They always do.

Of course, I support the athletes from across the world
who have endeavored to be the best in their field. But, the fact remains, the PRC is still a repressive system that censors freedom of speech, assembly, sanctions religious expression and has a horrible record of human rights abuses. I support the demonstrations and protesters, which the Tibetan problem has recently sparked. This is an important issue that needs to be kept in the media.